The School Place Shortage and Applying for Schools in St. Albans

St. Albans, it's often said, is a place that many families move to because it offers excellent schools. The problem is, as city centre living has become more popular with families in recent years, the number of children needing school places has risen and city centre schools have failed to match that demand.

We live less than half a mile from the old town hall, in the conservation area between Catherine Street and St. Albans Hospital. Like many families in this and other areas of central St. Albans, we live within walking distance of a number of primary schools that have been awarded high marks by OFSTED. However, despite our location close to some excellent schools, we and our neighbours are discovering that getting  a place in Reception at one of our three top choices is less than certain.

It's a problem, not just for us, but for everyone we know in our street with a child nearing the age of four - and there are at least five such children in our street alone who will be needing school places in the Autumn. It's not just our street either. Familes we know who live in other areas of central St. Albans are facing a similar dilemma.

Some people have put their faith in SchoolGuru, a website that helps parents determine how much, if any, chance they have at landing their child a reception place at a particular school. We tried the site, which is free, ourselves, but found that the information it provides doesn't always match the reality. SchoolGuru, for example, tells us that in the last five years, we would have had no chance of getting a place at the school nearest our home. That may very well be true this year, with neighbours counting the number of siblings themselves in an attempt to determine how many places might be available, and whether other neighbours living closer might get those few available spaces before their children. But, based on our knowledge of older children in our street and those adjoining, there certainly children who have been given places, and not just in the double intake year that has played a large part in the current crisis for families without an older sibling already attending the school. That is, the site says that we wouldn't have been offered a place at the school closest to our home in any of the past five years, yet we know of children who live in our street, or further, who have done exactly that. No system, of course, is failsafe and that's the point I'm trying to make - that using a site like SchoolGuru, whilst useful, shouldn't be the sole determinate when making a decision about which schools to apply to. The site doesn't actually claim to be the be all and end all of the admission decision making process anyway - it's main purpose, and the way it makes money, is by selling a guide to the appeals process, which many will find useful should they not get the school of their choice.

Local parents are the only ones who are concerned about the school place crisis in St. Albans - local Liberal Democrat Sandy Walkington has posted, on his blog, an account of a meeting he had back in 2009 with a local pressure group, a meeting which was also attended by Lib Dem County Councillor Chris Wite and MP Anne Main. Sandy suggests that the Evershed site, which Tesco applied for planning permission to develop a super-store on last year, and lost, would make an excellent site for a new primary school in St. Albans. A recent local planning excercise, as well as the Stop Tesco Campaign, agree.

The County Council will be running a public consultation on the local school admissions process, beginning this month. But can parents, applying for a school place before the outcome of this consultation, do? One local headteacher, who wished not be identified, had a simple tip for parents - "be realistic about where you are likely to get a place for your child and make sure that you've got a failsafe on your list". It's reasonable advice, and mirrors that given by Hertsdirect, but isn't what parents, who want the best for their child - and therefore a place for their child at the school of their choice - are likely to want to hear.

Whether you're applying for a primary or secondary school place, the way most parents - last year 88% - apply is online. Hertsdirect has all the necessary information, including a guide to the admissions process as well as the actual application.

For Under-11's starting primary school or joining junior or middle school in 2010-11, the deadline is 29 January. Those with children born between 01 September 2005 and 31 August 2006 will be applying for a place in reception (key stage 1) with children born between 1 September 2002 and 31 August 2003 and already at infant school applying for a junior school place and those born between 1 September 2000 and 31 August 2001 and already at a first school applying for a middle school place. You should confirm these details on hertsdirect rather than relying on our information here. You'll be given the option to make three choices.

The good news is that the order you list schools will not be revealed to the schools themselves. Hertsdirect has a very clear example of what this means in practice. Here's what they say:

"Paula applies to the following 3 schools in order:

Newtown SchoolOldtown SchoolCounty School

"Oldtown School is the nearest school in her priority area and she has a

sister at County School . Paula is unlikely to be offered at Newtown

School because it is a considerable distance from her home, however she

particularly liked this school and ranked it first because she really

wanted to go there."

"Admission criteria are applied to all children applying to each of the

schools. Paula meets the rules for Oldtown School because it is the

nearest in her priority area so the school is able to offer her a

place. Paula also meets the rules for County School because she has a

sibling there. Newtown School is unable to offer Paula a place because

it is oversubscribed with children who live closer or have a sibling

there already. Paula ranked Oldtown School higher than County School,

therefore she is offered a place at Oldtown School and the place she

qualified for at CountySchool is offered to the next applicant on the

list."

Once you've visited schools and taken steps to understand their admissions criteria, as well as the admissions process, it makes sense to familiarise yourself with the online admissions page. If you have previously applied online for a state nursery (pre-school) place for your child, you're likely to already have a login. We forgot ours and found the "lost password" facility quick and easy to use. If you've not obtained a login, you'll ned to do this in advance.

Are you currently worried about getting your child a place at the school of your choice? What strategies are you using to determine whether it's likely you'll get that place? Any top tips from parents who have been through this all before? Your comments are welcome here although please don't name names, schools, or post personal details about children or people you encountered as part of the process.

For those who are applying for the first time this year, best of luck!