# Does your child attend primary school NOT in catchment area?



## housewifey

My little girl will be attending primary school next September and I am already worrying about this!

In Scotland, where I am, the nursery place is given out of a choice of 3 NOT based on catchment, whereas primary school place is given by catchment area (as far as I'm aware)

So we are currently renting and hoping to buy in a different area in the next year or 2, so we were thinking ahead and placed our daughter in the nursery attached to the primary school we wish her to attend, currently 15 minutes from where we live. So that we wouldn't have to move her to a new area and a new school when the time finally comes for us to move!

Blegh so long story short, we don't think we will have enough money to buy a house in the area we want (near our daughters school) by the time she starts next year, So what does this mean, if I am not in the catchment area will I not be allowed to put her there? :S Will she have to go to a different school? I need a success story of someone's child attending a school outwith there catchment area pleeeeeease xxxxxx


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## rosie272

Not me, charlie does go to catchment school, but 2 of my friends boys go to a different school well out of catchment (we all live in same area). All they had to do was put in a placing request to catchment school and that was it, you're free to choose the school you wish if there are enough places. I'm in Scotland too so it can be done :thumbup:


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## housewifey

rosie272 said:


> Not me, charlie does go to catchment school, but 2 of my friends boys go to a different school well out of catchment (we all live in same area). All they had to do was put in a placing request to catchment school and that was it, you're free to choose the school you wish if there are enough places. I'm in Scotland too so it can be done :thumbup:

Oh yeah I meant to mention that there are new houses being built super close to this school so I'm worried about new people moving into the area and then obviously being in catchment area and getting a priority place over us :s she's super shy and has settled in so well at nursery, I would be so upset if I had to move her :'( oh the drama. thanks for your reply- gives me a little hope! Hopefully there will be other success stories lol


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## moomin_troll

My son goes to a school not in our catchment area and my youngest son has just started their nursery. 
Where I lived was never brought up as an issue. 
Downside is we live nowhere near and I can't drive yet, so bus and taxis are a nightmare haha
The school closest to me is terrible, so I wasn't going to send my babies there


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## housewifey

moomin_troll said:


> My son goes to a school not in our catchment area and my youngest son has just started their nursery.
> Where I lived was never brought up as an issue.
> Downside is we live nowhere near and I can't drive yet, so bus and taxis are a nightmare haha
> The school closest to me is terrible, so I wasn't going to send my babies there

Oh good I thought I was going to have a nightmare as I haven't heard anyone else in this situation! Luckily I drive so I don't mind taking her further away just now but OH has to rely on lifts to work so once we move house I will walk H to and from school so OH can take the car to work :)


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## hattiehippo

It will just depend on whether the places fill with the children who live in catchment first - or siblings if that gives you a priority on a place too.

We are out of catchment for the school my son is starting at next week but we are 50m off the edge of the catchment area and it's a 8 min walk from our house. I really didn't expect to get in but I don't think there is many siblings in his class which is probably why we got a place.

If you can't afford to buy in the catchment area, can you move and rent in it instead?


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## Foogirl

The only issue with out of catchment is not living close to her friends. It might be a little more difficult to foster friendships but can be cone with some effort.

We were in your situation but managed to move - our issue was with accessibility rather than with how "good" the school was so we had a bit more of an incentive, but if we'd stayed where we were I'd have been comfortable with going out of catchment. Not sure where you are, but if it was anything like where we were, the catchment school was shockingly bad, we found there were a lot of parents locally who chose to go with a placement school do you may find a lot of children from your area are at your daughter's school.


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## rosie272

I suppose I'm quite lucky in the fact that our catchment school is a good one! There are 3 schools I could have chosen from but the one he's in came out best in the tables/reports. My friends went out of catchment for different reasons, as they have friends with kids at that school who can help out with childcare etc. You can ring the school and find out where you stand with it.


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## PresqueVu

My one is in an out of catchment, wasn't expecting to get it so it was a good surprise!

I don't drive so it does mean a long walk with a 4 year old...that's the trade off but the school has a much better report so we thought we'd give it a go. You should be able to see the reports on success rates for first choice now online if you have a look?

Best of luck and don't worry just yet :)


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## housewifey

hattiehippo said:


> It will just depend on whether the places fill with the children who live in catchment first - or siblings if that gives you a priority on a place too.
> 
> We are out of catchment for the school my son is starting at next week but we are 50m off the edge of the catchment area and it's a 8 min walk from our house. I really didn't expect to get in but I don't think there is many siblings in his class which is probably why we got a place.
> 
> If you can't afford to buy in the catchment area, can you move and rent in it instead?

I have no idea how many have older siblings :s so not sure about that. We did think about renting in that area but it would waste a bit of money with delivery van, deposit increase, possible rent increase, decorating etc etc :s so hoping to avoid that if I can but if it came down to being refused a place then yes I would move :S



Foogirl said:


> The only issue with out of catchment is not living close to her friends. It might be a little more difficult to foster friendships but can be cone with some effort.
> 
> We were in your situation but managed to move - our issue was with accessibility rather than with how "good" the school was so we had a bit more of an incentive, but if we'd stayed where we were I'd have been comfortable with going out of catchment. Not sure where you are, but if it was anything like where we were, the catchment school was shockingly bad, we found there were a lot of parents locally who chose to go with a placement school do you may find a lot of children from your area are at your daughter's school.

