Who's waiting for secondary school offers 1 March?

[Echobelly]

And do you think you'll get your top choice?

Our choices for DD are as follows - there is no secondary we are actually in catchment of:

1. Local free school, right up daughter's street but small and with tiny catchment. It has altered its admissions in a way that slightly favours us this year, but I'd be astonished to get it
   
2. Big, successful comp with very good results. No way we'll get it on first go, but plausibly on waiting list.
   
3. On paper the 'weakest' school, but still significantly better than national average; was a boys' school until recently with variable history but feels like on the up with impressive head. Is quite small, which is good, and nearby. Catchment unclear due to recent change of status, but some people have told us that we're likely to get in.
   
4. Best results on the list, but a pain to get to. Good for arts/drama, which would suit DD. She has a probable offer from there on grounds of musical ability.
   
5. In next borough, in an area we don't really know, great results and can be reached by public transport fairly easily despite distance. DD has definite music place offer.
   
   I think we'll get offered #3 or #4. If we get offered 4, we'll try to get one of the local ones on a waiting list. If we get 3, we'll probably also give the higher two on waiting list, but ultimately would be OK ending up with #3 or #4.

[Snowmaggedon]

Yes waiting..... Very nervous... have two good choices..... both with supreme positives and few negatives....but still Very nervous

[Echobelly]

There's no 'duff' schools on the list, but obviously would prefer a local one if possible

[Newsername]

We’ll get into local secondary. Ofsted good. Nothing spectacular. New head recently and he’s made big changes so hopefully it’ll be ok. I’m not excited. I’d rather she went to the best school in the city but we’re out of catchment.

[neddle]

I’m waiting for three offers this year: ds2 for secondary, ds3 for juniors and dd2 for infants.
We’ve got a 100% track record for getting first choice school to date ( 10 applications so far over 5 children).
The younger two have sibling links, so I’d be really surprised not to get first choices.
Ds2:
School 1: easy to get to, not our closest school but historically empty although improving loads, so should get a place unless it’s surprisingly oversubscribed.
School 2: ds1’s school so we’d get a place in sibling link.
School 3: local school, he’s currently at a feeder school, so guaranteed a space.

I’m not overly worried, but there’s always that what if feeling.

[Echobelly]

Thanks for removing spam MN!

Are people's kids going to same school as many friends? DD will likely be the only child from her current primary, maybe one other at most - she decided she didn't fancy going to the same school most of her year would go to. She's had a happy time there, but fancies a fresh start.

[BrimfulOfChocolate]

Sheer numbers of children count against us for first choice (bulge classes in multiple feeder schools), but hope fairly secure to get second choice. Would be very surprised and not that happy if got no 3 on 1st March. Whether we get a place at no 1 will depend on where we are on waiting list. Hardest part will be managing DS’s expectations as he wants to know where he is going and uncertainty gets him anxious.

[Hollowvictory]

There is 1 secondary in our town. Everyone goes there they flex up or down to accommodate number of primary pupils (6 primaries in the town). So no waiting in 1sy March really, you apply, you turn up in September!

[Echobelly]

We've prepared DD fairly well for the fact there may be uncertainty... she'd dearly love #1, but she also knows it's very unlikely. I think we will have to see where we are on waiting lists when it comes to it - people have assured me there's quite a lot of movement with them but I think #1 is just too small for us to have a chance, but with the size of #2 we may be in with one. My youngest niece got her first choice a few weeks after decision day once things had settled.

[Snowmaggedon]

Our second choice she's going too know loads of people. First choice it's going to be alone probably. But first school does 3 days trip away to make new friends.

She'll fly at

[Echobelly]

Day trip idea seems really good - not heard of schools doing that, though some we looked at mentioned doing special activities before term starts for kids who don't know any other starters in their year. I'm going to encourage DD to talk to peers on local summer camps to find out where they're going so maybe we can arrange meetups beforehand. She knows a couple of kids from out of her school, so it's possible one of them will be at the same place - I expect I'll touch base with their parents to find out

[ShaggyRug]

Our local trampoline centre organised a series of sessions in the holidays specifically for local high school students moving up from Y6 to Y7. Each session was for a particular high school. You go at the session for your new high school and then can meet loads of kids who you’ll be going to school with. Good idea so might be worth looking out for similar in your area.

