Putting Childs name down for school?

[twinklestar25]

Hi just wondering when you are putting you Childs name down for school? the school i want j to go is very competative bt we are in the catachment area so should stand a good chance. anyway I've called them this morning a d I am going to collect the application form later, is there anything I should do, ask to look around or anything? can you put their name down on
More than one school? Incase you don't get your first choice? I'm
New to all this and want him to go to the best school, as we all do! does t make a difference if he's christened or not? The one I want is not a c of e school but my second choice is. I have wanted to get him christened but I'm having trouble getting intouch with our local church and I think they expect you to have attended previously, also Im Stuck on ideas for god parents, not sure I want anyone! what do they do anyway, only people I'd want j to go to if anything happened to us is either of his grandparents.?

Thanks, T x

 

[isil]

It all depends on the admissions process and criteria of your local area. I suggest looking up your local government website to find out more. In my area you apply through a centralised system and they put you in rank order for your preferred school. So if the child has special needs or is in care they are put first, second is children in catchment with siblings at the school, third is children in catchment, fourth is children with siblings who aren't in catchment, fifth is out of catchment. If it's a faith school they have their own selection criteria - one of them being faith but I'm not sure what emphasis there is placed on that. We aren't applying to faith schools.

Anyway, I'd recommend looking at your local authority website.

 

[MissYorkshire]

My baby is just under 11 months and the school is about 2 mins walk its even got the same street name but anyway my mum said I should put her name down now but I thought that ridiculous but I did it anyway and they told be that at the term where she would be due to start there is a lot so they would let me know the november before but they have advised me to put her down for another school just incase!!!
I could not believe it I thought I had plenty of time! x

 

[BethK]

It's different for each council area I think.

We're under the Cotswold District Council and here they don't have catchment areas as such. They have certain requirements and a points system for admissions.

At the school I want LO to go to the likelihood on getting in goes like this -
Children in care
Those with siblings already there
Children christened and taking part in church activities and groups
Distance from the school in a straight line

They don't go on a first come first served, the school can't put our name on a placement list as they don't do that around here, it's not them who decides who to take.

We have to wait till September 2013 to get the forms from the school and November 2013 to hand them to the council and then start school in September 2014.

It's annoying really as we want to move and want to move closer to the school but as that doesn't guarantee us a place we could end up moving closer to this one but miles from the one LO gets in to!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

^ this is how it works in my area too (Kent.)

 

[lauren-kate]

It's similar to that here too (North Manchester), in that you can't put your name down in advance. Ryan starts school next September - we get the forms in the next couple of weeks, have to return them by December, and will find out the school in April.

 

[sabby52]

It's similar to that here too (North Manchester), in that you can't put your name down in advance. Ryan starts school next September - we get the forms in the next couple of weeks, have to return them by December, and will find out the school in April.

Thats the way it works here to, only we have until the 15 Jan to have the forms in

 

[Gingerspice]

Anyone know how its works for private school, in terms of from the council persepctive?? I presume you still have to put schools down in order of preference so I'm guessing you just put the name of the private school down as first choice then list any other schools/state schools that are 2nd and 3rd choice etc? I was under the impression that in most areas, although you can register interest with the schools it is not actually linked to the councils allocation process when it only open the year they start - eithe calender or academic as that does seem to vary. so for a 2014 strt, can't list order of preference until oct 2013 or jan 2014.....

 

[hattiehippo]

As far as I understand it private schools are totally outside the local authority process so you wouldn't put them on the application form for a place at a state school. You'd put the state schools and then if you decide on private instead, then let the state school/local authority that you won't be taking up the place.

Essex is the same as the others - we will look in Sept 2013 and apply that term for Tom to start Sept 2014. There's no point looking before that as the schools don't take names and have no say in who they take really - they get a list from the local authority.