Applying to primary school - what you need to know.

If you have a three or four year old child, you need to start thinking NOW about applying for primary schools. Even though it can seem like a complicated and very, very confusing process.

Choosing a primary school is probably one of the scariest decisions you’ve so far had to make in your life as a parent. Schooling seems so grown-up and final. And, of course, it also seems like something that really will make a difference to your child’s life. No one wants to get it wrong.

But sadly, what primary school your child goes to is not only up to you. You can list the ones you want and cross your fingers, but it's often the local authority who decides. However, there are ways to make the whole process more likely to work in your favour and cut through the confusion too.

There are also various government publications to help. One of the most obvious starting points is the "Primary and Secondary Schools, admissions and appeals" booklet. There is also more information on applying for a school place on the Directgov website - you can find out about schools in your area by clicking on “find out about primary school places.” If you're interested in independent schools, try the Independent Schools Council which has a helpful Parents Zone.

What's most important is not to wait for someone to tell you to apply. Otherwise you might miss the boat completely. Your child doesn’t have to start school until he or she is five, but most children begin the September after their fourth birthday (which means that some are very young indeed). If you want your child to go off to school in Reception 2009, you need to start applying now.

In an ideal world, we would all be able to choose the perfect school for our child - and they would get in. In reality, of course, this doesn't always happen, but it's still very much worth doing your research. That way you'll find out which schools you like, and which you don't.

Firstly, you need to work out what kind of school you are looking for, and if you are thinking about a private school, what you can afford. What are your priorities? Is it really important that your child will be able to walk to school, is a religious grounding an issue or are you looking for a particular social mix? Are after-school clubs or breakfast clubs a priority and what about playing fields? It's far better to find out about these things before your child starts at a school, rather than be disappointed later.

You should also make sure that you visit local schools and see what’s on offer. Go to Open Days, if possible speak to the pupils themselves and also chat to the teachers. Get a feel for the place. Ask any questions you really want to know - don't be shy. It's also wise to look up recent Ofsted inspections (you can do this online), but check the dates carefully. If the last inspection was more than a couple of years ago, it may be horribly out of date. If you can, you should also speak to other parents whose children attend the schools you are interested in, and their children too. Contact the PTA if you don't know anyone personally. You can also look at each school's place in the league tables.

Schools also write their own reports, and many produce booklets and prospectuses too. Don't be swayed solely by a beautifully laid out prospectus - a school may be far better, or worse than the way it sells itself - but it's probably worth taking a look. And you can look up individual schools on Schools Finder as well. 

To make sure everything’s managed fairly, schools and local authorities must follow strict rules which are set out in the School Admissions Code and the School Admission Appeals Code. Note that these only apply to state schools and Academies and not to other independent/private schools.

Each area can set its own local timetable for the primary school admissions process, and parents can get details of this from their local authority. Most do make an effort to ensure that parents of young children are aware of the application process. Even if they don’t write directly to parents, they publish leaflets or produce posters which are distributed in libraries, doctors' surgeries and other places where parents of young children would visit. But don't rely on this. Make sure you contact your LA directly too. Many have an "information for parents" booklet which sets out admission arrangements, and some have dedicated staff or a helpline too. Often local authorities have useful websites (just Google your local authority and "primary schools" or "applying for primary school"). If you live on the cusp of various authorities, you will have to apply for any or all which contain schools you are interested in.

Some schools will ask you to apply directly through them, as well as the local authority. What's vital is that you do whatever the school wants, so if you're not sure about this, telephone the school in question and ask. You can often apply online these days - your local authority will tell you how to do this.

Possibly the most important lesson when it comes to primary school (and secondary school) applications is to do what the school wants! All schools will have admissions criteria, and you absolutely must submit an application which takes note of these. This is crucial, not just for faith schools (which may want evidence that you are a regular Church goer or belong to a synagogue, for example), but for many others. Ask to see the admissions criteria, and write an application that takes account of them.

It's these criteria which often upset parents. When it comes to faith schools, many ask for proof of a real commitment  - regular Church attendance for a number of years, for example. If you don't fit this criteria, it's highly unlikely your child will get in (these days parents often "find" a religious tendency once a woman discovers she is pregnant!).

