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Original poster

how to find a place in oversubscribed school mid year

135 replies

Spanielmad · 09/08/2017 15:48

Hello, we might be moving house in the coming year - to south Buckinghamshire. My kids are about to start Y6 and Y8. If we move in the middle of the school year how are we supposed to find school places? Pretty much ALL 'good/outstanding' secondary schools and grammar schools are oversubscribed. So even if we find a house near a good school how do I get my kids in??
thanks !!

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Ollycat · 14/08/2017 14:58

Chalfonts will be the same as Marlow for school places - the two Dr Challoners are always over subscribed. Gillotts is full for the year groups you want but if you moved soon you would prob get yr 7 place for Sept - same with GMS. Your other option would be move to Marlow / Maidenhead and go to Claire's Court with a view to yr 9 entry to SWBGS. I hate to say it but I don't think any area will offer you great schools with places available- sorry.

Ollycat · 14/08/2017 14:53

How much is your budget?

Original poster
Spanielmad · 14/08/2017 14:50

I don’t dare. If we just go for it and move - I would hate if it turns out my kids will be dumped into an ‘inadequate’ school, many miles away when local good schools are full up. I must make sure the risk of that happening is minimal.

Looking at nice towns with a bit of life to it, (but on the edge - bit of a rural feel and a big garden) so thinking of Marlow, Henley. Good schools also in Chalfont, Amersham, Maybe as far as Sandhurst, Thame? dunno... nice places are easy to find, school places not so.

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Ollycat · 14/08/2017 14:45

Stokenchurch is Junction 5 of M40 - just up the road from Lane End - it is (I think) Tge very edge of GMS catchment, catchment for JHGS not catchment for SWBGS and close to Icknield. Please note Princess Risborough just gone into special measures.

TBH wherever you move you are going to find the same challenges with schools so my advice would be to put your house on the market, chose an area and start house hunting. Smile

Original poster
Spanielmad · 14/08/2017 14:33

ooh, where is Stokenchurch? Will go check out the secondaries there.

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Original poster
Spanielmad · 14/08/2017 14:32

deffo a vicious circle!! Yes, I need to find out how much I can pin my hope on people moving and places becoming available. So calling schools as soon as september starts...

I don’t know Marlow, Ollycat, in fact I’ve never even been to Buckinghamshire! At the moment - the next step is visiting - I am going by internet only. Once I have a clearer idea of where I want to visit (the search area is huge) I will go and have a look around, visit some schools, walk down a high street, have a chat in a pub, and ‘sniff’ the atmosphere. But narrowing down the search area has been hampered by this school issue. If I find out that getting my kids into schools of my choice, I will go. If I find out the chances are slim, I will move my search area to Oxfordshire, hertfordshire or perhaps just staying where we are now. Finding out about the chance of school places seems hard though, it will remain a gamble, it seems. A scary gamble.

Yes, ideally we’d move asap to let my youngest make friends and stand a chance of getting into the local and chosen secondary. But I fear selling and buying is not going to happen that quickly. Anyone got an epic house for sale? ;)

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MillicentMargaretAmanda · 14/08/2017 13:37

Commuting not commenting!!

MillicentMargaretAmanda · 14/08/2017 13:37

Have you thought about Stokenchurch and surrounding villages? Primary school us outstanding and I believe has spaces in upper years. It's in grammar catchment but the actual catchment secondary is Icknield Community college in Watlington, and 11-16 comprehensice which has a good Ofsted. Stokenchurch is right on the m40 so potentially ok for commenting.

Ollycat · 14/08/2017 13:03

Do you know Marlow? You really need to visit the area to know if you like it - I love Marlow but it's not necessarily everybody's cup of tea.

Your yr 6 child is going to have disruption whatever you do - moving in year 6 is tough. My advice would be to move asap so that he can make primary friends/ go on the year 6 residential etc. Unfortunately you will have to move to get a place.

Am happy to discuss details about Marlow / Schools etc - pm me if there's anything you'd like to know.

