How to know if you are in the catchment area

building

for the good schools? any info appreciated.thanks in advance.

payless

The actual schools or the LEA will be able to tell you what the admission policy is ( distance, siblings etc) , and if it distance based let you know previous years limits ( which could change year on year based on popularity, number of children / housing developments etc)

In Birmingham they produced ( might still do) a book with all secondary schools criteria / distances listed

payless

Notice posted on "house buyiong board"

A good estate agent should also know ....... just a matter of finding a good estate agent

Woby_Tide

our local council has it on their website, youput in the postcode and it shows you a map with the boundaries for each one

loobs40

Don't trust an estate agent no matter how good. They are agents for the vendor and will tell you whatever you want to hear

payless

loobs40 wrote:

Don't trust an estate agent no matter how good. They are agents for the vendor and will tell you whatever you want to hear

yeah.. I said a good estate agent should know... not saying he would tell you the truth though

loopy_lass

i think you have a right to choose which school your child goes to regardless of catchment area if there are spaces, my daughter doesnt go to the skanky school 1.5miles away, she goes to a cracking school with excellent ofsted reports. OK i have to take her the 15miles each way, but her education is worth it. i knew the area & schools, took her out of the skanky one and moved her... if you look on ofsted site, they may have info on school or LEA league tables.

hth loops

payless

As you say "if there are spaces" ... in many areas the "good" schools are over subscribed, so then an admisssions policy is enforced.. usually involving things like siblings and distance (poss faith ,) or selection following tests?


http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/Education/parentinfo/ab-de11k03.htm gives some examples

Spendless

Our school secretary told me, but also the 'admissions' dept of the LEA should be able to do so, and the councils website also lets you type in a street and tells you which school is your catchment area.

I have to apply for a place each time -nursery, infant, junior (2 seperate schools) and secondary. Whilst I could apply even if out of catchment if the school only had a few spaces left a criteria would come in (as another member has mentioned).

loopy_lass

if you beleive your childs mental welfare would suffer then you have a right to choose a school.... i.e. if a child may not reach his/her full potential by attending a "skanky" school, then you can push for the more academic one, or if there are loads of kids smoking outside of school, getting excluded etc.... i enlised the education social worker to help ;-)

if you want it fight for it.... i did and won... good luck

Spendless

loopy-lass- There must have been an available place at the school you wished your child to attend.

If for example there had only been one place available and you and someone else both wanted it for your children, then a criteria would have come into effect.

In some schools, catchment takes precedence over anything else, others it might be a sibling attending, or having special needs.