Is priority area for GS admissions a good thing?

Did GS (& their students) benefit by enforcing a priority area or by removing a priority area?

Hopefully folks with kids in Uni/kids in GS/kids interested in GS + primary/secondary education professionals can opine.

Thanks.

PS: On a side note, should university admissions have a priority area as well??

Why do you ask? What are your opinions on it? Where do you live and what schools are you aiming for?

Why would universities want priority area? Surely part of the attraction for university is for students to be able to move away from the control of their parents to live independently (especially if every step of their education has been masterminded up until that point!) Priority areas would force people to stay close to home which takes away the majority of the uni experience.

edited to correct appalling spelling!

No - as far away as possible.

Other option would be an exclusion zone - no-one going to Uni within 30 miles of home

Some years ago my DDs school introduced a catchment. Some were opposed to that. Some lived outside catchment and therefore it would reduce their chances of their DD getting a place (as it turns out, no one from outside catchment has got a place since introduced). Some felt it would lower the standards.

The first cohort going through that came under the catchment admissions sat their GCSEs last summer. Now I don’t really go for league tables as such and I’ve seen my DDs school go up and down over the years, but given their position this year, I think it’s safe to say it hasn’t made a jot of difference to standards. The other positive benefit is my DD has friends she can actually socialise with and get to see under her own steam. Having a catchment or priority area means the schools can at least have a decent proportion of local students and therefore serve the local area. It also means that students and parents can engage with the school community in its entirety rather than the students simply going for the academic bit. School is and should be far more than just passing exams.

As for universitys, part of the experience (as HM and KCG have said) is to learn how to survive on your own etc. My DD certainly has no intention of going to the local (10 mins walk) university. Whilst she won’t consider unis at the other end of the country she certainly doesn’t want to stay at home.

I do know someone who has a DC considering Reading along with some others, so they can live at home. Reading was considered a possible as they felt they would be able to drive quite easily. Those who know the area, will know that whilst you can drive to the uni, you certainly won’t be able to park at the uni (and not even particularly close once the parking permit schemes are introduced later this year). I’ve pointed this out so there maybe a rethink.

I think catchment areas for schools are a good thing as I believe children should attend local schools (I attended a school 15 miles away& travelled by coach by the way).
Why would universities have catchment areas?

Of course the other thing with Universitys are the choices of subject. Whilst some subjects are available at practically every university, some are only available at a handful. Would you need different catchments for different subjects? Would you end up with ‘black holes’ in the country where no one living in that area would be able to study a particular subject because they weren’t in the right area for any university that offered it.

I don't think even the majority of 'Brexiteers' envisaged not allowing universities to admit those nice full-fee paying overseas students...

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Speaking anecdotally only here.

I attended Chelmsford chs when it had no catchment (super selective, Essex isn't a full grammar system) and it topped the league tables consistently for years.

After I left they introduced a catchment and it's slowly slipped down the tables.

My daughter attends Colchester CHS and it too is a super selective. As per the league table in the telegraph it is now the top school in the UK.

Something to be said for making grammars akin to special schools and only letting the top couple of percent in and moving away from the Kent system.

However, you will often see me on the Essex boards actively discouraging people attending these schools, why, because a lot of parents in East London see the schools positioning and reputation and send their kids on ridiculous commutes and contribute nothing to the local economy or the school community. These schools succeed because they educate holistically