Primary school applications

[Fidgetsmum]

Am getting a little worried about doing our primary school applications - we'll be doing it for a September 2012 start. It seems to be a very difficult, stressful and ultimately nightmarish process? Or can I make it easier somehow?

How can you make sure you know about all the schools in your area (I know the ones I walk past but I don't know my area inside out). Also, how do you find out what their catchment areas are and does anyone ever get their child into a school when they're out of official catchment?

Could someone give me a brief bullet point list of the things I have to do? Or tell me where I can find out the information?

Thanks

[chantelle]

Southwark publishes a guide to primary admissions. There isn't one yet for 2012/13 but you can get a rough sense of catchments from previous years (given in each year's guide).

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/2483/primary_school_admissions

From what I've gathered on the EDF, 2011 catchments known so far this year were:

DKH - 286m

Heber - 316m

Schools either have scheduled open sessions for prospective parents (at inconvenient times for anyone who works) or you can ring them up for a look around.

I'm no expert though, as I'm in the same situation looking at 2012/13. (and also terrified)

[westof]

This seems to be a handy map - I'm not sure how up to date it is, though.

[Fidgetsmum]

That map thing is exactly the sort of thing I'd been wishing for! Brilliant. Thank you. I'll double check it with the Southwark information when they publish it. Just checked the 4 closest schools and I think we may be moving house rather hurredly. What a horrid process this is.

[anna_r]

:( We are outside the catchment area for all our closest community schools. What do we do? How on earth do we know who to apply for??

[Coach Beth]

Do go and look round the schools in your area before discounting them please! Bessemmer Grange and Goose Green schools have traditionally not been considered popular schools but many parents are very happy with the schools. Going on a school tour should reassure you. Goose Green runs a tour monthly (usually first Monday morning but with the May bank holidays I'm not sure when it will be in May - ring school to check after the holidays) which is lead by the Headteacher in which you can also meet current parents with children attending the school. All local schools will run regular tours. Also remember the catchment areas can change quite abit from year to year - if a school was given a 'bulge class' it will take in an extra class in reception one year which will widen the catchment area and then the next year it will be smaller.

[Fidgetsmum]

Thanks Coach Beth.

When is the Southwark council info likely to be published?

[Coach Beth]

No idea I'm afraid!

[Lou]

I know how you feel...we are about 350m from Heber, which crazily would have been too far this year! We have been offered a nursery place there, but I am worried if my daughter takes up this place and then doesn't get into the school it'll be really unsettling for her. Also Heber had a bulge year 2010/2011, given 2 years is a popular age gap, there could be more siblings 2012/2013. I have heard good things about Goose Green, so do I rule out Heber and reject the nursery place and pin my hopes in Goose Green...its a nightmare! Cant believe I am worrying about this already!!

[Fuschia]

Lou the nursery at heber had its own entrance and in many ways feels separate from the school. I think I would risk it ... Unless you have a nursery offer from a school you think is a better bet for reception

[chantelle]

you can get the latest key stage 2 results for all the Southwark schools here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/leaguetables/8199258/Primary-league-tables-Key-Stage-2-results-for-2010.html

You can also try calling or emailing Southwark school admissions to get the latest catchments. I just got a bunch of helpful catchment info from Lewisham today, which is probably where we're moving to get on the doorstep of a better school.

[clux]

Hi Chantelle

Hope you don't mind me asking but did Lewisham tell you the furthest distance and how many siblings got a place for each school?

My daughter goes to a Lewisham school but we only got in on the waiting list as we're right on the limits of catchment. I have to apply for my youngest next year and I'm panicking she won't get in even on a sibling place as there was a bulge class last year and nearly everyone in my daughter's class seems to have younger brothers and sisters!! If Lewisham are giving out that info I might give them a ring and see if we would have got in this year!!

[JDR]

Don't panic! Breathe... there are lots of people not currently happy with their school allocation but most are and a lot more will be once the shake down happens. A lot of people going for private hedge their bets and then decline places, others will decide to leave london completely

Don't ONLY put down the best schools, especially if you're not near as you'll end up potentially with nothing. The schools don't see the order people have put them on their preference list and there is a lot of tooing and froing (sp?) whilst they work out who would be accepted by each. If you're 1st says they have space for you they then remove you from the list for the others. If they didn't they repeat this until there is a school.

If your chosen preferences don't have spaces available then you won't be given your next nearest school if they are full of people that put them on their preference list. Thats how you get people being offered schools a long way away. These are at that time the nearest ones with spaces.