The best schools are nearly always over-subscribed, and that's where it all becomes very frustrating for parents. The local authority or school itself needs to sort out, and prioritise, all the applications and may do this in a number of ways. These ways may include a random lottery, by taking siblings into account or by distance (hence those properties which advertise themselves as being within a good school's catchment area and which are astronomically expensive). There is little you can do about this, except move. This is why so many parents are searching for other options such as private schools or homeschooling. Sorry to be depressing, but it's reality.

Other criteria that are used may be the medical or social needs of the parent (perhaps they can't travel far, so need their child to be at a local school), so make sure you write this on the application form. If your child has special needs, definitely mention this too. Don't hold back. Schools must cater for children with special needs and often prioritise them above others.

If your child doesn't get into the school you wanted for him or her, you can appeal. However, don't depend on this to get you in; it probably won't. Some local authorities let you stay on the waiting list of your chosen school, while allowing you to also accept another school, but others don't. It's all a bit random. If you can stay on the waiting list, I would recommend it. A friend of mine got her son into a very good local school this way - although she didn't find out until the July before he started (she didn't just have strong nerves, she had a back-up with a school in a different borough!)

Whatever happens, try not to let your child see how upset you are if she or he doesn't get into your first choice. If your appeal fails, they will have to go to the school on offer (unless you have a very good Plan B) and will need to make the best of it. Don't start them off on the wrong foot - children are very adaptable.

And remember that you still matter, hugely. If you talk to your children (and listen to them talk back to you), read them books, take them to the library and museums and show a general interest, they will thrive. How they develop is not just up to the school they go to.

Useful reading:

Francis Gilbert's excellent Parent Power: The complete guide to getting the best education for your child (Piatkus).

And: Elizabeth Grahamslaw's very clear and useful A parents' guide to primary school (Virgin Books)

Look at The Good Schools Guide, and The Times' own Parent Power for an online database of the best schools.

Read School Gate on:

What you need to know before your child starts reception

What you should ask a school before you send your child there

The School Gate

Are we teaching our children too much, too young?

Lessons before school.

Read Alpha Mummy on Ten things you should know before you choose a school.

(picture by Jon Marshall on flickr.com)

Comments

[Sarah]

Ye Gods - when my son was ready to start primary school, he went to the village one. There was no worrying or plotting involved. He was reasonable happy there.

When my marriage broke up and we moved somewhere cheaper he went to the only primary school locally (still there, since he's 8): again, my only worries were about the possibility he'd be unhappy or bullied.
As a matter of fact, he's happier and doing a lot better there than at the "nice" village school.

He'll do as well as he'll do in schools.... I don't see the need to get pressured about it between the ages of 5 and 11: it's secondary school where things get serious, IMO.

[madmarce]

Jesus wept. When I was a child, you just went to your nearest school. Then you took the 11 plus and whether you passed or failed determined which secondary school you went to. I had no idea parents had to go through all this performance. What an utter waste of time.

[meme]

Starting a year later does not mean your child will struggle in year one. It`s more likely that they will be ready to actually learn. I`m happy for my son to spend another year playing rather than sitting still on the carpet. Too many forget that children actually learn more through play.

[starling]

What the others said, Gipsy.

If you send your kid to school a year later because he/she was not ready for it a year ago, they won't be put in reception - which would be the class they're ready for - but in year one, with the kids who started the year before. Which means your child is still put in a class they're not ready for.

Why can't kids just start later if need be? Some need it, especially boys who were born in July or August. They've only just turned 4, and a lot of boys develop more slowly. By forcing them to start when they're not ready, you're giving them a disadvantage that will stay throughout school.

[j]

agree Mary. My point was just, dont be sold the line by a prep school that they can guarantee you a place at that golden secondary school. they are bound to say that when they want you to come to them.

Ask the secondary school for the admissions stats and compare them with the number of kids in your target prep school's year.
I think its unfair to trade on newby parents' wish to do the best for their chidlren, by implying that its a safe route to a great school, when the reality is rather different, and you may well be told not to apply at all, in order to protect their success rates.

[Mary]

I think J, that the point we're both making is that public/private schools have various points of entry and criteria. It's therefore helpful to familiarise oneself with the workings of whatever senior school(s) one is interested in if one wants to go that route. A GCSE in the mechanisms of the school system for parents ;-)

[j]

Mary, up to a point, and lot depends on what the senior school specialises in.

if you take the kind of school I use, its what would have been a grammar school in the old days.

