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Original poster

Primary school place

16 replies

Brainfogmcfogface · 21/04/2019 21:54

My DD attends a school nursery so naturally I applied for the school, didn’t get it, which I kind of expected as not catchment (but not far off) but also expected to be offered a place at the next school near me which is awful! Hated it when I viewed it, has a terrible rep so knew I’d fight and appeal for current school.
However I’ve been thrown a complete curve ball and she actually got into a better school, best in the area in fact.
Wwyd? appeal and try and keep her at the school she’s attended since she was 2, where all her friends are going to go, where everythings familiar, and comfortable, where she knows the new teacher already and has lots of friends in higher classes so will be settled from day 1, but the school itself isn’t doing so great and has just lost a couple of excellent staff members.
Or go for the new school which has won awards, that I loved when I viewed it and she has a couple of friends starting at the same time (though could be in different classes as it’s a lot bigger then current school which only has one class per year)
It’s a head vs heart battle. I know winning an appeal is very hard but assuming I stood a chance, should I bother? or accept the better school and let dd start again and lose the friendships she’s built.
My brain is frazzled and I just can’t decide. I’m a single parent so it’s solely my decision, times like this I wish I had a partner to help decide, hence this thread.

OP posts:

MyOtherProfile · 21/04/2019 21:57

I would look at the practicalities over anything else you have mentioned. Are they both easy to get to? Do you need after school clubs and do they provide them if so? Do they both have good PTA things going on? Do they both seem accessible in terms of communicating with the teachers?

Smoggle · 21/04/2019 21:58

Accept the school place you've been offered.

Do you think a mistake has made? If not then you won't win an appeal - but you could go ahead and appeal if you want.

AuditAngel · 21/04/2019 21:59

What would be the basis of an appeal?

You could stay on the waiting list.

If she knows a couple of children, I would go with the allocated school.

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AlunWynsKnee · 21/04/2019 22:01

Assuming no errors were made it will be very difficult to win an appeal if the school has 30 in a class so tbh you're probably best taking the school you've got. Friendships are really fluid at that age and they will all settle quickly, making new friends.

PatriciaHolm · 21/04/2019 22:02

New school.

She's 4; she'll make friends quickly, most kids don't know many others they start school with at that age. It's a better school and realistically you have very little chance in winning an appeal (especially if it's an Infant class size appeal).

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 21/04/2019 22:04

You won’t win the appeal unfortunately so just be happy with the new school.

Chilledout11 · 21/04/2019 22:11

Take the place she has been offered. It's not a good sign if teachers are leaving and she knows a few children. Absolutely wouldn't risk losing her place by appealing.

mellicauli · 21/04/2019 22:11

New school all the way.
She'll be fine, lots of other children won't have been to nursery either.
Mine both joined in reception and made loads of friends.
How many friends from nursery did you take with you through life? Not many, I bet. But your early learning is always with you. And the ability to make new friends and deal with new environment is a good skill for her to learn. She'll need that through life too.

bedunkalilt · 21/04/2019 22:13

Assuming that on a practical level the good school and the nursery school are equal, at least. In which case just send her where she has a place. It sounds like you really like it and it’s a good school. DC1 got into our second choice school (couple of years back now), I was really disappointed at first as I had really liked the first choice (hence first choice!) and a lot of children from his nursery were going there. Second choice was a desirable good school, I just preferred first. Well, haven’t regretted him going to the second choice at all - he made friends quite quickly and it’s a great school.

A mum in DC1’s class had also got our school as her second choice for her son, her first choice was the most popular school in the area (outstanding, smaller school, so much harder to get a place even in catchment). She appealed, went on waiting list etc, meanwhile her son started at our school and settled well and made friends. Halfway through Reception she got a place at the first choice, so she moved her son, and then spent months feeling awful! Her son missed his friends, and it wasn’t so staggeringly better. Ultimately he has since settled there, made friends, and so on. They still say hi to everyone on the school run (the two schools are near each other) and the son still asks after his friends from his half year in Reception. I’m sure he won’t be affected by it, it just doesn’t seem like it was worth all of that fighting!

babysharkah · 21/04/2019 22:31

I'd take the place. She'll soon make new friends.

toucantoo · 21/04/2019 22:37

For heavens sake, she's 4. FOUR. She hasn't got Dee meaningful friendships. Go to the good school you've been allocated

SaltSpoon · 21/04/2019 22:42

Stick with better school, sounds great.

Original poster

Brainfogmcfogface · 22/04/2019 09:54

Thank you everyone, yes on practical levels the schools are similar, the new school is technically further away but actually quicker to get to (one straight road no traffic lights, whereas current school have to go through town traffic)
I know appeals very rarely are upheld but last year there were 5 appeals for the current school and 2 got places, so that gave me some hope. I was going to argue that I have support/friends at current school who could help me if I couldn’t get DD in (if I or my youngest got ill or the car broke down, etc) I have no family here that can help and don’t know anyone at new school, the 2 friends who are going are from DDs dance and I don’t know the parents as it’s drop and go.
But I think you’re all right, it’s going to really upset her to leave but she is 4, she’s not the most social of kids but at that age they make friends quickly right?!
I’ll start talking about it and try and get her excited about the newness of it all and see if we can visit it so she can see and hopefully get excited, as I said it really was lovely, hopefully DD will feel the same.
Thank you again 🙏

OP posts:

TheGrey1houndSpeaks · 22/04/2019 10:00

Your arguments wouldn’t form the basis of a successful appeal, I’m afraid.

Milkand2sugarsplease · 22/04/2019 23:20

An appeal needs to be on the basis that the admissions criteria have not been met so your chances of success there are slim to none.

You can put her on the reserve list even if you accept your offered place and there is movement each year as different families accept/decline their places.

As it stands at the minute, she IS going to a different school regardless of wanting to stay (you more than her at this age...). They make friends quickly and at 4 they've nowhere near started to build their friendship groups yet so she won't suffer there. She will be abs fine starting in a new school and will be chattering about all her classmates soon enough.

Haworthia · 22/04/2019 23:22

Absolutely accept the new school.

At 4, you don’t really need to worry about existing friendship groups etc. They’re so malleable at this age! She will meet new friends straight away.

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