Picking school? Parents must avoid leaving blanks on admissions forms, experts warn

Parents must avoid leaving blanks on their school admissions form this year or risk being assigned the worst school in their area, experts say.

Ahead of next Friday’s secondary school places deadline, the Good Schools Guide is warning families of the common pitfalls that can cause years of grief.

One of the main mistakes is only picking one school and failing to select a second and third because parents believe the policy will improve their chances of success.

However, in reality it simply gives their council a licence to ‘fill in the blanks’ themselves, usually with the schools nobody else wants which have a lot of places.

It means if a family miss out on their first choice, they could end up with the least popular school – which might be underperforming or miles away from their home.

A spokesman for the Guide said: ‘Parents [should] include at least one school where there is a strong chance of getting a place.’

Competition will be fierce as a baby boom has caused a shortage of places.

The Guide said complicated school admission rules of up to 12 pages are confusing parents. 

‘The variation in admissions policies is incredible,’ a spokesman said.

Ahead of next Friday’s secondary school places deadline, the Good Schools Guide is warning families of the common pitfalls that can cause years of grief [File photo]