At 13 there is a scary industry from the feeder preps based around CE exam and scholarship classes, to get kids in. Theres a high failure rate as it is massively oversubscribed. Kids are advised "not to try for x" just like Oxbridge.

Kids from state schools can try at any time but the obvious run is the 11 year old entry. They refuse to publish papers for the 11 year old exam- or any past exam- and say that if you get special coaching, they will be able to tell and they will not be impressed. There's then a special syllabus for the next 2 years until the prep school boys arrive, in which they all start Latin from scratch, for instance. By 13 they are all the same. Age 13 is when the academic scholarships are handed out.

Prep school boys do sometimes try their luck at 11 but the standard they are held to is different. The school looks for potential from state school, they are not so forgiving at all to kids from prep school who try it on by applying early.

So actually, the gloss is that school x has a wonderful relationship with prep school y, but get yourself into CE year and not in the scholarship stream, and you will be told not even to apply.

[SC - South London]

Mary -Well we'll have to take the risk on pre-pre prep Im afraid. I very much doubt we could afford to go private right from the off, plus I doubt the point of it. Surely the early years should be about learning socialisation and playing?

Gipsy - Nice explanation of the London thing. Im in the same area as you by the sounds of it. My view is its very much about the home backgrounds of the kids rather than the area producing rough kids.

An example of the sort of reason I'd rather pay if it means a better chance for my child was in this paper just the other day, I think.
It was about a bright little boy who went to school able to read already and loved school to start with, became more and more withdrawn and started to cry when it came time to go to school. His mother eventually went into school asking amongst other things why her son was being sent home with beginners reading books, and she was horrified to be told that although her son was bright there was no way they could cater for him in that class as the other children had mainly come to school unable to even spell their name, let alone read. So he was expected to lower himself to their standards rather than recieve any encouragement from the teachers to better himself.
In a big class that sort of thing goes unchecked. The mother moved him private in the end. But why should she have to pay just so her son didnt become clinically depressed in a bad environment?

It is bad that the state schoools can end up being dire as you say Gipsy. But do you try and crusade against odds that your child will be unhappy and held back or take the hit and pay out?

[a mother]

"if you do wait until five then he/she will be put into a class that has been there for the past year and expected to catch up with them."

Only if you've been keeping your child in a sealed cupboard for the "reception" year...

(outcomes for children educated at home are significantly better than for children educated at school, with a particularly stark differential for children of working class backgrounds. Just google Paula Rothermel to see the research.)

[Mary]

Gipsy - I think the point about age of entry is that the child doesn't actually legally have to start school at four, but if you do wait until five then he/she will be put into a class that has been there for the past year and expected to catch up with them. Personally I also don't like the fact that the child would then be the 'new kid' coming into an established class, but I guess that depends on your child.

J - some senior schools do seem to favour certain prep schools, some preps seem to favour certain pre-preps and 'feeder' schools are in any case likely to be good at getting the children through the necessary hoops to attend the next school. Doesn't mean that you HAVE to attend but it can certainly help.

SC - be careful as some pre-prep schools will laugh at you if you wait longer than a few months after birth to register. If you're not sure you might want to get a couple of registrations in just in case.

[j]

Hi Gipsy,

I used to live in the East End- what I was trying to do was to make SC think that maybe avoiding the rough children, as she wants to do, can be achieved perhaps by going private- but also by moving. Both perceptions may be a bit unfair, one on South London, as you rightly say, and the other on state schools.

Thats the thing about this debate- its not just private vs state, its also about your local area, unless you are, as someone else said, just determined to use private schools whatever.

[Gipsy]

Recent student - it may be that this wasn't an issue. One of the parting gifts of the Tories was this whole thing about parental choice. Until the system was changed, your only choice was to go to the closest school. No it isn't just a mad London thing.

J - I live in South London! I think that you need to understand firstly, there are two South London's. One is South West London - this is full of leafy, stockbroker type suburbs such as Wimbledon, Putney, Richmond, as well as the slightly more down at the heel (but still hideously expensive) Tooting, Balham and Clapham areas.

