First Day Nerves – A ‘Hard Knocks’ Guide to Primary School Admissions

Rachael Tuckley - 7 Sep 17

So week one is almost done.

There have been no tears (his or mine), there has been some talk of ‘new friends’ and Rohan’s class teacher appears satisfied that he’s a scholarly contender. All in all, a successful first foray into the world of education.

But let’s turn back time 6 months and the outlook did not seem so bright.
On a day in April, the hopes and dreams that had been squeezed into Rohan’s primary school application were shattered with the arrival of ‘that’ dreaded email….the one that said ‘unfortunately’ your application has not been successful on this occasion.

We had ‘joked’ the previous evening about this possibility. Oh wouldn’t it be funny if he didn’t get in…..
….but all too soon the laughter turned to tears, the tears to swears as I sat dejected and bereft, like the future had just died.

We believe as parents that our children are within our control (at least when they’re not shouting the odds in Asda) and that as their guardians we will be afforded all of the decision making. It is then our responsibility to endeavour to make these decisions near as damn it, the right ones. So what then do we do when the control is taken away and at the most pivotal moment of their young lives?

We keep calm and carry on….at least this is what we chose to do.

Our offer was of a school 2 miles away from our home.
A school for which we were NOT in catchment.
A school at the upper limit of the ‘Statutory Walking Distance’ for an Under 8

…..and our local authority believed this to be acceptable!?

I think in situations of great stress I am able to call upon rational reserves and so I picked at the Ofsted report with a fine tooth comb and emailed to arrange a visit to the school as soon as possible. I needed to know that this desperate turn of events was not going to be end of life as we knew it.

Don’t get me wrong, I really liked the school. The facilities were exceptional and the ‘Head’ was obviously extremely passionate about ‘his’ school.

But then there were the class sizes and no amount of ICT and ‘After School’ provision were going to make the school any closer to home.
We would be ineligible for support towards travel costs and the thought of trekking 40 minutes across the other side of town with a 4 year old and a buggy just felt a step too far.

Appeal was our next option and I can tell you now, the process of appeal is worthy of its own blog post. However, I’ll keep it brief.

Whilst others were busy buying PE Kits and Book Bags, we were in complete limbo. It’s hard not to feel a little ‘sorry for yourself’ when the ability to move forward is akin to wading in custard.

Let me be clear, I refer to the anxiety and despair that we felt as parents but it’s important to add that Rohan was blissfully unaware of the furore.
This we believe is testament to the fact that he is a capable and adaptable human being and I thank my lucky stars that this process has not for a moment affected him in any way.

Whilst awaiting appeal, we contacted our local MP and we’re afforded an audience with him.
I think many of us believe that these Government representatives have pockets full of fairy dust and the use of a fully calibrated ‘magic wand’ but unfortunately that is not the case.
They’re a listening ear, a representative. Contrary to popular belief they are not seated on the right hand of God.
Our MP took the facts and wrote a letter but if there is no obvious  contravention of the School’s Admission Code, there is very little that can be done.

The appeals process is a little like being caught and tried for a crime you didn’t actually commit. You provide evidence that appears to support your case (no matter how tenuous) but the panel have already decided your fate. The appeal hearing is a polite way of saying No!
By making it feel like you are being listened to the panel might just come out smelling like the ‘Good Guy’.
It’s important to remember that the appeal process is about the letter of the law. It cares diddly squat for morality or reason.

In our local authority for applications made for admission into primary school in September 2016, of all the appeals recorded and heard, 0% were successful.

Fortunately following our appeal, we were lucky enough to be made aware of other schools that had places available to us.
It’s important to note that none of these were our priority school’s and none of them were in our catchment area.

Sadly ‘beggars cannot be choosers’.

The conclusion to our tale however has come in the form of a lovely little school which is closer than our offered school, it has a recent ‘Good’ Ofsted rating and the class sizes are smaller. In addition, it won a local town ‘Pride’ award for Educator Of The Year.

Every cloud….

So here are my top tips for anyone who is applying for primary school now and into the future.

1. When completing your application by all means put your desired school at the top of the list but also ensure that you also put the maximum number of choices on your form (6).
Simply putting your first choice alone will not guarantee you will get a place and it will vastly limit your options moving forward.

2. Visit all the schools on your list and request that you see the school during term time when children are present.
Where possible request a meeting with the Head Teacher or a senior team member and don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions re. school funding, standards of behaviour, results in literacy/mathematics etc.

3. Read the Ofsted reports. They do provide a basis for performance.
It’s also worth remembering that underperforming schools can be turned around in a relatively short period of time.
If a school is rated as ‘requiring improvement’ be sure to look at the areas in which it needs to improve. You might be surprised by the findings and that the areas for improvement may not directly affect your own child e.g attendance rates etc.

4. Remember that the word catchment does not guarantee you a place. I cannot emphasise enough that the use of the words catchment or priority are just a geographical guide. Your local authority will have no qualms about offering outside of your catchment area up to a distance of 2 miles which as I stated is the Statutory Walking Distance for a child up to the age of 8.
It is also worth noting that if you are interested in a school outside of your catchment, it is worth including them in your list….you have absolutely nothing to lose.

5. If you’re not satisfied with the school that you are offered, ensure that you are put on the waiting list for any other schools for which you would like your child to be considered.
There will be some movement and a place may become available.

It is worth remembering though that if a child moves into your area and they meet additional criteria, your child will move down the waiting list regardless of whether that family has provided a late application.

6. If you choose to appeal, you will have to prove that the local authority have not followed due legal process as laid out in the School’s Admission Code
Unless you can prove that the process has been unlawful, your chances of gaining a place through appeal are extremely low. Just be prepared.

7. I would definitely recommend speaking with your local Member of Parliament if only to raise awareness of local issues like education.
Being proactive throughout this process gave us back a sense of control.

In the end WE chose the right school for Rohan based upon all the information we were given.

If you don’t get the result you were looking for it’s important to be as informed as you can be and try not to lose your head no matter how hard it seems.

To anyone going through the process, this one is for you.

‘May the odds be ever in your favour’.

Rachael Tuckley

A Parenting and Lifestyle Blogger exploring modern living with children. Proving that life can be a lot more fabulous for less. Musings for anyone navigating life as Mum or Dad. HuffPost Blogger.

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