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Original poster

National Offer Day - 1st March. Anybody else anxious?

286 replies

ToxicGirl · 23/02/2022 15:22

I feel like a woman on the edge. Am unbelievably anxious about 1st March. Made my peace a long time ago with the fact DD won't get a place at our nearest secondary (within easy walking distance) because it's so oversubscribed. All her friends and most other children from her school will go there. We live a tiny bit further away and just won't get in, particularly as I understand it's a big birth year.

Would be happy with either our 2nd or 3rd choice schools. They're further away and not as popular but we'd have got a place at them in previous years as we're in catchment and just within the distance they usually offer.

However our LA has warned of unprecedented pressure on school places this year and said that the schools are likely to be significantly oversubscribed. I'm worried that we now won't get a place at the schools that would previously have been 'bankers'. Our other preferences are too far away. We won't get a place at them. Just put them down because there was nowhere else.

There are a couple of hugely undersubscribed and really poorly performing schools in neighbouring towns within the borough. From everything I've read and from looking at Y6 leavers destination info from previous years, I'm absolutely convinced we'll be allocated one of them. They're the schools people get allocated when they only put one choice down and don't get it.

I'm so anxious about it. Can't think about anything else and am driving DH mad. Am managing to hide it from DD but know she'll fall apart on Tuesday. She's prepared to go to school without her friends but not to a completely unknown school in another area.

It's going to be a long few days...

OP posts:
Jvg33 · 01/03/2022 10:46

It can end in a good outcome if the school your child is allocated has a bad reputation. I'm a teacher and worked at two schools with 'bad reputations '. They were both enjoyable schools to work in with smaller class sizes and better behaviours than 'good' overcrowded schools. Both schools are now rated 'good'.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 01/03/2022 10:29

@Nemorth

Gosh what a complicated process you all have to go through. None of this at secondary in Scotland. You go to your catchment secondary.

A few parents might put out of catchment requests in but it's reasonably rare.

There's only one secondary we can go to here, so that's it. No choice. No application process. No decision day.

I feel for you all.

The only other choice is to go private.

Thats basically the system where I am in Yorkshire. The problems arise when there are more children in catchment than spaces. The schools don't have space for extra classes. I get the impression that the majority of Scottish schools dodon'have the same pressure.
Foolsrule · 01/03/2022 10:28

@Nemorth - agreed! It’s a ridiculous, antiquated system.

Nemorth · 01/03/2022 10:26

Gosh what a complicated process you all have to go through. None of this at secondary in Scotland. You go to your catchment secondary.

A few parents might put out of catchment requests in but it's reasonably rare.

There's only one secondary we can go to here, so that's it. No choice. No application process. No decision day.

I feel for you all.

The only other choice is to go private.

meditrina · 01/03/2022 10:25

@anoldcharter

still waiting here in west lancs..... don't understand why it takes so effing long, most neighbouring councils have information in the system and you can access it from midnight :( so frustrating and stressful..... good luck everyone
It's a deliberate policy

The Pan-London system (all boroughs and Surrey) release only at 5pm, precisely to let everyone calm down overnight, so that ensuing phone calls are less likely to be ranting and more likely to be productive

PanelChair · 01/03/2022 10:22

@RaspberryStar88

Hi I’m new here, just got our offer for secondary school, 3rd choice 😔 going to appeal 2nd choice, on the grounds of mental health reasons. My son has high functioning anxiety which his primary school are very aware of (and hopefully will give me supporting letters) although he’s not diagnosed. The school we want has a better SEND than the offered school. Also most of his friends have been offered places at the school we want. Can anyone help me with what to do regarding an appeal please?
Best to start your own thread, so that the other appeals folk spot it and can comment too.

What jumps out at me now is that your son hasn’t been diagnosed with anxiety. Did you apply under the medical/social category (if this school has one)? It’s certainly worth appealing, but you may struggle to convince the panel that your child needs a place at this school, firstly because there’s no diagnosis and secondly because wanting to stay with friends from primary school is very rarely enough to win an appeal. You will boost your chances at appeal if you obtain a diagnosis and a letter from a health care professional confirming that your son has a need to be with his primary school friends for his well-being, above the usual nervousness about transition to secondary.

Look for other aspects of the school which will benefit your son. The better SEND provision is one argument you can use. Look for any others (such as curriculum provision, particular clubs your son might want to join, etc).

anoldcharter · 01/03/2022 10:10

still waiting here in west lancs..... don't understand why it takes so effing long, most neighbouring councils have information in the system and you can access it from midnight :( so frustrating and stressful..... good luck everyone

musicviking1 · 01/03/2022 10:08

It's stressful. My daughter didn't get her first choice last year but both our 1st and 2nd were very good so we were fine with the outcome and not too disappointed. She's doing really well so when a place did come up at our 1st choice we decided to stay where we were.