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 12:59

It's a vicious circle isn't it as you can't get a school place without proof you live in the area and you don't want to move without a school place!
I do know of a couple of YR7s and YR8s and a YR9 who have changed schools in the last year for various reasons so places do come up mid year.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 14/08/2017 12:53

mmm I don’t dare to view houses if I don’t know my kid will get in one of the schools I want. My youngest especially needs stability and I just cannot let him school hop.
But I suppose it is the only way. I will call the council and some schools once they’re open again in September. I will have to weigh up the risk of not finding a school place and moving against staying put and letting my DH live in a hotel/rentedroom during the week....
Thank you all so much for the support - it has been sooo helplful - I wouldn’t have known where else to start.
Its Monday so I suppose a call to the council is on the list.
:)

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ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 10:21

My DC were younger when we moved here and my eldest is now going into YR7. We had the same with Primary though when we moved, couldn't get a school place without a council tax bill and then were told absolutely no places in Reception class.
We moved late August and luckily, by the time term started there was a space.
People are always moving though so have hope! A few of DD's classmates have already moved away for cheaper housing areas and so they aren't going to secondary schools round here.

Ollycat · 14/08/2017 10:12

It is complicated but not impossible. I would suggest you phone the Council and start viewing houses.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 14/08/2017 10:06

fffffff I’d be happy with a good school - not a faith school in our case - and if the bus is a pain I’ll drive my kids. Not ideal but hey-ho.

Ollycat - you sound more positive, LOL, I am clinging on to what you say. If I move before the 2nd round, I might get GMS for a mid Y8 and a place for my youngest in sept 2018....
Or perhaps GIllots...
I am scared though, that if I can’t appeal (based on what?!) and all preferred schools are full, I will be allocated a place by the council in a school I don’t want or rate. I don’t even want the risk. My kids’ education and happiness is not a play ball.

Wondering if it is even possible for parents to move to south Bucks. Perhaps all newcomers are people who don’t have school-aged kids as it seems impossible to secure a place at a good school if you move into the area.

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ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 09:52

That is insane! I wonder what the transport dept are on sometimes and who sets these rules.

Ollycat · 14/08/2017 09:48

I feel your pain - my children go on the school bus to their closest catchment school but don't get free transport as a non catchment school is deemed 30 meters closer to our house- there is no bus to this school so had we chosen to send the children there they would lay on a free taxi service for them - madness!

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 09:42

Yep exactly! Also the lovely council dictate that a faith school is your nearest school and so you aren't entitled to free transport for the next nearest school that you've chosen so you have to pay £700 for the bus.
Oh but even if we did accept the faith school, it's under 3 miles away so you still have to pay because the council deem it to be a 'walkable route'. Well, it's a 50 MPH road with no pavement so not fucking really is it?? AND BREATHE

Ollycat · 14/08/2017 09:35

ShaneBitchy the busses of course have the added joy that you can't apply for them until you have a confirmed school place.

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 09:34

Sorry, South Bucks that is. Not sure about other areas.

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 09:33

Don't forget the bus issue as well. If you don't want your DC to travel on the public buses (which can be sporadic) and you can't get them there yourself, you have to apply for a school bus place which is a ruddy bloody nightmare if you don't have a clue what you're doing like me

Ollycat · 14/08/2017 09:18

If you move into catchment before 2nd round of allocations you may well get a place at GMS for September. You are v unlikely to get a mid year place at SWBGS for year 8 - you would have more luck at JHGS or WHS. SWBGS takes 25 extra in year 9 (the test will be early on in year 8 - don't know when registration deadline is / was). The tests are curriculum based.

You could well get lucky with Gillotts- Septembers year 8 is full but if you get yourself into catchment you could appeal.

Whatever you do you really need to move and actually be resident- unless you are returning forces nowhere will allocate you a place before you have an address.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 13/08/2017 12:15

Thanks smu06set, good to know!!
We would definitely not look for city living/schools so looking at towns around Reading towards Wokingham, Henley etc. Would prefer small town or rural-near-small town anywhere between Chesham-Reading-Woking. There's got to be a nice secondary school somewhere that does well with clever kids and is not forever oversubscribed! LOL

Thanks intuition, yes I know, we missed it. But there are ways and means for people that move into the area apparently.

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intuition · 13/08/2017 09:29

The 11+ exam in Bucks is on 14/9 and I think you had to register before July for it.

smu06set · 12/08/2017 21:37

A note on the Reading area - central reading schools are dominated by the two grammars (Kendrick Girls and Reading Boys) as well as private schools. You have to go out of town centre for non grammar schools. Reading areas have massive problems with oversubscription so the chances of a year 7 and a year 9 place available will be low.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 12/08/2017 21:26

LOL, of course I would not expect a primary and secondary kid to go to the same school! I was thinking of when they are both at secondary.

Thanks Tiggytape - can’t see myself homeschooling. Thanks for your thoughts. Will think things over.

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