Archive for April, 2009

More school admissions problems – primary this time

Posted on April 29, 2009. Filed under: Uncategorized |

Parents in Knaresborough have been shocked and dismayed to learn that their children, due to begin school in September, have been offered places at schools in Harrogate whilst places in Knaresborough are being taken by children from outside the town. 

Several Knaresborough families who applied for places at St John’s School have been told that their children are to be admitted to Starbeck Primary School.    So whilst parents from Knaresborough will be driving their four year olds over to Harrogate to go to school, other families from outside Knaresborough, will be driving their children in.   Madness.

I contacted the Area Education Office this morning and have been given the following explanation:

There are enough places in Knaresborough primary schools for all the children living in Knaresborough so this is not a capacity problem.   However, under the new admissions procedures parents who express a preference for a particular school are admitted before those who do not express a preference for it.   It’s easier to explain this with an example.

Family A live in the catchment of Good School, which is not oversubscribed, but they really want their child to go to Another Good School, which is also close, but has a different catchment.   They just enter Another Good School on their preference form.

Family B live 3 miles away, and they have included Good School on their preference form.   

Family A do not get a place at their choice, Another Good School, because it has filled all its places with children fromthe catchment area.   And although they live very close to Good School, they are not allocated a place because they did not specify it.  

Family B do get a place at Good School.    Although they live some distance away, they specified a preference and therefore have a priority over a family living closer who did not express a preference.

Family A are allocated the nearest school with vacancies when all preferences have been allocated, which turns out to be in another town.