[Dothehappydance]

I'll get our top choice, I have a child at the school already and I can see the school entrance from our back bedroom window.

It was more worrying last time, as we were living elsewhere and were not in catchment.

The primary school catchment is split between he catchments of 2 secondary schools and then there is a 3rd umbrella admission zone that admits on a random selection. There is then the school that dd goes to and a couple of others within local authorities. Most go to the 2 main catchment schools, then some to the umbrella school and a few to dd's school. 5 out of 34 went dd's year. Because of the way the catchments work we knew that wherever she went she wouldn't be with all of her friends - as it happened she went with none, but has made a lovely friendship group.

DS a few more from his year seem to have applied to the same school, I hope his friends get in too. He has autism so it is a worry, but the school is (hopefully) the right one for him.

[HelenaJustina]

We are. Really hoping for no.1 choice for DC1, it’s a faith school and we are practicing members of that faith. Distance will be the problem (getting them there is another hurdle but surmountable) but so desperate for them to get it.

They’ll be the only one from their primary going but have struggled with friendships there due to small intake and ASD so keen on a completely fresh start.

[twilightcafe]

We loved choice 1.
It's a nurturing school with great results and 0.5 miles away. But it's Catholic and we're CofE, so a good chance of a place - but no guarantee by any means.
Choice 2 is a long shot. It's in the next village - but we are out of catchment and fewer children attend from my street due to the number of new homes being built closer to the school.

If we get Choice 3, I'll accept the place but will go on waiting lists and start an appeal.

Good luck, everyone!

[FermatsTheorem]

Currently biting my nails on this one. First choice school would suit DS down to the ground... second choice ("choice" in the sense of Hobson's choice) performing way below average and distinctly uninspiring. We are out of catchment for school 1, in a high birth rate year locally, but in catchment for school 2. No real fall back position. Roll on March 1st.

[twilightcafe]

Looks like 2007/8 was a high birth year for all of the UK.

[Echobelly]

Oddly enough, when it came to primary school, an unusual number of people got in in DDs year, plenty of people who didn't expect to at all. I think there was an unusual lack of older siblings for that intake, as when I think about it, relatively few of DDs year seem to have older siblings. I was warned that sometimes there were only a handful of places left at their school after siblings were accounted for. Then the intake was much tighter when DS joined.

[paxillin]

A week to go. I will start pacing around Monday.

[Echobelly]

Luckily I have a very busy week next week.

We're having ILs round for dinner Friday night, including BIL whose son will be finding out too, and I've realised we may find out during the course of dinner if we get the email in the evening!

DH's nephew will probably get his first choice, which is our #2 - he's at a feeder school and I think they are in catchment, so prepared for the fact he'll be getting happier news than DD will because she'd really like #1 but won't get it.

[FermatsTheorem]

That's a bugger of a situation, Echo - bad enough to find out you haven't got your no. 1 choice, but to do so at the same time as finding out your cousin has

[Echobelly]

It's OK, we're OK with it, and I think daughter is too. Luckily cousin's #1 isn't her #1. As I've said none of our schools are duff - I will look into waiting lists if we don't get the first 2 (and we won't) but not in a desperate way, just it's worth a shot getting higher up the list if we can.

[HelenaJustina]

Starting to feel slightly sick about tomorrow! As well as place allocation, I have a job interview...

Gin will be required by evening!

[CryHavoc]

I'm looking forward to finding out. Would love for her to get our first choice, but either of the top two would be great. Choice 3 not great, but not a disaster, but I would accept it and put her on the waiting lists for the top two.
I just can't believe she's already 11 and going to secondary school.

[Echobelly]

I'm really quite excited about your next stage of her life. A little nervous for her, as I know secondary school is not an easy place for the unconventional child, especially if you don't know anyone (very likely she'll be only or one of just two kids from her school wherever she goes). I had a rubbish first few years, but then it was great at my secondary. She has the big advantage of being more confident than me, and also being friends with girls (I'd only been friends with boys when I started secondary and suddenly you couldn't go anywhere near them!)