I really hope this policy is not implemented in Lewisham as it would be a nightmare.

A friend of mine has this policy in her area (Warwickshire) and it's been awful for them, so much in fact that she and some friends have set up a campaign group 'Siblings at the Same School'.

What has happened in her case is that her son didn't get into her first choice local school, and her son was sent to another school much further away. Then when it came to her daughter, with no sibling policy she was not guaranteed a place at her son's school - which by then had improved and become more popular so the catchment area shrank and her daughter ended up at a different school. She was not trying to 'work the system' and neither were the many other parents who have ended up like this, some of whom have ended up with the total nightmare of 3 children all at different schools. I have three children and I just cannot imagine what that must be like - not only in terms of travel, logistics, cost, but also because schools benefit from an engaged parent community and rely on parent volunteers. Any parent who is spreading themselves across more than one school will simply not have the capacity to be that engaged, and the schools will lose out. I would rather have my 3 children at a further school than be split across different schools, even if one was nearer.

Decker - you note that you don't have children, in which case why are you considering writing to the council? Without a child at school are you really in a position to be able to judge the impact of this policy?

Fortunately councils are obliged to consult local parents before making any changes to school admission and I know many who would be totally opposed to it.

Schools do check utility bills so you'd have to work pretty hard to cheat the system. I don't know actually know any parent who has tried to deliberately cheat the system like this. However surely the solution would be more detailed checks on school applications, not removing the sibling policy?

The problem is not people cheating the system - the issue is that there has been a population boom which the government has not properly planned for (councils are not allowed to build new schools, and the government focus is on academies and free schools which do not always best address need).
http://www.theguardian.com/education/201...king-point

Plus, Forest Hill has become a popular area for local families.