State waiting list...

[Mimca]

Any thoughts on whether there will be much movement on state secondary waiting lists between now and September? Or am I being very optimistic?

Thanks

[Meredusoleil]

Whereabouts are you? We've already seen some movement in our area during April but it does seem to have slowed down a bit since. Still waiting for a recent update from our LEA for May!

[Epigram]

I think it varies by area - some areas have more movement than others. There's definitely movement in my local schools. Do you know where you are on the list? Fingers crossed OP!

[Mimca]

The school is in Merton, we're 16th on the list.

Our fingers are firmly crossed. Good luck to you too.

[Meredusoleil]

Ooh! I know the Merton schools quite well. PM me which one if you don't mind?

[Growingboys]

There's MASSES of movement between now and September. Now and Christmas TBH.

I woudl hold your nerve - you have a good chance as not everyone who is position 1-15 will take up a place even if it's offered to them.

[admission]

Part of the issue is that in many areas there have been no admission appeals and in many areas they are just starting. In normal years most of the block secondary schools would by now be done or be scheduled in the next couple of weeks.
So you might find that there is movement but it will be later than normal.
Have to say that being 16th on the waiting list sounds a long way from being offered a place but then you never know how many families are holding onto both a state school place and a fee-paying independent school at the moment.

[Meredusoleil]

Has anyone been offered a place off a waiting list very late in the process ie AFTER the day the Year 6s normally go to visit their new schools? So I suppose I mean during July and/or August?

I know I've heard there can still be movement right up to September when some children just don't turn up, but not sure how I feel about moving Dd1 if and when she's already started somewhere iyswim.

[Sumlove]

In our area, secondary appeals have not yet been heard which can create a lot of movement. For some schools 15th would be no chance and others a very strong chance so depends if the school is popular or the area - ie is it a transient area? But late applications get added to waiting lists and they should be added in criteria order so you can unfortunately move down the list. But yes, plenty of time for lots of movement.

[wrinklinetta]

There's usually loads of movement in our borough. Loads of parents hold onto state places for months hoping to get a higher preference offer, but eventually give up and go private. Often they don't bother letting the council know they no longer want their state place, but when they don't turn up for the transition day (early July) the council phones them up and there's a big shake-down of places. Not sure what'll happen this year though. Transition day will look a bit different, that's for sure, and if people's jobs are less secure then the private options might be less attractive.
There's often another shakedown in early September when some kids who've accepted places don't turn up. So you might get an offer then if you're still on the waiting list at that point.

[MinnieSquidge]

I agree with PP, there's normally lots of movement tight up until September in my area. However, the school I work at has seen less movement this year. Maybe because people haven't moved for jobs or housing and we've also seen kids reappear on the waiting list who were going to go independent and now aren't. If they live very close to the school, they go to the top of the list.

It's still worth holding out if you're fairly close to the top of the list as things may move. We have parents phone to ask on a daily basis and it's heartbreaking to say that their child is still 200-300 on the list

[Mimca]

Thanks for your replies. No movement (in either direction) yet. I agree with what the PP said, I have friends who had previously missed out on independent school places but now have been offered one, as well as one child switching to state schools from independent.

We'll keep waiting and hoping.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has had success moving up the waiting list?

[Meredusoleil]

We got offered a place at one of the two grammar schools we'd put down on our CAF around a month ago. Turned it down as the commute was not doable (had planned to move house before Covid started). Still waiting for a place at a more local comp to come up! The other grammar school we have moved up 3 places in 6 weeks 😳

[SpongeBobsPineapple]

We moved a few places up the list around the same time as the independents required fees but have stuck there since. I think the virus and resulting economic uncertainty has scuppered our chances of a place. Any other year the list would have moved in the tens but this year it’s small single digits. There are a few waiting lists for the school and some of them have grown considerably. I’m assuming some at least are children who would have gone private at any other time. I fluctuate between being annoyed at the unfairness of it all and then thinking with what is happening none of it matters. Mostly I think it will be fine but the movement or lack of it is interesting.

[confusedofengland]

I have also been thinking about this, rather nervously. Ds1 is 5th on the waiting list for our preferred school, but I don't know if that's good or bad! We're in Essex.

[confusedofengland]

DS1 is up to 3rd now, I can't bear it He remained 1st on the waiting list for Infant School for a whole year, so I really don't want to get too excited

[Growingboys]

Third is great @confused! I bet you get there.

[SpongeBobsPineapple]

I bet the infant school had a much smaller PAN than the secondary so fewer children to leave to free up space.

[confusedofengland]

That is what I am hoping but don't want to count my chickens before they hatch! I have received an email from the senior school he is due to start at asking for details & talking about (online) induction which is making me nervous. I feel like filling it in would be admitting defeat

[Spongebobspineapple]

I know what you mean. We have had a lovely letter about induction. I’m not so worried about filling it in for the school she’s been allocated. I’m more worried that it means we are missing out on the induction stage for the school we are waiting for.

[confusedofengland]

I hope you get your place SpongeBob. Where are you on the list?

I have been warning all my friends with DC in Year 4 (DS2'S year) about how stressful this all is & to specialise now if they can. We have a few grammars nearby but the closest one to us is super-competitive & regularly comes in the top 3-5 schools in the country on various lists. Then a few of the state schools offer places first to DC that do well in their music/sport/language tests. That doesn't leave many schools for 'average' DC, once sibling places are taken into account. Our catchment school is awful, very bad reputation & Ofsted for last few years & also historically. Once DS1 is in a decent school we'll be fine as DS2 has an EHCP so we can choose for him & DS3 can just go where the others go (or try for another if showing strengths).

[SpongeBobsPineapple]

Oh Confused, your situation sounds much worse than ours. I’m just thinking about schools as it is a nice distraction from all the other stuff!
DD is in single figures but it’s a complicated list so that doesn’t mean much. The school she has been allocated may be better for her anyway. But yes I’m with you on all the music, sport, sibling places leaving not much for the rest! Good luck!

[confusedofengland]

I received emails this morning offering DS a place at our preferred school. So relieved

[JoannaDW]

My experience last year was we were 8th on the waiting list on national offer day & the list did not move an inch, so we never got a place. We lost our appeal as well. However, as we didn’t have a place at all, I was put on the waiting list for Wimbledon College and I think we went in at number 15 the first week in June. It took 2 weeks to get offered a place. However, in the mean time another school had offered my son a place that offered similar facilities & results, but was much closer to us. We took that in the end. The result was that my son settled at his secondary very quickly (even though we had doubts he would fit in) & now feels fortunate not to have been given the original school he thought he so desperately wanted. The whole process was so stressful, but things turned out well on the end. Good luck

[Meredusoleil]

Does anyone know when the LEA disband the current waiting lists for Sep 2020?

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

I believe it's until the beginning of the new academic year - certainly they are still active over the summer hols.