Also, bear in mind that if you don't get your first choice, you are automatically placed on your higher prefernce schools waiting list until at least Sept when there is often some form of verification of which lists people want to be on

Be realistic. Do put down your favourites but do also put down other nearby schools lower on your list as if your catchment is small that year you will at least get another local school. Lots of the schools locally have been turned/turning around in recent years. Heber was dreadful (a friend left teaching after working there it was so bad, she had chairs thrown at her etc). Good schools are created bu teachers and parents. The area has changed beyond recognition in the last 10 years and so have the schools. Take cheer, we're actually fairly spoiled for choice but naturally as parents we see the best choice (ie most popular) as the one our mini selves should have.

[Fidgetsmum]

Thank you everyone for the info. Starting to feel at least more informed, if not less scared.

By the way, if one lives in Southwark, can you only apply to Southwark schools?... we're close to the Lambeth border so I was wondering if we could apply there too?

[Fuschia]

Borough makes no difference ... Distance disregards borough boundaries

The application process is one central system now, pan London

6 choices

[Bishberro]

God it's so confusing and I haven't even done it yet! Quick question for mums that have done this before. If I put my first choice as a church school which has a one class intake and is further away than my local community school then I put that community school as second choice, do I risk not getting in the community school as well? We're very near the community school which is a three class intake but wouldn't want to miss out on a place as I think we're unlikely to get a place at the church school. But it seems silly putting the church school as second as then there would be no chance of getting in if you see what I mean. Church school is still nearby but with sibling places, there are hardly any places each year. I'd be very happy to get either but already wondering how to play it.

[Fuschia]

Bishberro, that will be fine

If you don't get in to the church school you will compete with those who chose the community school, on distance

[cff9]

This is a link to the site that Southwark use apparently to judge distance. This was given to me this week by the Schools Preference Adviser. It was a shock to see that actually schools which take much longer to walk to were considered by Southwark to be much closer - I kind of knew that was how it works when they measure by how-the-crow-flies, but quite sobering to see it in metres on the site....I think if you put in your postcode then you can see how far, and can compare to catchment areas for each year....

http://schoolsfinder.direct.gov.uk/

[chantelle]

Clux and others interested in Lewisham: this is what I asked for and got from the schools admission people. Separately, I heard John Stainer catchment was just 180m this year.

> For this year the figures are: Fairlawn 405m, Horniman 1348m (we took an extra 30 children, ie a 'bulge' class, into Horniman this year), Stillness 461m and Dalmain 635m (we took an extra 15 children this year).

they later told me pre-bulge for Horniman was 492m.

Re: putting a church school first without much chance - I did hear a horror story yesterday of someone in Blackheath who put one down as first choice though it wasn't nearest, and didn't get their second choice, community school practically on their doorstep. (and others, further away, did get it.)

But that's probably the extreme exception.

[chantelle]

oh, and for those in Lewisham - Brindishe Lee catchment is apparently now 136m - the smalllest in the country?! It's got to be up there.

[Ko]

chantelle Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> > > For this year the figures are: Fairlawn 405m,

> Horniman 1348m (we took an extra 30 children, ie a

> 'bulge' class, into Horniman this year), Stillness

> 461m and Dalmain 635m (we took an extra 15

> children this year).

thanks chantelle. just one point - these are pre-shakedown figures, aren't they? meaning that the distances should increase a bit as people on the waiting lists get offered places. would be useful if they release the post-shakedown distances in, say, september/october.

[Ko]

chantelle Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Southwark publishes a guide to primary admissions.

> There isn't one yet for 2012/13 but you can get a

> rough sense of catchments from previous years

> (given in each year's guide).

> http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/248

> 3/primary_school_admissions

does anyone know - are the figures in the southwark council guide pre-shakedown or post-shakedown? many thanks

[Hollybush]

I'm confused about Chantelle's blackheath horror story, as that shouldn't happen surely - they would have got a place if nearer than others to the community school, regardless of preference order? Although there may be siblings or other children with particular special needs that may live further and would get priority.

Have done the application process this year and the key thing seems to be to use all 6 choices and be realistic. There really isn't scope for tactics - the system needs your actual preferences, otherwise may backfire. All you lose by putting an unlikely/'dream' choice first is one of your 6 - it doesn't reduce your chance of getting no.2 as far as I know.

If you only put 2schools you are effectively saying you will make other arrangements if you don't get these.

[ClareC]

These posts make me paranoid and we are a good few years away and live really close to a decent school!!

Should you literally list one to six as being the 6 closest schools in order of proxiity to ensure you get a local school ie making a mockery of having a choice?

What happens where one of your closest schools is one you stand no chance of getting a place at eg St Anthony's when you are CoE and not a regular church goer?

[Huggers]

you list them in YOUR order of preference, but the lesson of history is fill in all 6 choices. Otherwise Southwark will fill in that list for you if you don't get the ones you put down.