How soon after national offer day was your child offered a waiting list place?

[Morecan]

We’re on a number of south east London state secondary waiting lists, typically in the mid teens for our band. The positions haven’t changed in the two weeks since offer day.
Today is the acceptance deadline for state school places, and I was wondering how soon after this date waiting list places have typically been offered in previous years? I know offers can be made well into the year after secondary transfer - but how soon do they start to be made?

[maz99]

My DD offered a place at our first choice school in the 4th week of March (after the 20th) - I guess that was a week after the acceptance deadline.

It was also a South East London school.

[Theworldisfullofgs]

Were not London but an oversubscribed school. It was about 6 weeks. A friend of mine got offered a place at the end of August.

[DaffyCactus]

We were 15th on the waiting list for our first choice and were allocated it in May half term when another local school agreed to take a bulge class and there was then some movement with the allocations. However by that time DD had decided she was very happy with second choice to we ended up passing over the offered place.
However, same school the following year and a friend who was third on the wait list was never offered the place they so badly wanted.

[Morecan]

Thank you all - sounds like we should expect to wait at least another week for any movement. Which is very useful to know!

[Daffycactus]

I wouldn't have thought they'd make any further offers until all the acceptances are in. There will be some movement once that date is passed, and then a bit of further movement when all those who were high on the list turn down second choices to take up a first choice - after that, you're pretty much waiting for people to move out of the area.
Don't let you child get too set on the idea of a waiting list place because you may not get one at all. They need to feel happy with where they have been allocated now, as that is the most likely outcome of where they will end up. If they're not, it's your job to make them so, whatever your private disappointment.

[Morecan]

Sage advice, Daffycactus - thank you.

[hoxtonbabe]

I was told by my LA the computer will generate the figures today, not sure if that’s done first thing in the morning or evening as the deadline to accept or decline is end of play today so I would assume by Monday you will get a different picture, but then the second round of offers will still go out and if a child has a priority be it distance, Social or siblings then you can be pushed down the list further so I suppose we will get a better idea by the end of March

[AornisHades]

There may also be successful appeals that take the school over PAN so waiting list places wouldn't move unless enough people leave to bring it back under PAN.

[hoxtonbabe]

I read on my letter that the second offers will be sent on the week ending 29th and appeals cut off is the 29th. I would assume the appeal hearings etc happen at a minimum 2 weeks after and anything till June by which time second offers and waiting lists will once again change so I’d have thought if you are top of the list and s space came up the person on the list would get an offer as the appeal could go either way and I didn’t think they would keep people/children in limbo like that, for all those months.. hmmmm, I don’t know how all this works so I too would be curious to know how lists work when it comes to appeals. Does everything just go on hold until appeal hearings are out the way

[Zinnia]

I think they do keep people in limbo, unfortunately. If you've accepted a place (which all good MNetters will have done, of course) then they probably wouldn't condsider you "in limbo" anyway, even if you yourself felt you were.

In my local (London) area there are a number of children without school places because their parents refused to put our good-but-apparently-not-good-enough local comp down on the form but they are all automatically ahead of my child on waiting lists already so I'm hoping it will just be house moves and/or priority children that affect positions on the lists after second round offers. Sigh. We are waaay down the list for 1st preference school so it will be a long, long wait for us in any case.

[Zinnia]

And they maintain the waiting lists till the end of December don't forget. There is usually significant movement in Sept/Oct (when a significant proportion of kids at most schools just don't turn up) if you're prepared to hold your nerve and move DC even after they've started elsewhere. Lots of people decide not to do that of course, which contributes further to the churn.

[Crazycleaninglady]

Well a few decades ago when I was a teenager (same admission system as today). I was offered a place at my first choice school at the end of August, after originally being 50th. So it can happen.

But as a pp said, we can't let our dc pin their hopes on a waiting list place because it might never happen. My ds1 was on a waiting list for a primary school and never ever got offered.

I imagine there'll be some movement after acceptance day, then some movement when other people get offered schools and it has a knock on effect.

All we can do is wait.

[Crouchendmumoftwo]

A neighbour of mine was no 12 the last march and is now no 2 so her son has been waiting for 7 months and has started a new school. So sometimes it really doesnt move much especially if the school is oversubscribed.

[steppemum]

our school do a second 'official' round on 29th march.
They don;t do anything between 1st and 29th March.
Then after that the places are given out as they come up I think, although I have a feeling there may be another official round in April.

There are a lot of appeals for theses schools, and the other school's lists tend to move as appeals are awarded or not. That happens through May and June I think.

and every year there is at least one child who doesn't turn up in September, but they can't always give that place out immediately

[steppemum]

I don’t know how all this works so I too would be curious to know how lists work when it comes to appeals. Does everything just go on hold until appeal hearings are out the way confused

unfortunately, yes.
so, as far as the LA is concerned, you have a plpace, and each school has a waiting list, and there it stays until someone writes to say they have given up a place.

the appeals go through. eg child A asks for school Z, and gets it, so they are off the waiting list on school Z and more importantly, off the role of the school they had accpeted. (school Y) So a place comes up in school Y, which can then be given to the person at the top of the waiting list. Unfortunately for those others waiting for school Z, the school is now over PAN by 1 child, so 2 children have to leave/move before there is a place.

This means that the places jiggle slowly over a couple of weeks as the appeals go through.
Then there may be some movement as people who lost their appeal decide to move/go to private school (that isn't usually a huge number at this point)

Then the places settle, and really they only then come up if someone moves house. But each move can trigger a little chain of events - child moves, place available, first child on the waiting list takes it, which means they leave the school they were at and move schools, so a place comes up at that school too!

[newmum1976]

My child was offered a waiting list place yesterday - south east London school, so the lists are moving already.

[Morecan]

Thank you - lots of good info here! Newmum1976 congratulations, and thank you for sharing that information.

[Morecan]

I just checked on our positions, and sort of wish I hadn’t - of our top 3, two haven’t moved and one has got a place further away...

[Zinnia]

Yes I have to say Morecan I checked in with the LA this afternoon too and also wish I hadn't, DD has gone 10 (!) places down the list for our 1st preference. (FWIW, DH and I are keeping all this angst very much to ourselves, as far as DD is concerned she is going to the allocated school!)

Kind admissions officer did tell me things will move a lot after 2nd round offers go out next week, but my hopes are not strong.

[AnnaNimmity]

Well I know where we are on the waiting list - and knew on the Monday after the offer day (we've moved down now grrrr). I haven't phoned up yet again - my ds was around 20 on the list so I'm not expecting him to get a place any time soon. OP I think I'll phone next week and see where ds is. But not expecting him to get a place before the summer if at all.

[AnnaNimmity]

(my ds also moved down the list between now and the offer day - apparently people who put their applications in late then get places on the waiting list and can leapfrog you). I find it quite depressing too tbh

[Skypatrol]

We don't find out our waiting list place until the 25th March. Acceptance slips had to be in today.

I don't know if they'll make a second round of offers on 25th, if some people decline the place.

[Morecan]

I’m sorry some of you have had similar experiences going down instead of up the lists - I guess this fluidity is why Skypatrol’s council doesn’t give places until things have settled a bit! Zinnia, I know what you mean - I haven’t told my daughter about this latest news or anything since our initial placings - it’s not helpful for her to hear it.

[SchoolSchool1]

How can you find out what your L.A. does? I’ve asked ours but they weren’t very helpful. They did say that we wouldn’t find out our position on the waiting list until April so I’m wondering if that’s because they know then who has appealed? But the appeals don’t happen until later.

[JuliaAndJulia]

Mine was offered a place in October. We took it. Waitlists move for a long time!!