We got the email back from the Council this morning saying that our son hasn’t got a place in any of the three Primary Schools near us that we applied for. We applied for the three closest but they’re all fairly popular and I reckon we sit right between all three.

He’s been offered a place at another school (just near our old house as it goes…) but it’s a reasonable distance away (not practically walkable). It does look like it’s an ok school (just inspected as ‘good’) but it’s not really very practical.

So, anyone else been in a similar position? What did you do? I guess we’re inclined to appeal but no idea if that’s likely to be successful.

Particularly keen to hear from anyone who’s dealt with it in Bristol.

Looks like its time to discover God

😕 Even if I was willing to do that, it’d be too late for this school year. Besides those schools are probably even more oversubscribed.

If you appeal I think you should get in to one of the ones close to you I think. It seems to be a process that has to happen more often these days.

Schools have a set maximum number they can accept, as determined by the council but an appeal can override that I think

if its infant class size refusal, no point appealing unless you can demonstrate th la has made an error in allocating places. For non class size appeals, how longs a piece of string. So many factors, schools max capacity, how they organise, future predjudice, size of school clasfooms etc etc. Do your homework, then decide.

Aa

Might be worth checking where you fall on the waiting list, you do get parents who change their minds and swap schools for whatever reasons?

Also parents who are going through the statment process for a child with special needs who have a catchment place, might free up another allocation too.

Aren’t you meant to automatically get the specified school for your catchment area?

(Have all this to come so don’t know what the real situation is).

Nope, unfortunately.

If they don’t change on appeal, keep an listen out for the kids that have been offered a place but are opting out due to private schools, These places aren’t always filled with the next on the waiting list.
My daughter’s class last year had space for 15 kids but 3 went private meaning a class of 12 in september, then one left to go to a different school!
11 in a class, that’s now risen to 14 in 7 months.

Tell the council you don’t own a car and it’s too far to walk. That might work.

Were in North Somerset and my son got his number one school today but we’ve jumped through all the hoops to make it happen, Church, School event’s, Sibling, Proximity, and a sponsored parachute jump to pay for the school playing field to be levelled. 😉

Mad.

I did recently find out that the school 5 minutes walk down the road isn’t in our catchment area, but the one 30 minutes walk (that doesn’t have continuous footpaths all the way and is a busy ‘rat run’) is.

So I have no idea what will happen to us – we start the process later this year.

I’d rather make my case without lying tbh but good info on the private school thing so thanks.

Don’t bother lying as you’ll be asked to prove your situation and the appeals officers aren’t mugs and are used to many of the ‘common’ justifications.

I know of a police woman moving from her house in Failand to a rented house in Long Ashton(about 1.5 miles) so her son would get into that school, as soon as the notification came through she moved back to Failand. The removal van was already booked for the day after he’d been accepted.
I wouldn’t worry about bending the truth too much, just don’t take the piss.

Chill and get on the waiting lists, lots of movement in Primary schools, you’ll be bound to get one of your choices sooner or later

Ridiculous isn’t it…

Bristol, you say? Wait until secondary school time, you’ll look back on this with fondness…

Indeed but I’ll deal with that nearer the time. A lot can change in 6 years and there’s areas close to Bristol with decent secondary schools if it really comes to it.

Another option is: dependent on how financially you can cope, discuss and go in with nice/friendly families with kids about yours ages and homeschool. No curriculum, no nonsense, no funding, pay for curriculum materials/exams out of your pocket when they get over 14. Some LEA’s can authorise/fund putting 14 year olds in the local FE college on GNVQ’s to be tradesmen. Access courses at 19 years old at FE colleges give a certificate for uni entry at 20/21.

Certainly ask to be put on the waiting list, it’s not rare to have kids go off to Private Schools, I can’t remember the exact date in the year to have to confirm you are definitely taking the school place.

To be honest, not sure if ‘it’s too far to walk’ is a valid excuse to appeal.

Aren’t you meant to automatically get the specified school for your catchment area?

(Have all this to come so don’t know what the real situation is).

