More Brighton children get their first choice school (From The Argus)

I was wondering if 86% of pupils from the school smoked, it just seems to me latety whenever i spot pupils from Patcham high school waiting at the bus stops for the no 5 buses , they seem to smoking, i hope the Headteacher of Patcham high school is concerned as to were there pupils are buying them from.

Number of kids getting first choice school rises from 81.9% to 82%?!?

There are 2266 year 7 places in Brighton & Hove. 0.1% of that means that two more children got there first place and two more children for there second place.

How is this a meaningful, reportable improvement? The council badly needs to make some progress on this and should be help to account by the local press.

We got our THIRD CHOICE, despite overwhelming medical needs

kthove74 wrote:
We got our THIRD CHOICE, despite overwhelming medical needs

it would depend on whether your first 2 choices were relevent to where you live. what medical needs would be needed at 1 school, and not at others? i am not trying to dismiss your application, but surely all schools have near enough the same facilities. all schools now have disabled access, so that cannot be a reason. maybe the 3rd choice school IS best suited to your childs needs, and also maybe closest to your home??!! again, i don't know where you live, but your 'handle' says hove, so i would assume that either hove park or blatch may be your first/second choices. it would depend on where in hove you live, but maybe pcc was also a option. if you do have medical evidence, then you really must appeal, but it would depend on what medical needs you have. like i say, most schools can accept most needs nowadays, so i wouldn't hold out much hope.

My daughter didn't get any of her choices!!!! Why Is it that children who put down a school for their 3rd choice get it over someone who wants it more who put it as first or second?????? And don't go telling me it's because of catchment!

the fact still remains that if you live in a single catchment area you have no real choice at all ..... so your preferences are dictated by the catchment area you live in and not what you think is the best school for your child ....... i think this process was a huge step backwards

each child should go to their catchment school, dictated by ever increasing circles until all places are filled. where there are no schools nearby, the areas should be divided down the middle, and then worked out. for example, in whitehawk, the division should be down whitehawk way, with the eastern part going to either falmer or longhill, and the western part to either varndean or stringer. better still, re-open comart and have a school nearby. why should kids from patcham be allocated places at blatch, and moulsecoomb at patcham? surely patcham kids should go to patcham, and moulsecoomb to falmer, or am i just being really sensible? portslade kids to pcc, hangleton, goldstone, and some westdene kids to BM or HP, and the rest of westdene to Patcham. central kids then get Varndean or Dorothy Stringer. Coldean kide also get falmer. it is so simple, any kid with a map where the schools are shown could work it out. of course, the city will outgrow this soon, and a new school will need to be built.

andrewhancox wrote:
Number of kids getting first choice school rises from 81.9% to 82%?!?

There are 2266 year 7 places in Brighton & Hove. 0.1% of that means that two more children got there first place and two more children for there second place.

How is this a meaningful, reportable improvement? The council badly needs to make some progress on this and should be help to account by the local press.

my thoughts exactly! ..only i was struggling to do the maths!!! yes, hardly any point in even mentioning this 'news'. but i agree with others here in that you should really go to the school that is nearest to you. it makes more sense.

davyboy wrote:

kthove74 wrote:
We got our THIRD CHOICE, despite overwhelming medical needs

it would depend on whether your first 2 choices were relevent to where you live. what medical needs would be needed at 1 school, and not at others? i am not trying to dismiss your application, but surely all schools have near enough the same facilities. all schools now have disabled access, so that cannot be a reason. maybe the 3rd choice school IS best suited to your childs needs, and also maybe closest to your home??!! again, i don't know where you live, but your 'handle' says hove, so i would assume that either hove park or blatch may be your first/second choices. it would depend on where in hove you live, but maybe pcc was also a option. if you do have medical evidence, then you really must appeal, but it would depend on what medical needs you have. like i say, most schools can accept most needs nowadays, so i wouldn't hold out much hope.

3rd choice was furthest away, second choice next furthest away, first choice opposite our house. My nephew got the school furthest away when he cant even cross a road without help. what ever their reasons, I think the system sucks and I have been left with a child who is terrified of going to her allocated school because of previous bullying. Too right we are appealing.

Hi. My heartfelt thoughts are with all parents at the moment. I am one of the lucky ones - my son got his local school, but have to say that this system absolutely sucks. The notion of 'luck' at having your name is picked out is ridiculous. Looking at my son's friends faces yesterday afternoon takes away any real sense that the lottery is a well-conceived educational 'policy'. Political parties: you are an absolute disgrace.

We have been offered a school out of the catchment area, a 5 mile trip from my door, there are no direct bus routes, so god knows how she is supposed to get there - walk over the by-pass! i think have been given this school because we previously sent my daughter to a fee paying school and this would be the first time she is going to be sent to a state school, knowing that I won't take up the offer!

I think the system stinks!!

kthove74 wrote:

davyboy wrote:

kthove74 wrote:
We got our THIRD CHOICE, despite overwhelming medical needs

it would depend on whether your first 2 choices were relevent to where you live. what medical needs would be needed at 1 school, and not at others? i am not trying to dismiss your application, but surely all schools have near enough the same facilities. all schools now have disabled access, so that cannot be a reason. maybe the 3rd choice school IS best suited to your childs needs, and also maybe closest to your home??!! again, i don't know where you live, but your 'handle' says hove, so i would assume that either hove park or blatch may be your first/second choices. it would depend on where in hove you live, but maybe pcc was also a option. if you do have medical evidence, then you really must appeal, but it would depend on what medical needs you have. like i say, most schools can accept most needs nowadays, so i wouldn't hold out much hope.

3rd choice was furthest away, second choice next furthest away, first choice opposite our house. My nephew got the school furthest away when he cant even cross a road without help. what ever their reasons, I think the system sucks and I have been left with a child who is terrified of going to her allocated school because of previous bullying. Too right we are appealing.

how can the one across the road NOT be in your catchment area, unless the middle of the road is the catchment line. each school should be the centre point of it's catchment area, with circles extending out until the places are filled. i feel for you, and wonder at the councils logic. although i no longer live in the area, i have done this exercise many times to see how it works, and it seems far better than the system already used. i have heard of people who no longer live in brighton, who still send their kids to brighton schools, as they don't want to move them. this is blocking spaces for local kids.