Our primary school is 50 Min away! Post Reply

[dinosaur]

Ellesmum -

no one is suggesting that students currently enrolled at the school should be asked to leave if they change address.

This rule would apply to new applicants, including siblings of current students. I don't see how that would penalise those people who rent. It would in fact level out the playing ground, so to speak for those that own, who have been forced to sit back and watch renters swoop in during the school application period only to swoop out again when the place is secured.

[ceecee]

With regards to the Graveney rule...I believe that it is, if you are renting then you need to prove you have no connection to your previous property, thereby stopping people 'renting' then moving back to their original home where they were all along, not a 2 year thing. So genuine renters would not be penalised.

[Bonnijump]

Thank you for all your replies!

To be fair, I only put 3 schools on the list, because we always said otherwise we go privat. And the point was, both Honeywell School and Wandsworth Council said to me we should be fine. And that we def. should get in after first round. I think nobody expected so many siblings.

By the way we live south of Honeywell school.

[audrey]

Then, to be fair, you took a bit of a gamble. Neither the school nor the Council can guarantee you would be fine, as they don't know how many siblings will be in that year applying.

"We applied for a place for reception for our child. We hoped so much to get a place in a local school, we live just 4 Min away from Honeywell. Now we're on the waiting list, but no real chance to get in."

Why do you say you have no real chance to get in? Waiting lists move a lot between now and September, my advice would be to just accept the place you were given and sit tight, with 4 min away from Honeywell, you are very likely to be offered a place once school has started and people simply do not show up. If you go private now, do check on the notice requirements, you do not want to end up being liable for a term's fees if you decide to switch back to state.

[clapset]

school catchment areas create property bubbles fact - so if you buy in the bubble you should get your place at your local school rather than having someone from outside the area taking your childs place. I don't know if I'm in or out of the various catchment areas but would be very angry if my child couldn't go to a school within 4 mins of his house. get your child in the school then start the campaign - it will be obvious who doesn't live in the area and has ridden the system. I blame Wandsworth council - bet their kids go to the decent schools. Private all the way!

[aliyeo]

We live 245m from Honeywell and we did not get in. If you are considering your options, the usual sibling uptake for Honeywell is closer to 60 not this year's 50 according to WC so I can say, with hindsight I would have made sure I had a back up school plan.

My next door neighbour would not get in next year based on this years uptake although as we are high up the waiting list, we are still hopeful. It is worth noting that we were actually 6th to start and went down to 7th as another family moved into the area since then so it is by no means a guarantee.

[Scottov]

I don't understand - you say you live 4 min from Honeywell School and you didn't get in Honeywell. What about the other 5 choices that hopefully you put down on your application? Still did not get offered a place?

I wondered the same thing?

[Erykah]

i would love to know how the council make decisions on this if 6 choices aren't put down?
i wonder if they then presume the parents is considering private so then allocate a random school place that is unlikely to be taken? No idea really.

I have also been hearing really good things about HighView recently and how much it has improved

[Scottov]

i would love to know how the council make decisions on this if 6 choices aren't put down?
i wonder if they then presume the parents is considering private so then allocate a random school place that is unlikely to be taken? No idea really.

I have also been hearing really good things about HighView recently and how much it has improved

If you don't make your first 3 preferences, then the 4th nearest school probably goes a family who had it down as one of their choices.

I would suspect you might be right that your card could be marked if you don't put down all your choices

[Erykah]

just re read my appalling grammar! 'parents is' oh dear! apologies

[Bubs]

My child is at Honeywell (and she has a younger sibling a couple of years off starting there), and just wanted to add a couple of things.

The parents at Honeywell get infuriated by the renters that come in and drift away by the end of Reception too. On two counts - one because we genuinely own, or rent our homes and so it truly IS our local school. But moreso, lots of us chose the school because we love the idea of the tiny community it can bring for the children, playdates all in walking distance, popping over to one another's houses etc. When people rent, then move miles away it destroys that for those who made decisions based on our school being a local one. It's not a popular thing to do.

Also, re: waiting lists. We've had 5, maybe 6 children come in late, just in our class (30). The most came in Recption, after waiting it out at a private school, with a couple more in Year 1, and one in Year 2. Whilst I agree it isn't ideal to uproot & move, I think within the first year it can e done (and has been) very successfully. So there is the chance there, if you are willing.

Though ultimately, I agree, it should NEVER come down to having to wait it out elsewhere. This should be a local school, it's very ethos is to be such, and all this renting in catchment undermines that. I do hope something can be done about it.

[runningmummy]

Parents often need to move out of the area if they have additional siblings or are made redundant and cant afford to pay the mortgage, divorce etc. Landlords can also be very dodgy forcing people to move. The majority of the houses within catchment aren't that huge and so parents should be free to live in a bigger house and not have to disrupt their children's education. I don't think it is fair to dictate to people where they can live if they once genuinely lived in the catchment.

[Bubs]

Well, quite. In the natural scheme of things things change, families grow, more space is needed and a move happens. I was referring more to people who head for the hills in the first term, having never really had any intention of living locally. That, to me, seems a shame.

[Scarlett2206]

What about if our main residence is only 97metres outside the Belleville catchment area? And what if we rented just 100m away from our "main home" whilst its being extended? We would obviously still be local (because we are!) and walk to Belleville, be near for play dates, community events etc. I understand how annoying it is for people to rent and then move miles away, whereas we would rent and then just move 97m down the road. Belleville is our nearest school by far (and then Honeywell) - the catchment areas are just too tiny.

[Bubs]

They are, I agree. The catchment is a reflection of demand though isn't it, and of people moving ever closer to their school of choice, because they have to do so.

But the fact that there's no easy way to 'police' such things as the 'dodgy' rentals, without it adversely affecting the genuine types (such as the situation you describe) means it just goes on and on.

I don't see how the issue can be solved really. I guess if there were an solution then it would be in place. I have no answers !