Nope, there isn’t really a ‘catchment’ area per se. If 50 kids live 10 metres form the school then that’s the catchment area they’ll use. Kids with siblings already at the school will get higher priority regardless of distance than you and special needs are normally top of the list. After that (and any other criteria) is a straight a-b distance to the school from your house. Last year, 22 slots were filled out of 40 with siblings in our ‘local’ school which didn’t leave much room for anyone else.

And as a tip, always fill in all three choices. Don’t just think I’ll fill in School ‘A’ as that’s the one I want and if I don’t give any other alternative that’s what I’ll get. If you don’t get that school you’ll just be given a spare place at a less popular school once everyone else 2nd and 3rd choices are filled. That’s when you start driving a distance to a shabby school that feeds into an even shabbier secondary school.

To be honest, not sure if ‘it’s too far to walk’ is a valid excuse to appeal.

There are rules about how far children can walk (and it is shorter when they are younger) but it only means they have to provide transport for you.

Appeal until they won’t hear you again – for every school. Reckon you’ve got a reasonable chance.

Read breatheeasy above, good advice there.

It’s a strange process. Our nearest alternative is about 5 miles ( I live in a small village) yet proximity is only about 3rd or 4th on the criteria list. Luckily there was a low intake when our first went, so he’s earned bonus points for the other two. We have families coming across county and LEA boundaries to be placed here as it’s a ‘good school’ (matter of opinion that… OFSTED is a long way from everything you should look at IMHO).

I can imagine this must be a crazy process in a city or town.

It just said on the news 95% in Bristol got one of their 3 choices so I guess you’re a bit unlucky 🙁

one of only 236 people who didn’t get one of their three choices 🙁

We had a splendidly weird thing where the second-nearest school is actually in a different county/LEA, which meant doing two applications. Effectively they were both first choice. It’s all a bit crackers, really. Hope you get it sorted.

Yeah but all those 236 are in the hotspots of Totterdown and Bishopston I bet. Schools out in Southmead and East Bristol will be undersubscibed so that’s where you’ll be sent.

Clubber – definitely appeal.

ask them 2 very distinct questions

1. Do they have an approved, auditable and set procedure to follow?

2. Have they followed it to the letter AND CAN THEY PROVE IT with a papertrail?

thanks for that.

Has anyone actually got experience of appealing?

How, exactly, is this decided? I mean if two people live next to each other and both put down the same schools as their choices, if there’s a line to be drawn who gets it?

someone over the road put the same choices and got the third choice. They’re about 10m closer though their postcode may well look like it’s more.

Many years ago I had a job measuring distance to school from peoples front gates to determine free school travel. Used one of those wheely things. It was pretty accurate, unless I diverted to go to a bike shop or a cafe.

Clubber – Friends appealed in Bristol, got nowhere as the City Council are really expert. I think you can see the grounds for appeals made and accepted for each school on the cyps website.

Dylan, been asking around, seems your best bet is to go on the waiting list(s) and hope you get a place from someone who hasn’t taken up their place (e.g. I believe people opposite us got a place at VP but are moving out of Bristol so won’t be taking it).

feel for you clubber.

We thought in rural worcestershireland it wouldnt be a problem but in the end were quite lucky. We’re “technically” outside the parish boundary of our nearest (5min walk) school – the parish boundary is field edge.

Fortunately by putting Jr through the (paid-for) pre school feeder, we got an “in” with the headmistress who sais she would support our application if it was neccessary, as our “parish” school is over 3 miles away in the other direction.

As it is Jr’s year of 21 was oversubscribed a a number of parents were let down (from further away than us, so I dont feel guilty) but interestingly Jr’s best mate lives 5 miles away while closer (but still out of parish) parents have been unlucky.

At least now Jr Sr is in, Jr Jr wont have any problems and we can continue to walk and cycle to a good school in our village.

We were worried about the same thing but a teacher friend of ours said the best thing to do is apply to move school after a term or so and you’ve got a good chance of transfering. Most people give up once the school year starts.

At least now Jr Sr is in, Jr Jr wont have any problems

Major/Minor not Jr Sr/Jr Jr please. You’re letting all the other posh people down 🙂

I prefer “Master” but cant use that to differentiate 😉