Friend said this was pfb

[holidayroad]

I was talking to my friend the other day, she asked what schools I put down for my DD's primary school admission (she starts reception in September).

The schools near me are all oversubscribed and we have visited 5 of them. I explained that we had struggled to narrow down our choice after visiting the first 5, so arranged to visit them all again just before the closing date.

One school refused to allow us a 2nd visit - now I appreciate that it is a big school and a lot of parents want their DC to go there, but I used their refusal to allow us a 2nd visit as a basis to rule that school out as I feel if they are not prepared to go above and beyond for us on the selection basis then they cannot possibly be the best school for my DC.

My friend has DC at this school and said I was being ridiculously pfb to expect them to arrange a 2nd visit.

I think this is too important a decision to be taken lightly.

So over to you, who is BU?

oh, sorry!

Middle of April? I'll check back in then!

update

Well, we've not been offered a place we want so we won't be sending DD to school until a place comes up where we want it.

She doesn't turn 5 til May so plenty of time to play the game.

But not everyone can have the place they want. And it's not a game. You sound like a nightmare, I agree with your friend.

You're causing more issues by not allowing your child to start with the rest of the class, why not let her start at a school she has been offered a place at and see how it goes? Without actually attending you don't know what the day to day reality is like.

I think trying to style it out to next may might be a mistake. My dd got in an under subscribed school just under a week before she had to start. We had moved twice in the admissions process due to her dad and I breaking up and I was relieved but apprehensive about her going there. In the last three years she and the school have both thrived! The teachers are lovely, the head had been new when we got there but has turned the school around I fully expect an outstanding next ofsted, there is a great mix of children in the school and my daughter just skips in each day. The outstanding school up the road from us that everyone was fighting over has the most horrific word of mouth from it and our school has started to see a steady drip of people moving from them. Reception is such a great year for children too, forging friendships and learning how school works. I would be worried about missing out on that. Good luck to you though. This thread is very interesting.

Thanks for reminding me to check OP. DS got his place, I knew he would though as we can see the school from our house.

Why are you playing a game with your child's education? A place might never come up, do you know where you are on the waiting lists?

you still don't get it really do you

Personally, I don't think sending a child to school before they are 5 makes any difference to their education at all. (Just as long as they spend time with other children so they can still fit in socially).

However, knowing the system for getting school places in England, I am quite doubtful that you'll get what you want before next May. You have the maximum class size rule to contend with combined with other parents' reluctance to move once they get their children into a good school.

Anyway, good luck.

Accept the place you've been given anyway and start trying to trade from there. What may seem unacceptable today, may well be something that you'd grab with both hands next Easter if you put your child in a situation where they have no school place at all.

Or home educate until Ks2??

I honestly think you should consider private education. Your attitude is remarkably similar to pthe people I know who do educate their kids privately, particularly those that have started their kids in the state system, become very disillusioned with it and swapped.

if that's not an option then good luck with the game, I'm afraid you aren't holding any of the cards and i am also very doubtful you will get what you want, at least your dd will be fine for the moment.... my twins started school ontheir 5th birthday and were fine as it was still twice year entry where we live, my niece still only goes part time at 6 as her steiner school allows it.

You should check where you are on the waiting list for the schools you want, OP. In our school only 2 places became available because of children moving between reception and year 2.

I'm that all the other schools gave you 2 visits.

I couldn't get one visit at the majority of schools I called. Some only did one tour a month which was already fully booked. No flexibility whatsoever.

What exactly is the "game"? You have been offered a place (I assume at one of the schools on your list), whats the problem? Or is the place not at any of the schools on your application?

By May they will have given you DD's place to another child. I didn't want my DS to start at 4 but they won't keep places open until you decide to rock up.

I agree that you should go private. You don't seem to understand how the state sector world

It won't have been from OP's list, Vacant. OP put three oversubscribed schools on the form, but failed to have her catchment school on there because of her grievance re: second visit. She probably has a place at a much worse school that was undersubscribed. So really this was not pfb, on the contrary, it has harmed the educational chances of the pfb.

How the state sector works

It's not actually a game that you can play.

It's a case of his well you fit the criteria. If the school is filled with children who have been correctly allocated places because they fit the criteria better than your child, there is nothing that can be done except join the waiting list and see if anyone leaves.

Places from the waiting list are allocated according to the same published criteria, so a new arrival who fits better will get a place before your child. Time on list is not a permitted criterion.

So, when can you find out where you are on the waiting lists?

And what will your plan B be if no place comes up? Continue at nursery?

With all due respect, none of you know the area I live (NorthWest) and are therefore not free to comment on our likelihood of securing a place.

Don't they have maximum class sizes of 30 for KS1 then? And do parents in the NW tend not to favour over-subscribed schools? Of course they do! Otherwise they would not be over-subscribed.

No, OP we might not live in your area, that's why you should be the one to check where you are on the waiting list. And several of us have clearly understood the admission system better than you and predicted correctly what would happen first time around, maybe you should listen now the shit has hit the fan.

And MN is public so yes we are free to comment.

I live in the North West and it is probably the worst area ever for movement of school places. You don't get the population movement the same as some other places nor do you have a lot of pupils going to private schools instead to free up places.

With all due respect if you post a thread on a public forum anyone is free to comment within the talk guidelines.
Posters who don't live near you seem to have a much better grasp of school admissions than you though so perhaps you should take their advice.

Your child's education is not a game, you are playing with fire. I can see why your friend was irritated with your arrogant attitude.

Meanwhile, all the teachers at the school the OP didn't get her pfb into are all breathing a sigh of relief.