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Hi,
When I was younger I used to go to a school just down the road from me (literally 500metres from my house in South London). It seems now the catchment area for this school is about 100metres from the school, and the same for every other school in my area. I live roughly 2 miles from my sons mother, and she doesn't live in a nice neighbourhood at all.
My son is coming up for 1 year in October, but I am already concerned that the school he may find himself at is going to be a sub-par POS based on where his mum lives.
She is renting from the council, and they have already refused to even put her on the waiting list for moving house. Is there anything else I can do (reasonably) to get my son considered for a better school, even if they are just round the corner from me? Is it just me who find it completely unfair that it is a postcode lottery for my sons future & education?
This is a nightmare issue and one which many parents have been through
You will be able to apply for other schools but they will look at the application using entrance guidelines that they will have produced. It is worth asking the school for these now to see what they are so you can make any adjustments.
All applicants are then put in order of preference and offered a place.
Obviously you can appeal but if you don't meet the criterion then it is unlikely you will win
my local area has gone the other way and randomised the selection, so that people aren't selected just because they are close to the school. It has an advantage that it stops people moving to the area just to get to a good school, but it also means that if you live next to the school, you can find yourself not getting a place and having to travel miles to school, equally madness. Ultimately, the only fair system is for all schools to be equally good, but that will never happen.
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