Applying for secondary schools issues.

andrewthomas2008

Hi All,

The mother of my child has applied for 2 schools for my son, but I've read that 3 schools need to chosen, but she can't find her username and password now.
So I wanted to apply for at least 6 schools under my name but under her address, but I've just read an article where a woman was prosecuted for applying for a school under her parent's address, although that's not the case with myself as I'm applying for schools under my son's permanent address but under to ensure he has 6 schools on his application.

So I'd to know if there's a chance I'd be prosecuted as it's not my address and his mother has submitted.

Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks!

balletshoes

each education department (and sometimes each school) has a different admissions process. You can go on your local education department's website and check the admissions process for your son's area.

If it says on that website that your child must have 3 schools on their application, then your child's mother can call the education department and explain she has lost her password and log-in, and they can reset it for her, and then she can add another school.

You don't need to, and certainly shouldn't be, attempting to use a false address (for you) to apply for schools on your son's behalf, when his mother has already done so, thats just going to confuse the issue.

eta - I didn't put 6 schools on my daughter's secondary school admission, I put 3, and only then because I would have been okay with her being at any one of those 3 schools.

gettingtheresometime

our son only had 1 choice on his secondary school application even though we could have had 3 choices.

Personally I think the school that your son goes applies to should be decided upon jointly and I wouldn't thank my son's father, assuming he had been a non resident parent, for making applications without discussing the matter with me and, to a lesser extent, our son's views.

selloptape

Have you tried asking her and your son about the two schools she's chosen and the reasons? Only asking as if the two she has chosen are the best schools for your son then adding other schools to the application might lower his chances of getting in to those schools.

If she has to add another school then the council/lea should be able to re-supply.

tomtontom

Listing more schools will *not* lower your chances of getting into the schools you have listed as your 1st and 2nd preference. Failing to list any further schools will mean that, if you are not successful for your first choices, you'll simply get placed at whatever school has places after everyone else has had their choices. That would be a very bad move.

You should list as many schools as you can in order of preference. You should absolutely not be making two applications for the same child. The system will pick up on this and the second application will be disregarded.

OP, speak to your ex, clarify your (mutual) choices and get her to contact the admissions team. This needs to be done before the closing date, otherwise any additional choices will be classed as late applications.

onlyroz

I could apply for three but only chose to apply for two. What makes you think that you must apply for three?

Spendless

I applied for one school for both my children. This is because I live in the catchment area of my preferred school and here, catchment is the main criteria when allocating school places. I'd also attended a meeting where I'd asked what was the number of Secondary school places for that year, against the known children living in catchment already at the feeder Primary schools (feeder schools are the 2nd criteria for my kids secondary school). Having discovered the number was under the spaces and knowing that I was well within catchment, I saw no reason to put more than 1 school.

It may well be that your child's mother has done her own similar sort of research and filled in the application accordingly,

tomtontom

Spendless wrote: »

I applied for one school for both my children. This is because I live in the catchment area of my preferred school and here, catchment is the main criteria when allocating school places. I'd also attended a meeting where I'd asked what was the number of Secondary school places for that year, against the known children living in catchment already at the feeder Primary schools (feeder schools are the 2nd criteria for my kids secondary school). Having discovered the number was under the spaces and knowing that I was well within catchment, I saw no reason to put more than 1 school.

It may well be that your child's mother has done her own similar sort of research and filled in the application accordingly,

Whilst I'm glad it worked out for you, what you did was risky. There could have been other children move into the area at a later date, or looked after children or those with a statement of needs that would have taken priority. I would strongly advise other parents not to do this - had your research been incorrect your child could have ended up anywhere.

sarahkmv

I'd be very careful about putting in two applications - it could lead to both being disregarded and your son ending up somewhere he didn't want to be. Where we are (Hertfordshire) you are asked to list 4 choices.


Interestingly the head of our local school (where our DD wants to go) actually reminded parents to put as many choices as are listed. the reason being that if you only put 1 school down and don't get it the assumption is that you're not bothered and they'll be slotted into wherever there are spaces.


I think you need to discuss with your son re his happiness at the choice made and speak to your ex about putting in the extra school(s) as a just in case.


We listed the 4 and DD would be happy with them all, but wants no 1.

Spendless

tomtontom wrote: »

Whilst I'm glad it worked out for you, what you did was risky. There could have been other children move into the area at a later date, or looked after children or those with a statement of needs that would have taken priority. I would strongly advise other parents not to do this - had your research been incorrect your child could have ended up anywhere.

I don't believe it was risky. I asked how many places the school had at a meeting and how many known children there were living in catchment at the local Primary schools. There were more spaces than known kids .My own child/ren being one of those who they would have counted -iyswim. I don't live on the outskirts of the catchment circle, I'm well within it, so if distance had played a part, within the catchment criteria, I wouldn't have been bottom of the list. There would have to have been a huge number of looked after kids in order to have moved me down the list so far, that my kids didn't get a place. I haven't seen naming a school as a statement of special needs on the application criteria here for many years (over 10) so I don't know if that has been removed, but there'd still have to be around 100 possibly even more, applying above me, for me to even get cold feet about doing it.

But to clairify your point, I'm not actually encouraging parents to do the same. I made the decision I did, based on my LA rules and what I know about the area, the school and the amount and application of places. I am pointing out to the OP to consider that his ex may be in the same position I was and has filled out the application form accordingly.

tomtontom

Spendless wrote: »

I don't believe it was risky. I asked how many places the school had at a meeting and how many known children there were living in catchment at the local Primary schools. There were more spaces than known kids. I don't live on the outskirts of the catchment circle, I'm well within it, so if distance had played a part, within the catchment criteria, I wouldn't have been bottom of the list. There would have to have been a huge number of looked after kids in order to have moved me down the list so far, that my kids didn't get a place. I haven't seen naming a school as a statement of special needs on the application criteria here for many years (over 10) so I don't know if that has been removed, but there'd still have to be around 100 possibly even more, applying above me, for me to even get cold feet about doing it.

But to clairify your point, I'm not actually encouraging parents to do the same. I made the decision I did, based on my LA rules and what I know about the area, the school and the amount and application of places. I am pointing out to the OP that his ex, to consider that his ex may be in the same position.

I sit on an admissions appeal panel, and have heard several appeals from people that did the same as you. Their appeals were not allowed. You were fortunate, many people are not and their children end up in the closest sink school - very risky.