Have your say on school changes and get your primary applications in
Parents of children interested in proposed changes in the way school places are allocated need to have their say by the end of this week.
Ealing residents have until 9 January to give views on plans to allocate places when they are oversubscribed, including a change to the sibling rule. Complete the questionnaire here
Parents with youngsters due to start infant and primary schools in September 2015 (ie born between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2011) should return their applications before Thursday, 15 January.
All children who applied on time last year were offered a place at an Ealing school and nearly 95% were offered a place at one of their top three schools. People who return their applications after the deadline greatly decrease their chances of being offered a place at their preferred school.
The quickest way to apply is via the www.eadmissions.org.uk website. Paper application forms are also available from Ealing primary schools or by contacting Ealing Council’s admissions service.
Ealing primary school applications are part of the pan-London admissions scheme. Under this ‘one-stop’ system, parents submit one application form on which they list six schools in order of preference, even if some of their preferred schools are outside of the borough.
The council then co-ordinates its offers of school places with other London boroughs, ensuring that no one is offered more than one place. There will be a single, national offer day on Thursday, 16 April when parents across the country will be sent the outcome of their application.
Councillor Binda Rai, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “It’s crucial that forms are returned by the deadline. Late applications are processed after the ones that have been received by the closing date, so missing the deadline can seriously affect a child’s chances of being offered a place at one of their preferred schools.
“Late applications also make it very difficult for the council to plan for the number of school places required, especially if there is an unexpected demand in a particular part of the borough.
“There is tremendous pressure on primary places in Ealing and many of our schools receive more applications than they have places. Although we try our best, parents should not assume that they are guaranteed their first choice of school and we need to know their other choices so I would urge parents to use all of their six preferences on their form.”
Help and advice is available from the council’s admissions service on 020 8825 5511 (9am-12noon) or by going to www.ealing.gov.uk/admissions.
7th January 2015