Secondary school place allocation - 1 March

That's my point. Always accept the offered school even if you don't want it as a back up.

So you accept the place at school one, which has been offered. Once that's accepted you have a guaranteed place at school one . Therefore, how can going on the waiting list for another school (school two) mean that IF you eventually get a place at that second school, you are forced to take it? That cannot be legal as you have already accepted school one place and that can't be unilaterally withdrawn without your consent just because a place at school two had been offered months later when your circumstances might have materially changed. But that seems to be what OP is saying. I can't think that is legal so I would be asking for a written explanation of this policy and on what basis it's exercised.

@LilySLE it's LA specific. In Manchester they put you on wait list for higher preference schools. But you can then decide as and when you get a new offer - bit it in Match April or even Sept.
I know loads that decided to stick with what they given. A very oversubscribed school was offering wait list places to no40 on list by Oct

@Gobbolinothewitchscat the advice is always to accept a school even if you don't want it. The LA's responsibility is to offer a school and you cannot force a different offer by not accepting it. If it's not right for appealable reasons, then that's the route you need to go down, but the LA have fulfilled their duty by offering the school and not accepting it may just mean a child has no placement lined up for September.

That cannot be correct. What if your family circumstances etc have changed in that time period? You can't compel someone to take a school place. The original place will have been accepted. It can't be unilaterally rescinded and a child forced to go to a different school.

I would challenge that and ask for an explanation in writing re the policy. It doesn't sound lawful

@LilySLE
oh that sounds tricky.

it’s not the case here though. You accept what offered and you’re automatically put on waiting lists for all your higher choices whether you want to our not. If a place comes up you can choose to take it or not. This sometimes happens after the start of term so you don’t have to move schools unless you want to at that time.

The stats for Bucks grammar schools make for very interesting reading when comparing year on year. One school which has usually had last admitted distances of 2-3 miles went up to almost 10 miles this year. Lots of very surprised (yet happy) out of catchment parents and children.

I'm so pleased to hear you did that so promptly. I've been hearing horror stories of parents holding a state offer and a private offer until they don't turn up on the first day of one. Really glad to hear your DD has an offer she is happy with.

Anyway - it looks like it's a long haul and that things can change right at the last minute

I need to try and work out now what happens on 15 March. I think we just start checking with the school re waiting lists etc but not very sure. Any advice welcome!

The school which Ilickeditsoitsmine refers to has a very complicated admissions criteria. It did have 6 different bands, one of which had 3 sub bands. I see now it has changed slightly to be 4 bands of which 2 have sub bands. In any one band (or sub-band) if they have more children than places they allocate places on a lottery basis within that category.

Since my 3rd child was admitted, they are now part of an MAT which probably affected the criteria.

2 years ago DD2 was allocated a place at our second choice school, which was hard to understand as children I knew to be in lower criteria had places. By the time I spoke to the admissions office, they had already identified an error in processing her application and offered a place without forcing us to appeal.

We got 6th choice. Kind of as expected. There is likely to be a bit of movement on our higher placed schools so I guess now we accept and go on waiting lists.

I feel quite deflated but also relieved we got a place on our list. A colleague's DC got the same school and she is pleased so that's something.

@Gobbolinothewitchscat We got a grammar place this morning but I have already rejected it. We live out of county and the last four years wouldn’t have got a place so it was a super long shot and came as a huge surprise - we had literally written it off as an option.

She had offers from three private schools including scholarships and has definitely been “wooed” into the sales pitch of being able to do lots of extra things in her scholarship area.

We all LOVED the grammar she was allocated and it was really hard to decide, but one independent made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. So yes, people do turn down grammar places.

I hope it all trickles down and you get an offer in the second round of allocations.

I logged onto the portal at 6.30am and luckily DD got first choice school. Finally got the email round 9am.

I know. Just saying what it looks like here. i do realise that there are many other ways the schools use 😃

Catchment is a distance established on designated points e.g. distance where you live from nodal points. Or a parish catchment etc if you don't live in catchment then you don't live within the distance the school even considers.

No, it doesn't need to be the closest school but a designated area within which they give spaces randomly or based on other principles like distance within that catchment from a point they nominate

"The catholic use lottery if there is more applicants within catchment parishes than places but it is still catchment based for those who fulfill catholic criteria.
Also we have feeder schools to those catholic schools"

This is actually only in some schools. Usually Catholic schools just have an admissions criteria that gives priority to Catholic children. There may be a practising requirement as first priority. Then Christians of other denomination etc with distance used to differentiate within each individual criteria then. Catchments don't really exist in many areas now- it's just distance. So while this may apply to some schools or other criteria- for instance priority for feeder schools within a trust etc, it is certainty not to all at all.

With grammar waitlists when are they updated (if they have movement) I asked where my DS was on the waitlist but local council couldn't say as said it was inaccurate.

And we got first choice, the one we wanted so happy and relieved here.

Good luck everyone.

Turns out it was actually midnight!!

Our LA clearly likes to keep people on their toes as after saying it would be the afternoon, I just got the email! Got our first choice.

Catchment for us is nothing to do with distance. It's a map divided up into different catchments. Our catchment HS is not the closest school.

Catchment usually means a priority admissions area, but is colloquially used to mean "area from which children normally get a space".

Our area has feeder schools and priority catchment areas.

Finally got the email. We got first choice. Strangely I have mixed feelings about it and not entirely sure why.

Your borough might have catchments, but most of London is by distance.

catchment means distance e.g nearest parishes, meters from school or nodal point. I live in Richmond Borough.
The catholic use lottery if there is more applicants within catchment parishes than places but it is still catchment based for those who fulfill catholic criteria.
Also we have feeder schools to those catholic schools