In the second of her series on choosing and applying to primary school, Sarah Ebner, author of the Starting School Survival Guide who also writes for The Times' school gate blog looks at the timescales and panic decisions that kick in around now…
Some say it’s never too early to start stressing about school! If you are the kind of parent who plans well in advance, you may have moved into a particular area because you knew the local state schools were good, or put your child’s name down for a very over-subscribed private school (from birth in some instances).
It’s certainly true that if you are keen on a faith school, you will need to look into the admissions criteria for that particular school, although this too is changing at least with Church of England schools (but it hasn’t changed yet…). Getting in may involve regular visits to your local Church, often for a number of years before applying.
You should also check how near you need to live to that great state school which appears to be on your doorstep. This is the infamous 'catchment' – the area around a school where has places for local residents. Sometimes the catchment area is all of a few hundred metres, which explains why certain houses, which come with an almost 100% certainty of getting in, cost so much.
Schools also measure this in all sorts of ways – straight-line distance, shortest walking route or shortest route with street-lighting from the school. It sometimes seems as if this is all set up just to confuse you.
You may well have heard scary stories about not getting into primary schools, especially if you live in an urban area. Recent reports have suggested that an increasing number of children don’t get into their (well, their parents’) top choice of school. Some even end up with no place at all. But before you start worrying about what may happen, you need to choose which schools to actually apply to.
True, you may not get into them all, but you may as well feel in control of the situation…When it comes to choosing a school, you need to think about what’s most important to you.
Are you looking for a school with after-school or breakfast clubs (a great help to working parents) or one with a strong religious ethos? Do you want a small school (perhaps with just one class in each year) or are you happier with two or three forms? Are you interested in extra-curricular activities, such as sport or music? Does your school need to be walkable or at least only a short journey away? What kind of social mix are you hoping for?
It's far better to find out about these things before your child starts at a school, rather than be disappointed later.The best thing to do is find out how your local schools fit your requirements.
And then hope you get in.
–Sarah Ebner, author of Starting School Survival Guide
Stay tuned for Sarah’s next post in the series which looks at investigating the schools on your list, and the world league tables and Ofsted reports…
Read Sarah’s first post in this series.
About Holly Seddon
Holly Seddon is a writer, editor and community consultant and helped launched the community for Adoption UK, which won charity website of the year just 9 months later. She also writes a music blog.
Sarah Ebner
Sunday 25th of September 2011
If it is a state school, then you just have to apply along with everyone else (usually between September and January, or thereabouts). With private schools, it can be the earlier the better!
Louise Smith
Friday 23rd of September 2011
Of course once you have found the school you want to apply to - make sure you do it really early - maybe 12 months early because living in the catchment area won't guarantee you a place. Working in childcare as I do - I know far too many parents who put their children in school run nursery's and still didn't qualify for a place in the school itself. It seems that most schools have huge waiting lists - even the bad ones! So due diligence is a must if you want to get your child into school. I have put myself through the mill about finding the right school for my boys once we get to the US. Good schools have governed where we have bought a house over there (thankfully a nice area and a really good commute to work for my partner), and I am in constant touch with the school district to make sure that they are up to date with when we will be moving and to make sure they hold the places for my boys. My partner, because he is already over there, has been into the school to chat with the principal, and to build up a relationship with the school before the boys and I arrive. I think schooling these days is just so worry some and frustrating - its not wonder some parents gt tied up in knots with it all.
Findaschoolinfo
Friday 23rd of September 2011
There is a new site to help you in your search for a primary school: http://www.findaschool.info. It is free, and gives you easy and convenient access to Oftsed reports, Key Stage 2 results, and a range of other pieces of information published about schools. It also allows you to select up to 5 schools to compare side-by-side. It isn't a guide to the schools - just a better way to access information about them. For state primaries in greater London we also show (subject to data availability) the approximate 'catchment' areas that Sarah refers to. These are based on the furthest home to school distance of a successful applicant in previous years. For example, the following link takes you to Wandsworth, where distances are measured according to walking routes. http://www.findaschool.info/address_map.html#51.4567897;-0.1926795;Wandsworth%2C%20Greater%20London%2C%20UK The site has just launched and we would love to here from you if you have feedback.