Does the sibling rule still apply?

Two London local authorities have amended the sibling priority rule from 2016, taking away the automatic entitlement to school places for a number of families. Brent and Wandsworth councils will stop giving priority to siblings if their family no longer lives within a catchment area.

Can I apply for a school in a different local authority?

You can apply for schools outside your own local authority if you want to, but you still use your own local authority’s form. The information on your form is then passed to the schools to decide whether they can offer your child a place based on their oversubscription criteria.

What is sibling priority?

Sibling priority allows families a greater opportunity for their children to attend school together. To receive sibling priority, a family must have had a child enrolled in the requested school during the 2020-21 school year who will continue to be at that school in 2021-22.

Why siblings should go to the same school?

Siblings who are close in age may benefit from having each other at the same school to offer social support, particularly if one or both are entering a new school. Plus, attending the same school makes it easier for parents to do drop-offs and pick-ups, as well as attend the myriad school events.

Can my child go to a school in a different area?

Can we apply to a different school? You do have a right to apply to another school and the right of appeal if you are turned down. If the school is not full but has serious problems, your child may be refused a place but you can appeal this decision.

How do primary schools allocate places?

School places are offered based on each school’s admissions criteria. When it is not possible to offer any of the schools listed on the application a place is normally offered at the nearest school to the family’s home that has vacancies remaining after everyone who applied on-time has been offered.

Why does it matter if siblings go to different schools?

I was given a place at the primary school my sister, two years my senior, already attended. I started with the inevitable comparisons to my clever, extrovert sibling, and was seen as the not-so-academic, argumentative child. In this light, attending the same school had its drawbacks. Yet I was secure.

Where did my sister go to primary school?

We started off at the same primary school, but ended up in different secondaries. This means that we have some shared experiences, but some that were very different, giving us separate outlooks on our childhoods and teenage years. I was given a place at the primary school my sister, two years my senior, already attended.

Why did my daughter want to go to a different school?

Although the sibling link is a strong reason for wanting the school, avoid focusing on your daughter and the past history of her move: your son is the subject of the appeal and the panel will want to know how attendance – or not- at the school will affect him in particular.

Where did my sisters and I grow up?

We grew up in a large rambling house in London: Dad is an artist; Mum taught at the local primary school. My sisters went on to marry and have children. Sarah, 54, has Georgia, 17, and Myles, 14; and Louise, 45, has George, 13, and Oskar, ten. I never stopped to think about starting a family, content with the party lifestyle.

Can a younger sibling apply for a college?

Yes, with one important caveat. They must apply in the Early Decision or Early Action round — not in the Regular Decision round. At most highly selective colleges, if these younger siblings choose not to apply Early to the institution that their older sibling attends or attended, they will lose those sibling bonus points in admissions.

Is the admission of younger siblings an advantage?

There’s a great editorial on the admission of siblings in “The Brown Daily Herald” by a current student whose sister is applying for admission to Brown. Are younger siblings at an advantage when they apply to a highly selective college that their older sibling attends or attended in the past?