Help - School Catchment Question!

[BexB]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has had experience in applying for a state school that is not the closest school to them? Due to a property falling through we may have to move closer to another school rather than our first choice. There is only 0.1 mile in it though and we would be 0.2 mile away from our first choice. Just don't want to risk losing our first choice by moving closer to another...

Many thanks, Becky

[Pickle]

Lots of people put their first preference down as a school that's not closest to them. If you miss out, it will simply be because you are outside of the catchment area, not because you live closer to another school.

If you have your heart set on a particular school you will need to research carefully to find out the catchment area, which is a bit of an inexact science, especially if you're right on the border of their reach.

Good luck.

[BexB]

Thanks Pickle, such a minefield!

[se15mum]

anyone know what southwark use for distance calculator

I've been using freemaptools but went to a school visit today who say they use daft logic which differs quite considerably!!

[landsberger]

Straight line distance for community schools. Have you checked the brochure which gives the furthest distance for the previous year (not a guarantee, but an indication) ? There are a variety of catchment mapping tools as well. The GLA does one, there's also findaschool.

http://www.findaschool.info/

I must stress again, these are both approximate indications and NOT the basis for admissions or an appeal. They will basically let you know if you are within a ghost of a chance.

[Fjgb]

The admissions team should be able to tell you your closest schools and the distance from your house to them.

[landsberger]

Yup, that too, they are very helpful in Southwark

[WorkingMummy]

I can echo that the Southwark admissions team are very helpful.

[se15mum]

thanks all, yes I've looked at the various tools but as you say they are all quite crude so wondered if anyone knew what southwark actually used. Did you phone through to the admissions team?

[landsberger]

Southwark uses straight line distance, after siblings and look after children for its community schools, as do most academies and free schools. The community school distances vary from year to year and are in the primary admissions brochure. Academies can do what they like (and they do) and (some) will fiddle the admissions so they don't have to take difficult children. Church/Voluntary aided schools will require you in the main to attend church or be a practising Christian of a certain faith to attend them.

There is no single tool that will tell you for sure if you will get into a particular school.

[nunheaderer]

I think the question is what tool do Southwark use to measure the distance from your house to the school gate.

[landsberger]

There are a number of packages that are used by LAs, but you can approximate this very closely with most online mapping packages.

[Angelina]

Criteria differ for each school.

Some based on proximity are measured by straight line while others are measured by 'safe walking route'. Others are based on ability and non-verbal testing will determine which band (ie score percentage) your child fits in - with selection from each band.

All have priority for siblings and social needs, or religious background (ie proximity/ banding criteria become secondary).

[landsberger]

Angelina Wrote:

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

> Criteria differ for each school.

> Some based on proximity are measured by straight

> line while others are measured by 'safe walking

> route'. Others are based on ability and non-verbal

> testing will determine which band (ie score

> percentage) your child fits in - with selection

> from each band.

> All have priority for siblings and social needs,

> or religious background (ie proximity/ banding

> criteria become secondary).

Most schools at primary level don't test (thankfully). Secondary, it's a bit of a mixed bag. AFAIK, all schools in Southwark use "as the crow flies". the problem with safe walking distance is that their are a number of definitions, and some parents will tell you crossing a dual carriageway at street level is safe, if they can get their DD or DS into a "good school"