Webwise "Customer Choice Process"

[Ian Batten]

On 11 Apr 2008, at 21:19, Roland Perry wrote:
> In article <BE315068-7A42-4062-9CB2-032ECC2D3AFE@batten.eu.org>, Ian  
> Batten <igb@batten.eu.org> writes
>
> [re: schools having a catchment area]
>
>> I know of no other primaries and no secondaries with that policy.
>
> It's the standard policy in Nottinghamshire. (And clearly in Poole).
>
> Distance from the school gate (actually, the school office here, and  
> the office is several hundred yards away from the gate and will make  
> a considerable difference) is on one hand a proxy for a circular  
> catchment area;

But one that varies year on year.  They just work down the list of  
categories until the school is full.  Hence why you can't have  
siblings in catchment as a distinct category above everyone else; the  
catchment hasn't been defined at the point those categories are  
filled.  The question of if the circle moves in or out year on year  
tells you the waxing and waning popularity and the birthrate.  Most  
schools' circles are moving out at the moment because 1996 was a  
particularly small year in south-west Birmingham.  A few aren't.

> and on the other is also present as a way to choose between the also- 
> ran out-of-catchment and no-sibling candidates if the school still  
> has places.

Obviously Birmingham's system is different.

ian