Petition - school admission system Post Reply

[AbbevilleMummy]

@Daisy Lady, where are you getting your stats from? It seems to me that most people are reading the numbers incorrectly! 15% of BV places (18 of 120) live more than 1000m via shortest walking route from BV. And 1000m really is not that far via shortest walking route! For example, Manchuria Road, Broxash Road, Roseneath Rd, all BTC and all would still surely be considered 'local' families, would be over 1000m from BV via shortest walking route.

I would say anything up to a mile is within walking distance and there are only a handful of places offered to kids that far out and that could be for a variety of reasons.

The schools and the council are not going to put a huge amount of time, money and resource into overhalling the entire admissions process just to create a handful of places and their schools will still be over-subscribed.

Rather than trying to creat a rather pointless petition that even if successful, would benefit only a few people, why not throw all your energy at trying to set up a new free school in the area that would benefit hundreds of children.

[KatherineHepburn]

@ AbbevilleMummy Couldn't agree more.

[supergirl]

@exitera: see what abbeville mummy said this us the right problem with the right angle IMO

[excitera]

yes, it is.. how likely is a possibility of Wandsworth opening a new state school in between the commons in any nearest future?
opening a new school vs admissions criteria change, these propositions are on the same scale...

[AbbevilleMummy]

I disagree, the 3 free schools that were opened this year got off the ground VERY quickly!

I know nothing about the new Free school system and what it takes to open one, but plenty of people in the Borough have already done it and so it is worth looking into don't you think? As I'm afraid that anything else is a bit of a non-starter!

[MGMidget]

One of the biggest challenges of setting up a free school is finding premises. For those who think this is the solution what premises would you propose between the commons for a new free school?

Of course, the raw data on number of siblings living 1000m or 1,500m from the school doesn't tell the full story. However, it also doesn't tell the number who 'strategically rented' but then moved, say, 800m from the school in the first term of reception, thereby guaranteeing further siblings a place ahead of many many children living nearer. Naturally those who live 300 or 400 metres from their first choice school feel aggrieved when they are offered a school miles away!

Etcetera, my suggestion would be that as a starting point a proper investigation is done by the council - asking historical data from the respective schools on home addresses of parents and when and where they moved. I think the general trend would be revealing as well as the pattern for certain addresses to be rented out time and time again to newcomers to the school. Then they would know if they have an issue and how much of an issue it is. You can talk away individual circumstances of a few families (yes some families need to move for genuine reasons) but if the pattern and extent of movement is abnormal then something more is happening. If the schools say they don't keep this data I would wonder why given this has been a sensitive subject for a long time.

[schoolgatesmum]

I am a parent who has a child starting Belleville reception in September and I reckon I live over 1000m away. She got her place through being a sibling (she is the youngest of four). My eldest is Y6. We have not moved since he started at Belleville 7 years ago. When I was applying for school places Belleville was not seen as "the" school to go to (Honeywell was though!). So my son got his place legitimately (we were on the waiting list for a couple of months but got our place in June). Should we be penalised because we live further away? Admissions criteria will always seem unfair to somebody. They have to exclude some people and whoever gets excluded will always feel hard done by. There was a proposal a few years ago to have a priority zone. The governing body rejected it. Their view was that they take quite a few children in higher years who live further away who wouldn't join the school if there were no sibling priority. There would then be empty places and therefore the school's revenue would decrease. By the way, places become available because people either move to the countryside or go private. I really don't think petitioning the governing bodies is going to work. If you've got the wherewithal then start a campaign for opening a free school or go to another local school and get involved as a parent.

[MGMidget]

Any investigation would show which children have got places the way you did though which isn't what people seem to feel aggrieved about. Its the short-term renting that seems to upset most people. Hence why they ought to look more closely at what is going on rather than just looking at some raw data on number of siblings who are xxxx metres from the school.

[schoolgatesmum]

How about families who have lived in the area for generations, who went to Belleville/Honeywell themselves as children but now can't get in because the catchment has shrunk so much because so many people have moved to the area. People who can't afford to go private or move. How fair is it on them? I know of someone in this situation. I feel that she is way more justified to feel hard done by than someone who has paid a premium to move into the area, doesn't get a place so goes private. Some poeple actually have no choice. They are the people who are justified to feel angry.

[MGMidget]

I'm not disagreeing with you. But short-term renters who move quickly after getting their first child in are part of this problem - the question is how much of the problem?

[Medway]

Hear hear to Schoolgatesmum. Middle class problems...If you can afford to live in a 1.5 million pound house between the commons then you can afford to go private. End of.

[lisalatte]

I have a year 6 child at BV and a child at Belleville nursery. Our family have invested 6years into the school and Community. We live 600m away from BV and 450m from HW and didn't get a place at either even on medical/social grounds.
Our year 6 child has been offered a place at Bolingbroke. Our concern is due to the age gap even if the youngest ends up getting a place at BV or HW, history will repeat itself should our child apply for Bolingbroke.
I'm heartbroken to say the least as I feel like I'm losing our support structure which in turn will impact on both our children.

[lisalatte]

We don't live in a 1.5million house either. We rent and always have!

[WandsworthResident]

Medway - what if you bought your house years ago for considerably less than £1.5m?! It doesn't follow that having wealth tied up in bricks and mortar means you have the disposable income to afford school fees of c.£13,000 per child per year.

[tgjiiimummy]

This will always be an issue which elicits conflicting views but I still believe HW should consult on the issue of sibling priority and a priority area. Apparently, they were asked to by the Council when Belleville consulted and they refused. I understand from Jane Ellison that she has also raised this in Governor meetings but with no success. I think people deserve transparency on this. It would also give all of us with strong views on the matter a public forum to discuss this.