Did you get your first choice primary?

90 posts
london_maman
Posts: 34
Joined: Oct 2014
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby london_maman » Fri Apr 24, 2015 8:53 am

firsttimerSW11 wrote:Think of Lefty Lambeth as you would the Labour party: secretive, disorganised dishonest, and the antithesis to *upfront*. In order words you haven't got a hope in hell of finding out the information you require anytime soon. :lol:

(Too political?)
What does your political propaganda have to do with school catchment?
Post Reply
actuallyadad
Posts: 242
Joined: Dec 2014
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby actuallyadad » Fri Apr 24, 2015 10:00 am

@goldhawk

25% of siblings lived over 800m away. So those parents probably manipulated the system.
Post Reply
Hellopretty
Posts: 3
Joined: Apr 2015
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby Hellopretty » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:05 am

onthecommo

You asked me for evidence that not all non siblings live in catchment (and I mean primary residence as opposed to short term additional rental for the sole purpose of getting a place). Do you have evidence that supports your figures in which made the assumption that 100% of non siblings live within catchment at the start of school?


I believe there was a thread here a while back that showed evidence that non siblings were not all living in catchment even before the child started at the school. When I get time I'll see if I can find it.

I just thought as you had corrected actualdads percentages I should point out that yours are likely to be inaccurate aswell, as it will vary year on year how many people rented temporarily to get their first child in.


No-one has actual figures on the non siblings who rented to get in but I can assure it is not zero and some children will be driven in from day one.
Post Reply
Goldhawk
Posts: 1305
Joined: Jul 2010
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby Goldhawk » Fri Apr 24, 2015 12:19 pm

SarahClapham wrote:Someone said HW and BV have their own criteria, so the new Wandsworth sibling policy would not apply to them... So what are HW and BV criteria? Is it just sibling whatever the distance, then distance? Thanks
Belleville is: Looked after/ Medical / Sibs /Distance to Webbs Rd site
Which is pretty unfair to people living next door to the Meteor Rd site imo

HW is: Looked after/ Sibs / Medical / Distance
Post Reply
InterestedDad
Posts: 12
Joined: May 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby InterestedDad » Fri Apr 24, 2015 1:04 pm

actuallyadad - there are all kinds of good reasons why a sibling could be living more than 800m away (remember, 800m is not very far, even for a four year old). I don't think we're in a position to pass judgment on whether parents have been "manipulating the system" or not.

hellopretty - Wandsworth Council tightened the rules on temporary renting this year to address the concerns that you raise.
Post Reply
https://www.astertuition.com
https://tabbieats.com
https://schs.gdst.net/early-years-landing-page-nv
https://www.mathnasium.co.uk/clapham
https://www.dulwich.org.uk/admissions/
https://www.jesseshouse.co.uk/
https://www.dulwich.org.uk/admissions/bursaries-free-and-subsidised-places
https://www.cameronvaleschool.com/thechelseanursery
https://theluxurytravelboutique.com/offers/
https://www.dulwich.org.uk/ducks
https://www.nightingalemontessori.co.uk/
https://www.lyceefrancais.org.uk/sinformer/portes-ouvertes-2021/
https://nightingaletutors.co.uk/
kiwimummy
Posts: 414
Joined: Feb 2011
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby kiwimummy » Fri Apr 24, 2015 1:36 pm

I don't think your point is valid Hello Kitty. Who are these mysterious people who get admission ahead of locals who are not siblings?

Bear in mind WW cracked down on the old game of renting out your old place and renting near the school this year.
Post Reply
lemonzest
Posts: 337
Joined: Apr 2012
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby lemonzest » Fri Apr 24, 2015 2:44 pm

I think the point is that looked after children would take precedence over siblings, at both of the highly sought after BTC schools? (And presumably every school? And rightly so in my opinion.)
Post Reply
kiwimummy
Posts: 414
Joined: Feb 2011
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby kiwimummy » Fri Apr 24, 2015 3:26 pm

Yes, I agree rightly so for looked after children, I am very supportive of them having first priority.

I was just wondering, as the point raised seemed to go beyond that.
Post Reply
asouth
Posts: 48
Joined: Oct 2011
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby asouth » Fri Apr 24, 2015 7:22 pm

@actuallyadad
How have you not been offered a place at Belleville when the catchment this year is over 450 meters and you say you are 300 meters away?
Post Reply
https://www.mathnasium.co.uk/clapham
https://www.dulwich.org.uk/ducks
https://schs.gdst.net/early-years-landing-page-nv
https://theluxurytravelboutique.com/offers/
legs11
Posts: 116
Joined: May 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby legs11 » Mon Apr 27, 2015 10:54 am

I don't understand all the comments about people manipulating the system

This year Wandsworth introduced new rules to stop the short term renters. Now if you own a house in Wandsworth that is treated as your permanent address so I cannot see how people can be accused of having manipulated the system by renting.