Then there's South East London, and that's where all the 'scare stories' come from. I live in SE London. I'm just a short bus ride away from Brixton, and I often take my son to the excellent leisure center in Peckham (ten minutes away by train or car). Just as close is one of the most expensive areas in London - Dulwich (which is in between Brixton and Peckham). It is full of very expensive private schools (such as Dulwich College and James Alleyn Girls or JAG), and very posh people.

Of the six closest state primary schools to myself, two are exceptional, two are above average, and two are so far below the average they're in special measures.

Unfortunately the state secondary schools in the area are dire - possibly because the best and brightest get sucked up by the private school system (which I believe operates scholarships for the brightest at the local primary schools).

[SC - South London]

Thanks for that J, good to hear from someone who has been through the system.
I love London and wouldnt consider a move at present. And as a whole the area Im in is a very nice one. Its an awful thing to say but its true that you can chose the lifestyle you lead to a great extent apart from when you need the public services such as hosiptals, schools etc and then we are all lumped in together, unless you pay.
Anyway typical me, I have 5 years to worry about even infant school! So I'll see how I get on with the savings.

[j]

SC- I think many of us would be scared to live in South London at the moment. Maybe you will move house rather than go private?

I dont agree that you have to play the game from infant school. All mine went through normal community state primary school. At secondary, the eldest took 11 plus and went to a oversubscribed, academically successful feepaying school.

Fee paying schools have to show public benefit, and one way is that they have to have fair routes for admissions at 11 and at 13 from the maintained sector.

I can see why some prep schools would like you to think so, of course. Captive market and all that. Not sure it's actually true, though.

[SC - South London]

I also know plenty of people who were sent private. Some of whom are a bit tim nice but dim, but most are confident, self assured and proactive individuals.
I myself was not sent private, which wasnt an issue in the part of the country I was raised in. I had access to a large sports field, good teachers and a good mixture of people. I strongly believe its what you make of life.However for a lot of people being crammed into a class of 30 others, many of whom dont get any encouragement at home and behave in an anti-social manner has a real impact on their ability to forfil their potential.
The sort of behaviour that fills me with dread and scares the heck out of me in terms of my child having to be exposed to it is young children intimidating the eldery and other vunerable people by being so loud and obnoxious that even the bus drivers are scared of them whilst their parents actively ignore or encourage their behaviour. There are gangs and kids talking about shankings (knife attacks) on their estate on my bus in the morning and I live in a 'nice' area.

I am just saying that given the choice, which hopefully I will have, I would rather pay good money to send my child somewhere that they can learn in a supportive environment.
Finally, my point was that its not enough for many of these top schools that you want to stump up the cash for the GCSE years, you have to be seen to have participated from the junior school level.

[Recent Student]

This all seems completely crazy! I'm 21 and just went to the school down the road... I don't remember my mum stressing anywhere near this much about league tables and the like. Is it just London that’s this insane?
SC - At University I encountered a number of people who had received a sterling private education supplemented with appropriate hobbies and voluntary work, all carefully crafted by their parents. Once left to their own devices, a hefty proportion of these people were completely incapable of organizing themselves or finding motivation to study... hence them going on to underachieve and are now back at home watching Jeremy Kyle all day. Just don’t think your children will be any better than the kids on the bus just because you paid for their education

[Gipsy]

>>they then have to enter in year one, not reception, thus completely obliterating the point of sending them to school a year later in the first place.<<

I don't understand what you mean. A 5 year old will be in the class with others their age - is that the problem? You'd want them to start with reception regardless whether they are starting at 4 or at 5, thus putting throught school a year ahead of their fellow classmates?

Or do you mean that they're put in with older kids? Reception is for 4 year olds - or are there 5 year olds in Reception too? So does that mean if you don't send your child to school at 4, but choose to do so at 5 they will be put in Year One with 6 year olds? Why would they do that?

I'm a bit confuddled by the point you're trying to make there.

[SC - South London]

The other thing to think about is for some private schools they wont look at your child for senior level if the child hasnt attended their prep school. Its madness how early you need to start preparing the way for them to get into that all important secondary school. I know private is a choice, I'll probably get flamed for saying it, but I am currently expecting our first and some of the children and parents I encounter on my local bus in the morning makes me think, yup better keep saving up!

