1st March offer day - anyone else nervous?

SGB, sounds stressful. For your sake hope he's 'just a shagger'.

I got 1st choice in Kendrick, Reading ...wow

The school I am referring to is Edenham High (the HT's suspension has been reported in the local paper so I am not breaking any regulations or laws by naming it).

Obviously I am aware that gross misconduct can include some really terrible things - but it can also include some less terrible stuff such as giving your friends or family members jobs that should have been put out to tender, or shagging the Chair of Governors or some such. And whatever the allegations are, they may well be false/malicious.

I met the HT briefly when I went to the open day, and he seemed like a nice bloke. I'm aware that bad people can indeed seem like nice people when you meet them on a brief, superficial level, but my arsehole radar is generally pretty good...

minifingerz, do you have a child at Kingsdale?

If so, do you think they will cope well with having a year 7 of 360 children?

I know they normally take in 210 and last year increased it to 240, but I'm curious to know if they can still maintain small (24-26) class sizes with 360 children.

Very good to know!

Although I am now totally puzzled about what school is being referred to as no other local schools seem to fit the bill!

thank you mimifingerz, i was not sure if we could name schools. As we were !

Yes clux73 am pretty stressed now if we are on the same webpage as I will certainly have to think hard now especially after the last incident in Nov last year (if this is the same place mind).

If it's Kingsdale you're talking about - no, the head hasn't been suspended.

And no, the stabbing incident last year was not a reflection of general violence at the school - it's a safe place and this was a sad one off. :-(

Yes BoboEK! Did you get offered a place?

I so want to know this as well please (It was our 1st choice) the school sounds similar to the opposite of a queen.

Is the headteacher you're talking about at a school in Dulwich which admits pupils using a random lottery??

Probably not helpful, but when my twins both got their (separate) first choices last year I got completely blotto, and added to their life experiences by passing out in front of the computer and then waking with a start at 3am, and waking them up thinking it was 7am. Please don't tell Social Services! They are fine upstanding kids, with a naval command of language. God knows what they'd have witnessed if I'd had to appeal!

That school was also our first choice & I had the same concern when that incident happened. We got our 3rd choice, but DD did achieve a sports scholarship so is is on the scholarship over subscription list.

Although, I'm in 2 minds thinking it may be a blessing in disguise as I've seen that this year they plan on taking in 360 students for tear 7...! I think that's a bit too much, considering AFAIK they haven't done any building work to increase the school's size.

SGB, if the head has been suspended then it is because the allegation relates to potential gross misconduct, ie an act which can result in dismissal without notice. The allegation may not be true, but it has to fall within the immediate dismissal category to warrant a HT suspension.

That said, the school concerned is an academy, so should get some support from the Trust. And you will probably know the outcome well before September.

Medetrina: I doubt anyone will tell me anything, will just have to wait and see. I know there are a whole lot of things it could be which are not, actually, too terrible (I work in education/governance and sometimes attend disciplinaries) -maybe it's something like giving his best mate's sister a job at the school instead of advertising it, maybe it's dodgy purchasing procedures or something like that rather than fiddling the assessment figures or the sort of BadStuff that springs to mind.

Well we got told that the band our DS would go into the catchment was 0.465! We live 0.97!

DS is 19th on the waiting list for our first choice (very over subscribed) school. The school office did not seem too hopeful

If they're unfounded, SGB he'll be back.

If they are upheld, better he's gone before you arrive.

Trouble is, if he returns but the stigma of 'no smoke without fire' lingers.

Can you ask around to find out why? There's bound to be something known. If it turns out to be financial malpractice, or being caught by a pupil shagging the head of the governors over his desk, you might conclude that actually it's not going to mean the school itself is unsuitable.

Argh! We got our first choice, and I emailed an acceptance - and then I thought I would have a look at the school's website again. The Head Teacher was suspended yesterday due to 'allegations having been made'.

No further information is available, so whether it's allegations of mistreating a pupil or pinching the staff tea money and putting it on a horse I have no idea.

I keep telling myself that a) allegations may not be true and b) if he is a wrong'un, better that he goes before DS starts there...

NynaevesSister - I guess you m st be talking about the school in Dulwich...?

How does your friend already know her son's position on the waiting list?

I would've thought that waiting lists won't be created until the acceptance deadline has passed.

LOL cuckooo we had a similar awkward moment DURING a school tour! Bumped into a friend who works at the school we were visiting and she asked if we had put the school as 1st choice. Had to reply 'Erm to be honest no' but at least I stopped myself from saying anything else...

We are going to go and see the school this Friday and we will meet the head of Year 7.

It was really awkward, apparently I was the only parent that called and asked for a tour. I wasn't expecting that. They asked if they were first choice. They were not, and I was too ashamed to say they were my last choice, so I just said not first, but I didn't say which place!

They lady said that most people had been to the tour in October and most people had put them down as their first choice. AWKWARD!!!! But she ended it very nicely saying they hope we like the school and accept their offer.

"For an appeal to be successful you have to prove the selection criteria was not applied correctly"

That is more or less the only grounds for a successful appeal when Infant Class Size rules apply (up to and including Year 2, maximum 30 pupils per teacher), when you need to show an error in processing your application which cost your child a place (eg child placed in wrong category, distance measured wrongly). You don't need to identify who benefited from this error when you appeal.

The other permitted grounds for ICS are entrance criteria which breach the admissions code (eg giving priority to a group they are not allowed to prioritise) or a decision so unreasonable, it is perverse (in a legal sort of sense, so things like child protection issues).

All those apply to KS2 and secondary appeals too.

But when ICS rules no longer apply, you can also appeal on 'balance of prejudice' which means you need to demonstrate that the detriment to the school in admitting another pupil is less than the detriment to your child in not going to that school. That can cover quite a range of stuff - so a demonstrably musical child might win an appeal for a school with orchestra, choirs and musical enrichment programme.

Things like convenience of travel to school however don't play a part, unless the pupil has specific mobility issues.