Does the Order of Your School Preferences Really Matter?
If you are applying for a primary or secondary school place this year, you might have heard that putting a school second makes you less likely to get a place there.
Perhaps there is a school you really like, but you are not sure whether your child will get in. There is another where a place seems more likely. Should you put that one first, just to be safe?
It is easy to see why this causes confusion. You are being asked to put schools in order, without necessarily having a clear explanation of what happens to that list once you submit it.
The order matters. However, putting a school first does not move your child ahead of other applicants at that school.
The explanation below covers the usual Reception and Year 7 applications for state-funded schools in England. Independent schools and placements through an Education, Health and Care plan follow different processes. You should always check your local authority guidance and this blog should be seen as a starting point, but not advice. No one can, or should, tell you which schools should go in which order.
How the Equal Preference System Works
In England, these applications use the 'equal preference' system.
Each school's admission authority considers your application using its published admissions arrangements. If there are more applicants than places, it ranks children using its oversubscription criteria. These are the rules that determine who has priority.
Where you put the school on your list does not change that priority.
Your local authority then uses your preference order to work out which place to offer. You receive the highest school on your list where a place can be offered. You should check your Local Authority guidance for how this works in your specific location.
For example, imagine your list is:
Oak School
River School
Park School
There is no place available for your child at Oak. However, both River and Park can offer a place.
You would receive River, because you put it above Park.
Your application to River is not pushed behind someone else's simply because they put River first.
However, if you put Park above River, and both could offer a place, you would receive Park. This is why the order needs to reflect your actual preferences. What if the first school is a bit of a long shot?
Putting it first does not reduce your child's priority at the schools below it.
However, it does use one of the spaces on your form. The important question is whether your list also includes realistic options you would be willing to accept.
There is a difference between including one less likely option and filling the whole form with schools where a place is unlikely.
There is also a difference between a realistic option and a guaranteed place.
Admissions arrangements vary. They can include factors such as siblings, distance, faith or entrance tests.
Being in a catchment area, or passing an entrance test, does not necessarily guarantee an offer. Other applicants may have higher priority under the school's rules.
Previous allocation information can help you understand what has happened before. However, last year's outcome is not a promise about this year. Does leaving spaces blank help?
Listing just one school does not increase your chances of getting a place there.
If none of the schools you list can offer a place, the council must provide another school place. This is usually at the nearest school with vacancies, which may be somewhere you have not considered.
So, before leaving a space blank, a useful question is 'is there another school I would prefer to an allocation somewhere I have not explored?'
Adding that school below your existing preferences does not weaken those preferences.
The council's application deadline and any separate requirements, such as supplementary forms or test registration, also need checking. Getting the order right is only one part of completing the application.
However, how do you work out your preferences in the first place?
Understanding the process helps. However, it does not necessarily tell you whether to put Oak above River.
One school might have felt more welcoming. Another might offer a wider range of subjects. A third might make the school run and wraparound care much easier.
You might also be wondering how much weight to give the Ofsted report, the results or what another parent told you at the weekend.
These are the trade-offs that can be difficult to work through.
After nearly twenty years working in education as a teacher, school leader and consultant, I know how much easier it is to interpret this information when you understand what happens inside schools.
That is why I created School Compass.
My applications programmes help you understand how schools work, look beneath the surface on visits and make sense of the information you gather. The preference planner gives you a way to bring it together and compare your options. There is also the option of a personal session with me to work through your questions.
I cannot tell you which school is 'best' or promise you a place. I can help you understand the differences and weigh up what matters to your family.
If you want to submit your application feeling clear about your preferences and the reasons behind them, you can get started here:
You can start using the resources straight away. If you do not find the programme helpful, email me and I will arrange a refund.
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