Getting footpath counted in distance to school

[NigellaTufnel]

Was wondering if anyone can help...

There is a cut through to our preferred primary school, and we are unsure if it gets counted when the LA put your postcode into their computer.

So does anyone know how we can measure this pathway? And how did you communicate this to the school, considering there is no room on the form to do so.

Sorry if this is a daft question!

[BetsyBoop]

It' not a daft question!

It depends how the council measure distance, it can be crow flies/straight line, via GIS, use "safe walking routes", etc., so you need to find out which one your LA use (should be on their website)

as KC said, if it's crow flies then it makes no odds. If it's "shortest safe walking route" then this often means that it has to meet other requirements such as street lighting for example.

Best advice is to check with the LA admissions team.

[prh47bridge]

As others have said, whether or not the pathway should be measured depends entirely on how the LA measures distances.

If it is as the crow flies the cut through footpath is irrelevant.

However, councils also use shortest walking route, shortest safe walking route, shortest walking route using approved paths/roads... And some specify that the route is as measured via their GIS (Geographical Information System).

As BetsyBoop says, your LA admissions team will be able to tell you how distance is measured. If it isn't as the crow flies, they will also be able to tell you if they include this cut off. If they don't include it they should be able to tell you why.

This isn't something to put on the form. This footpath may affect the distances for other applicants as well and the LA must be consistent in how it measures distances.

[admission]

The distance is measured using a computer system and you need to establish not only what method is used (straight line distance etc) but also where the datum points are. In many cases there is a set datum point on the school and each individual house has a datum point, so the distance measure in a straight line can be very accurate.

However as soon as the distance becomes shortest walking distance it can become quite arguementative about what is the absolute distance. You need to check exactly what is being measured. Is it to the nearest school gate, a set point on the school etc. Favourate one for creating issues is where it is the school front door and there are a number of entrances on to the school site!

I sincerely hope that the LA is not using post codes because that is not at all accurate but please check with the LA for absolute details.

[NigellaTufnel]

thank you all! will check with LA.

[TigerFeet]

depends on the LEA

we had a very similar issue, there is a footbridge on our route to our nearest school but the LEA (Lincolnshire) would not consider it as part of the route as they calculate it as distance by road

therefore dd did not get a place at our nearest school (10 min walk max) because as far as they were concerned we were two miles away and there were too many applicants that lived closer

we submtted an appeal but were advised to retract it as the LEA had abided by their published selection criteria and therefore we had no case

dd1 is very happy at our second choice school, which thankfully is also a great school, but it's a 3.5 mile drive each way trhough a very busy town rather than an easy walk.

you need to check with your LEA as to their selection criteria and query it before application if you need to, or you won't have a leg to stand on once places have been allocated

good luck

[NigellaTufnel]

I've had a look on the website and they say they only countroads with a finished surface, so I doubt they will take on board a well used footpath.

I was wondering if I should contact them before the applications are due in.

[prh47bridge]

If they only count roads with a finished surface you will need to persuade them to change their policy in order to count this footpath. They won't make an individual exception as that could give them all kinds of problems. You should contact them as soon as possible to have any chance of persuading them to change. Once applications are due in it will be too late. However, I think your chances of success are fairly low.

[admission]

I think the information is sufficient to know that there is no chance that this path will be accepted as an appropriate way, now or in the immediate future.

I would use google or multimap as a reasonable means of checking distance from your house to different schools. They will not be absolutely accurate but good enough for seeing what is likely to be a possible school. Having refined your search I would then ask the LA to confirm which is your nearest school by road distance and if appropriate your catchment school.

[realitychick]

If it's the council's responsibility to maintain the footpath then you might have a case - even for an unsurfaced path. Get in touch with your local educational ombudsman - they helped a friend who was rejected from the local school. She contested, saying the path was widely used. She won and they had to find a place for her child. The ombudsman did a lot of the legal work and research for her.

[prh47bridge]

No that won't make a case. If the LA's policy is that the route must use roads with a finished surface then that is the end of it. It doesn't matter how much a path is used.

The Local Government Ombudsman would only intervene on something like this if the policy was something like "shortest safe walking route" and the parents could demonstrate that the path was as safe as (or safer than) those used by the LA in calculating routes.

[admission]

AS PRH has said the LA have been sensible and pinned down exactly what is acceptable and what is not. There is no chance of this being considered by the LGO. But there are many LAs whose admission criteria is not any where near as clear as this, where the shortest route is a nightmare at appeal hearings. It is always worth checking if you did not get a place on a distance category exactly how the distance was arrived at and whether this seems right.