[Sonia Turner]

I am English and now reside in Australia - for some reason I've found myself reading this article. In Australia, if you live within a school's zone (or catchment area) then that school has to take the child(ren). You may apply to go to another "out of area" school and that school makes a decision on whether your application is successful or not. Your local school can not refuse. If your local school i.e. the one you are zoned for, receives more applications than they can cater for, that school can apply for help from the Department of Education to supply extra teachers or classrooms. The public schools in NSW can not have more than 20 children in a class (kindy age 5) and progresses to 2 more each year to a maximum of 28 pupils in a class.
Catholic schools are private schools so you have to apply to attend them.

[starling]

I wish it was a fuss about nothing, roughobject, but there is a distinct difference between primary schools in Britain, and if your child ends up on the wrong one you can forget about the rest of their education since they'll be illiterate when they go to secondary school. Here speaks the voice of experience.

The German and Dutch systems are a million times better than the British one.

By the way, your child may not have to go to school until he/she is five, BUT - unlike in the Dutch/German systems - they then have to enter in year one, not reception, thus completely obliterating the point of sending them to school a year later in the first place.

[Ronni]

Hi Gipsy,
It really depends on the school or local authority, as Sarah says in the article (great article by the way, Sarah :)) You need to speak to the LA about how they sort out over-subscribed schools. But Saul is right about Church/faith schools. If you haven't shown any interest/committment for a few years before you apply, you won't get in, even if you live next door (as too many of us know, from bitter experience).

[roughobject]

What a lot of fuss about nothing. Choosing the right secondary school is the one that matters. I'm so glad we live here (in Germany) where kids just go to the nearest primary school, basta. (And the hateful school run is 'strongly discouraged' once the kid's eight, when they're perfectly capable of walking or riding there by themselves).

Primary school is about the three Rs and socialising the child. Everything else is a sideshow.

[Gipsy]

Saul you raise a very good point. Can anyone confirm that is really what happens with the preference lists?

This is part of what I don't understand about the school applications system.

Does this mean that a school will first accept children (after the siblings etc) who have listed their school as their first preference, and then if there are any places list, go to the second preference etc?

[Saul]

Be warned. Even if you live right next door to a primary school with a good reputation, but that primary school is CoE, then there is a real possibility that you will not get in unless you are in regular attendance at the church it is linked to.

Parents travelling even several miles to the church for worship may take precedence over even the closest children. It doesn't matter that these parents might be passing several CoE schools or may be considered as manipulating the system and there is no way out through the appeals system. It happened to us and happens regularly to many other parents.

The problem this gives you is that if the close CoE is your first preference and you don't get in, you drop to the bottom of the list for your second preference school and may not get in there either as a result. It took us three school appeals to get our son to a school in walking distance.

[A mother]

ahem. Point of information. not

"Your child doesn’t have to school until he or she is five"

but

"your child does not have to be in full-time education (at school or otherwise) until the TERM AFTER they become five"

:-)

[Barbara]

Very poignant article at this time of year when all our little ones
have just gone back. My words of wisdom are:
1) always visit the school
and find an excuse to slip off ie. go to the loo. Then take a peek
through classroom windows and feel the vibe of the school.
2) Don't follow what all your friends are doing and choose a school so your child will be with their mates - it will backfire when they move to a ifferent school. Choose what is best for your child, not necessarily what is best for you and so you can hang out with your mates for coffee afterwards
3) Don't get too hung up on Ofsted etc. It's only primary school. My priority was always ' will my child be happy?' not 'will my
child be pushed enough?'
4) talk to other parents and work out the general demographic of the school.
5) Do a dummy run of the drive/walk
and work out how rush-hour traffic affects things.
It is so important that they are happy at primary school. It sets them up for the rest of their learning. Come secondary school I'll worry more. I really love our school - Highgate Primary School.

[Sarah Ebner]

Hi Gipsy,
You will probably be applying through the local authority, and their website should tell you the relevant information for each school. However, there is absolutely no harm in ringing the schools you are interested in and asking them this - you can also ask about open days etc that way.
Good luck!

[Gipsy]

Thanks Sarah - this is very well timed. I don't know if I'm not reading the article correctly (there's so much info in there to take in and process). Do you apply directly to the schools, or do you apply to the local authority of the borough that the school is in, or do you apply to the local authority of the borough that you live in? Or does it vary, and you find out by contacting the school?