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does distance go by postcode or actual address?

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 10:33 pm
by susanass
Hi, does anyone know if the distance measured is by your postcode or your actual address? I ask as there are about 6 children who live in the same postcode as we do and are all putting the school as their first preference (this is probably common, I know, but as I am new to this, trying to gauge my chances of a place!) so just wondered if there is an oversubscription on the school, will they randomly pick childrens name out of a hat if all in same postcode, or will they allocate places to those closest even if it is just by a street or two? I know if it were in a block of flats they randomly pick names, but if it were by street, does this count. I hope this is clear enough as not quite sure it is, sorry for long and confusing post.

Re: does distance go by postcode or actual address?

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:08 pm
by ToadMum
The school (or the LA in its admissions guidance) should publish in its oversubscription criteria how distance is measured, but it would be from your individual address. Some areas / schools use "as the crow flies" distance, others shortest safe walking route.

Re: does distance go by postcode or actual address?

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 12:17 pm
by susanass
ToadMum wrote:The school (or the LA in its admissions guidance) should publish in its oversubscription criteria how distance is measured, but it would be from your individual address. Some areas / schools use "as the crow flies" distance, others shortest safe walking route.
Hi, thanks, the school we are interested in uses "as the crow flies" distance, I have gone on a google map which offers this choice and every time I key in my address it just takes the point to a central area to anyone in that particular postode. So unless their system works differently to the google maps one, I assume we will all stand the same chance and if oversubscribed, our names will just be drawn out randomly. Not sure if this is accurate, but maybe their system works differently.

Re: does distance go by postcode or actual address?

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 12:36 pm
by Just1-2go
From the admissions criteria from our local school:

The distance is measured between the child’s permanent address and the school measured in a straight line using Ordnance Survey address point data. Distances are measured from a central point within the child’s home to a similarly defined point within the school as specified by Ordnance Survey.

I suspect this is how most "as the crow flies" schools do it.

Re: does distance go by postcode or actual address?

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2012 3:47 pm
by CoffeeCup
The council use ordnance survey data which is calculated from each individual home/address. There will only be a duplicte if more than one family lives in the same house/block of flats.