All the approx 10 Mums I have spoken to, 8 got 1st choice, 1 got 2nd choice and 1 got 3rd choice. Approx 50% had a school place out of their catchment.
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i guess it’s down to opinion. I wouldn’t choose a school just because it’s the closest when a few more minutes away is a school that is better suited to my child and our family. Everyone looks for different things in schools - some looks for small class size, some want large class size, some want excellent exam results, some want well established extra curricular, some want experienced send support, some need wrap around care.