The catchment school for the area I'm in now isn't bad- it's the one I went to actually but I know I want to live in the area where her nursery is so that's why we originally put her in that nursery- so we wouldn't have to move her and unsettle her starting p1.

I'm such a worrier!


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## katy1310

Here's our success story! Where we used to live there was a school right next door but not a good school and not nice either. We put her into the preschool at a school out of the catchment area and hoped for the best when it came to time for starting school. Then we had to move house and moved even further from the school we wanted but she got in :) I think the fact that she'd been at preschool there helped. It's about 10ish minutes away, there are two in our catchment area but she still got into the other one and has just started there this week. Hope it works out for you xx


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## housewifey

katy1310 said:


> Here's our success story! Where we used to live there was a school right next door but not a good school and not nice either. We put her into the preschool at a school out of the catchment area and hoped for the best when it came to time for starting school. Then we had to move house and moved even further from the school we wanted but she got in :) I think the fact that she'd been at preschool there helped. It's about 10ish minutes away, there are two in our catchment area but she still got into the other one and has just started there this week. Hope it works out for you xx

Thanks for your success story, can I ask... Did you just apply like normal and not draw any attention to the fact you lived outwith catchment. I know that being in the nursery attached to the school doesn't guarantee her a place but they do a lot of pre school introduction into primary one and getting to know the school and I'm hoping that'll be good argument if I do need to appeal or anything :s xxx


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## Missnurse

My dd goes to school in catchment (in my village) when she started last year there was only 11 started. Then the school got an excellent report from the inspectorate and suddenly they had an influx of people outside of catchment wanting their children placed here, the people within catchment were given priority the rest were offered places elsewhere. That is how it works here anyway


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## moomin_troll

My sons school is the best in the town, but the area it's in isn't nice, I was looking at buying close, but fell in love with my house that's no where near haha


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## aimee-lou

A friend of mine was so desperate to get her son into a particular school. She put him in at the preschool even though that is no guarantee and he got in. They live 7 miles away and have to get the bus every morning!! I was shocked but her little boy us so happy there and they're trying to move closer.


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## hattiehippo

You can't hide the fact you don't live in catchment - the applications are done to the local authority centrally based on your home address and they do make checks. And being at the preschool doesn't count in anyway towards getting a place unless the admissions criteria for that particular school says so.

Schools get given a list of children who are eligible for a place by the local authority. Unless there is extra criteria like church attendance etc, the school has no input or say in who is on that list. I'm assuming it's similar in Scotland to England.


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## Missnurse

What hattiehippo says. You have to fill in forms and state your address and as far as I know the next you'll know is when you get a letter saying either there is a place or here isn't. Hattiehippo basically covered it there!


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## CaptainMummy

Im in Scotland and my sister is a primary school teacher in my town. Basically, you put in a pLcement request and hope for the best! If there are spaces, then you may well get it, but sometimes there are no spaces therefore you wont!
In my town, everybody got their requests accepted for intake this year, whereas last year alot of parents requested a place in a specific school but nobodys got accepted, there was no space!
I am applying for my daughter to go to a school not in our catchment, so fingers crossed! My mum and sister both live within this schools catchment so apprently this will work to my advantage when they are considering it (for emergency, childcare etc)


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## gingajewel

hattiehippo said:


> You can't hide the fact you don't live in catchment - the applications are done to the local authority centrally based on your home address and they do make checks. And being at the preschool doesn't count in anyway towards getting a place unless the admissions criteria for that particular school says so.
> 
> Schools get given a list of children who are eligible for a place by the local authority. Unless there is extra criteria like church attendance etc, the school has no input or say in who is on that list. I'm assuming it's similar in Scotland to England.

We had to send our council tax bill to prove we lived where we said we did!!


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## sparkle_1979

We couldn't get in out own catchment area as full.. We have to travel 2 miles x


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## housewifey

MrsMurphy2Be said:


> Im in Scotland and my sister is a primary school teacher in my town. Basically, you put in a pLcement request and hope for the best! If there are spaces, then you may well get it, but sometimes there are no spaces therefore you wont!
> In my town, everybody got their requests accepted for intake this year, whereas last year alot of parents requested a place in a specific school but nobodys got accepted, there was no space!
> I am applying for my daughter to go to a school not in our catchment, so fingers crossed! My mum and sister both live within this schools catchment so apprently this will work to my advantage when they are considering it (for emergency, childcare etc)




hattiehippo said:


> You can't hide the fact you don't live in catchment - the applications are done to the local authority centrally based on your home address and they do make checks. And being at the preschool doesn't count in anyway towards getting a place unless the admissions criteria for that particular school says so.
> 
> Schools get given a list of children who are eligible for a place by the local authority. Unless there is extra criteria like church attendance etc, the school has no input or say in who is on that list. I'm assuming it's similar in Scotland to England.

I wouldn't try to hide it but what I mean is on the original application is there a space for additional comments or whatever, if so, should I write there that I am aware that we don't yet live within catchment but we hope to be in the near future and hope that because she has had pre school introductions to the teachers etc at the nursery they will take our application into consideration OR should I just apply, and not explain why we are applying out of catchment?? xx


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