The wait is on!

[roadkillbunny]

So, the deadline for applications for starting school this September is here!
I found myself obsessively checking my application for ds over the last few days to make sure I hadn't made some corker of an error like selecting the wrong school, putting my address in wrong or forgetting to fill out the sibling all ready at the school bit!
I have calmed my paranoia a little with the fact that even if dd wasn't already at the school ds would get a place as we are in the village but there is just so much nervousness about the whole process, I was the same when I did dd's (who is now in Y2) application. The what if's are a killer, if he didn't get a place how would I get him to another school, two children at different schools, I love our school, it is wonderful and the very thought of him not getting to go there is horrible! I don't know who I torture myself so though, he will get a place without question, yes the school is very oversubscribed but that is because it is a great school and lots out out of catchment families put it down, only once historically has a catchment child not got a place and that child lived one village over on the very edge of catchment and after a very quick and easy appeal supported by the school the child got a place so with all this I don't know why I am so nervous about it all, I just am!
How is everybody else apply for September 2012 0places feeling now that we have entered the waiting game? Roll on the 20th of April!

[coccyx]

Wow, have a glass of vino. you can do no more.

[blackeyedsusan]

april is ages away. there are lots of siblings in ds's year, but at least we are one of those now. last time she got in even though there were more than 20 siblings out of the 30 places.

[shelley72]

wow. lucky you. sounds like you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

others (like us) however who are out of catchment for ANYTHING half decent really do need to sweat it out til April...

[sunnyday123]

im nervous as hell!!! DD1 is in Y1 in a catholic school out of catchment. DD2 is in the preschool but no out of catchment siblings got in last year so we are preparing for the worst but hoping for the best!!! At least last year gave us the heads up and i have a great 2nd choice school lined up if i have to do 2 school runs. Ive also prepared dd2 for another school by talking about it loads (probably too much as she says she wants to go there!)

I've been worried since the out of catchment people lost out last April (all siblings lost appeals as infant class size) so its already been 8 months of torture!!!!! In a way i just want to know and i can then plan either way! You expect the sleepless nights with the first - not the second!

I wish i'd never applied out of catchment!!!!!!!!! No matter how good the school - think i've lost about 1/2 stone in worry (good news for the holiday diet though!)

[curiousparent]

sunny has the school or LEA been able to give any info. as to numbers in catchment and/or number of siblings this year?

Was it you who said on a previous thread that when you got DD1 in the school was undersubscribed and they told you there had never been a problem getting siblings in?

Glad you've got a good 2nd choice lined up :)

[wahwahwah]

I am hopping up and down, acid eating away at my stomach lining waiting for 8+ results. The odds aren't good and I feel like I am going to vomit. Oh and I have been awake since 3am so not firing on all cylinders....

DMIL tells me that I have at least another 20 years of worrying about little un...

[scrappydappydoo]

I've got the opposite problem - dd2 will have no problem getting into reception of our local school but dd1 is still on waiting list for said local school and so I'm desperately hoping that she gets a place before September else I will have two separate school runs.

[sunnyday123]

curiousparent - yes it was me! I had actually applied to another school (an catchment CofE one as i thought i wouldn't get in the out of catchment RC one). At the time (2010), our LEA (Lancs) only gave you one school choice so i didn't want to take a risk applying to an oversubscribed out of catchment school, only to not get in and then the LEA allocate a rubbish one - so i chose a good CofE which i knew i could get in.

However, after having expressed interest at the RC one, the head rang me (in work!) at 2pm on the day of the deadline to say there were places left and said if i applied, then i'd almost definitely get in. Therefore i changed my online application at the last minute. During that conversation i asked about dd2 and she said 'siblings always get in'. To be fair, they always had up until last year.

Last year was the first year lancashire did the 3 choice system so i think lots of people who put school as 2nd and 3rd choice are getting in above 1st choice.

The whole situation is worse because other people without siblings are lying and using parish addresses of families - which means they jump above my sibling! I don't mind my dd not getting in but the thought of her missing out to a fraudulent applicant with no link to the school makes me feel sick!

The LEA dont have much info for this year but its looking oversubscribed again, However i think if everyones address was checked thoroughly we would definitely get in but its difficult to prove fraud.

Either way i hope to get dd2 in by/at Y3 when legal class size limits don't apply,

[curiousparent]

wah sorry don't know what 8+ is but feeling for you and the turmoil I feel coming from you.

scrappy any ideas of where you are on waiting list - is it likely DD1 will get in?

sunny wow how did the RC head know they had places - that's impressive (although I'm not sure you'll think so now).

It's crappy though isn't it if people cheat the system to get in above you. Can they not be reported (I'm sure there would be a way of their address being checked out). After all as you say it is fair enough if others genuinely get in, but to get in otherwise is really bad.

I am concerned that others may get in ahead of us on a false church reference as apparently there were 2 people who got in last year (20 intake total - 5 church places) who never ever went to church but the vicar lived next door to one of the parents mums and so did a reference for her and her friends child .

Anyway as it caused so much hassle I think it highlighted to other potential parents that even with a baptized only reference you have historically been able to get in. We have a regular attenders reference (which we are) but not sure if the 'baptized only' could get a place ahead (either by 'beefed up' church reference or by them being allocated a place ahead of us anyway - although I think the latter would give grounds for appeal?).

Good luck all :)

[wahwahwah]

Don't get me started on people diddling the system. So David Cameron was actually in the catchment area of his kids school and they went were regular attendees of the church attached for over three years previously? I think not. And it wasnt the closest state school to them anyway. Grrrrrrrrrrr.