Honeywell and Belleville each has 1 looked after pupil so that hardly affects things.

As these schools are a foundation and an academy respectively they set their own admissions criteria and have not, as yet, adopted the new 800m rule for siblings so the sibling admissions were not manipulated.
Post Reply
actuallyadad
Posts: 242
Joined: Dec 2014
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby actuallyadad » Mon Apr 27, 2015 2:52 pm

Unfortunately the "crack down" on people manipulating the system was pretty pathetic. You just sign something to say that your address is "permanent". But what does that mean? It just means it's your actual home as opposed to your friend's place or your mum's. But that totally doesn't stop people renting there for a couple of months knowing full well that as soon as they get a school place they move to Earlsfield or Balham when the lease ends! It just has to be "permanent" on the day you sign, so you can legitimately move out the next day!

Let's face it, making a false declaration on one online form would be pretty easy. It's very unlikely that anybody would be prosecuted for it successfully, so I think it's a lie a lot of people would tell for the good of their kids' education. It's understandable (but still wrong).

@asouth - I don't know why we didn't get a place as we are supposed to be in what people say is the catchment area...but we didn't! (I think the catchment is smaller than people think, but I don't know).
Post Reply
legs11
Posts: 116
Joined: May 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby legs11 » Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:16 pm

I didn't get any follow up on my address by the council but I assume that was because I was applying from the address I have lived in and paid council tax on since 2011.

However Honeywell did ask for extensive proof once a place was offered. I had to visit them in person with original documents proving mine and my child's identity and address. It was made very clear that if these could not be provided the offer would be revoked.

Several friends who rent were contacted by Wandsworth in Feburary to ask for proof of address.

Hardly pathethic.

I
Post Reply
InterestedDad
Posts: 12
Joined: May 2013
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby InterestedDad » Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:45 pm

actuallyadad - The Council have cracked down on temporary addresses. Under the new rules you can't own one property but then rent temporarily near a popular school. There were certainly cases of this in past years. This exact practice is what NV readers found most objectionable, so I think the Council have effectively addressed concerns here.

When talking about home owners vs renters, we should bear in mind that recent policy (through low interest rates for mortgage borrowers and continuing tight restrictions on new building at a time of increasing housing demand) have overwhelmingly favoured home owners. The best long term solution for the catchment area issue (although sometimes we don't want to hear it) is to make housing more affordable so the number of renters (which has more than doubled in London over the last ten years) is reduced.

re. Belleville catchment, sounds strange and I would certainly query this, if only to inform discussion.
Post Reply
https://www.cameronvaleschool.com/thechelseanursery
https://tabbieats.com
https://www.dulwich.org.uk/admissions/bursaries-free-and-subsidised-places
https://www.dulwich.org.uk/admissions/
SWblues
Posts: 8
Joined: Oct 2014
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby SWblues » Mon Apr 27, 2015 8:22 pm

As always the discussion about primary schools revolves once again around HW and BV and those playing the system. It is a reality and neither council nor the schools involved have done much to discourage families to play the system, until now. I do think the new rules about what classifies as a permanent address will help.

However, my point is that there are other schools out there - although I know some on them are now outside catchment for BTC families. Performance tables show that other local schools, such as Alderbrook, are doing really well, even better than HW or BV in some areas, which it's even more remarkable when taking into account their diversity and higher percentage of disadvantaged pupils.
http://www.education.gov.uk/cgi-bin/sch ... me&ord=asc
Post Reply
Battersea Mummy
Posts: 64
Joined: May 2012
Options:
Share this post on:

Re: Did you get your first choice primary?

Postby Battersea Mummy » Mon Apr 27, 2015 10:57 pm

Our son has a place at Macaulay C of E school which we were not expecting at all, in a very good way! We're non church goers and each year there are only 9 of these places available out of the 30 in total which they have. We also don't live that close at 800m or so. I can only imagine non church going people don't bother putting the school down as they don't think they'll have a hope of getting in.

So, if you're applying next year for schools you never know....
Post Reply

Start a conversation
To create a new post and start a new conversation, please click on the button.