Whatwouldscullydo · 01/03/2022 10:06

Wow. Shocked we got first choice. Was not expecting that.

Its a new school so I'm open.minded but cautious. Figured the way things were I'd have a stronger chance to move to 3 of the other schools if need be than.move into this one.

Will see how it goes. But initially I'm.pleased. brand new building. New facilities.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 01/03/2022 09:12

First (and only) choice allocated.

In our little corner of W Yorks we still have first/middle/high schools, and move for entry to Y6 and Y9. Once a child is in the “pyramid” you kind of have to follow through, as the chances of entry at Y9 elsewhere is pretty slim; not that there are any secondary schools within about 8 or 9 miles. This is all factored in, but this is the first time we’ve applied for a school than is further than 200m away.

tigerbear · 01/03/2022 09:08

@Drywhitefruitycidergin thank you.
Going to be such a long day!!!!

BooksAndHooks · 01/03/2022 09:05

@RaspberryStar88

Hi I’m new here, just got our offer for secondary school, 3rd choice 😔 going to appeal 2nd choice, on the grounds of mental health reasons. My son has high functioning anxiety which his primary school are very aware of (and hopefully will give me supporting letters) although he’s not diagnosed. The school we want has a better SEND than the offered school. Also most of his friends have been offered places at the school we want. Can anyone help me with what to do regarding an appeal please?
Was your original application on medical / social grounds with all this information provided?
BooksAndHooks · 01/03/2022 09:03

It’s going to be a very long tense day. Ours aren’t released until after 5pm, it often crashes so some don’t even get to find out until the following day.

Very nervous as only have one option.

Comedycook · 01/03/2022 09:01

@tigerbear

Anyone in SE London? Our local authority doesn’t state a time on the website, it just says we’ll get results ‘in the evening’. So anxious now!!

Sorry to those who didn’t get the choices they wanted 😔
@HappyAsASandboy how did your DC react?

Yes I am. When my ds was moving to to secondary we got the email at 5. Now I'm waiting to hear about where my DD will go. I feel sick and can't believe I have to wait hours to find out. Arrghhh
Drywhitefruitycidergin · 01/03/2022 08:58

@tigerbear London is one central admissions portal. You can login at 5 (til it crashes) or wait for email sometime in the evening. For primary last time mine came at 7:30pm.

PopcornFiend · 01/03/2022 08:57

@hibbledibble we’re in the NW, got an email 7am this morning

spacehardware · 01/03/2022 08:56

I'm in SW, I didn't get a notification or email I went on the council website and had to hunt about on it for the admissions info, then log in

tigerbear · 01/03/2022 08:54

Anyone in SE London?
Our local authority doesn’t state a time on the website, it just says we’ll get results ‘in the evening’. So anxious now!!

Sorry to those who didn’t get the choices they wanted 😔
@HappyAsASandboy how did your DC react?

hibbledibble · 01/03/2022 08:52

Those of you who have heard, where are you? Still nothing here

PopcornFiend · 01/03/2022 08:08

Got our first choice - so relieved!
Hope everyone gets what they wanted 😊

Namechangeroo1234 · 01/03/2022 07:58

Got the school we chose, but then there's only a choice of one! The next school is 16 miles away!

bluecitygirl · 01/03/2022 07:50

@EducatingArti

Have any of the Trafford people got any experience of Urmston GS. Do you think there is a bulge there too. Are they likely to be able to offer places to all their "catchment" postcode applicants?
My daughter goes there, I am not that impressed to be honest the amount of pressure they put on kids is ridiculous.
prh47bridge · 01/03/2022 07:49

To echo TeenPlusCat, however much you dislike it you should accept the offered school. If you reject it the LA does not have to come up with another place for your child. If they do, it could be at a school you like even less. If you appeal, rejecting the offered school won't help you and could harm your case as it could look to the appeal panel like you are trying to bully them into giving your child a place at the school you want.

If anyone wants help with an appeal, please start your own thread with the word "appeal" in the title. That will attract the attention of the various appeal experts on here. I can't speak for the other experts, but I will also respond if tagged on any thread.

bluecitygirl · 01/03/2022 07:47

Did everyone get the school they wanted ?

boyblue · 01/03/2022 07:40

Defo accept what you got. Then find out where you are on wait lists.