Secondary School Admissions Form: Optional Question

[nelenbinks]

Hello,

I have just discovered an optional 'Reasons for Preference' section on the secondary school admissions form.

It says 'Only use the space below if you wish to give any reasons for your preference for this school. These might include religious, philosophical or any other reasons. Please do not use this box to enter any exceptional, medical or social reasons or sibling (brother or sister) information.'

Is anyone able to explain to me how this information is used in relation to the individual school's admissions criteria?

If you have gone through the process, I would be grateful if you could tell me the type of information you put in that section, if you chose to complete it.

Many thanks

[tomskip]

I always wondered what that box was for. Sorry I don't have anything helpful to add but would be interested in any answers you get.

[alethea]

Apologies if I get this wrong, but when you apply for your preferences NOT CHOICES on the form it is the council that eventually allocate you your place not the school. Therefore if you have religious reasons for wanting a school, you are not required to send the documents (priest letters etc) with the council form. It will be the school that will require those documents that you send separately.

After you have made your preferences all of the names are then given to all the schools on the preferences, the school will then rank them to there admissions criteria, faith, lottery, distance etc. They then hand back all the names in the rank back to the council and then the council are responsible for the allocation. I am not quite sure how that part works, but assuming that it's some kind of complex algorithm.

If in a situation where you may not get your preference I imagine that this box is used to avoid (for arguments sake) an athiest being sent to faith school, assuming that the faith school was undersubscribed and that the parents had not put down realistic choices.

Having gone through this, I used the opportunity to validate my reasons for wanting my son to go his school as we were unable to put any other evidence together to either the school or the council.

Saying that i dont know if it made any difference and it was a very stressful time. So take all the boxes you can and fill them in, it can only help.

[Soylent Green]

It could be that the school is strong on a subject that your child wishes to pursue - eg a sport, drama, art or because it does the international baccalauriat.