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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this amounts to a monumental reception place fuck up?

193 replies

DelphineCormier · 26/02/2017 13:26

Parent only wants DC to go to the nearest outstanding school. School is a religious school, prioritiss kids of same denomination and is in an area with a place shortage. It is oversubscribed by kids who meet the religious criteria every year. In area as a whole there have been cases the last few years of kids getting no place at all. Lots go private. Family is not religious at all, let alone this denomination. Parent therefore puts down this school in every option box on application form, adds in additional comments box that they work full time and can't home educate because DC would be at home alone all day. Needs this school because is most convenient for drop offs and child is exceptionally bright. Parent isn't worried about allocation day, thinks they have it sorted. Aibu to think no council is that stupid? Hmm

OP posts:
SparklyLeprechaun · 26/02/2017 13:28

No council is that stupid but the parent definitely is.

BalloonSlayer · 26/02/2017 13:29

What will happen then?

Grin
AgnesNitt1976 · 26/02/2017 13:29

YANBU it is highly unlikely that they will be allocated a place on the reasons you state.

EustaceClarenceScrubb · 26/02/2017 13:34

Is there not a separate application form for the school, usually you have to fill out the council one, and the schools one for a faith school place. Our faith school wanted to see evidence of baptism into the faith, it would consider children of other faith or none, but only if there were places left once all the applicants from the faith were accommodated , which is as good as not at all in an oversubscribed school.

Does this parent think that they are unusual in working full time and needing a school close to their house? Their reasons will not be enough for them to be granted a place.

Allthebestnamesareused · 26/02/2017 13:34

They will just get allocated a place somewhere else completely out of their control where because they thought they could beat the system!

More fool them.

early30smum · 26/02/2017 13:35

Oops. They will not get the place, and because they haven't listed any choices, they'll be given a school no one wants/is miles away as they'll have filled all the other schools with children whose parents listed them as a choice...

Trifleorbust · 26/02/2017 13:36

So no extenuating circumstances whatsoever Hmm

KarmaNoMore · 26/02/2017 13:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

KarmaNoMore · 26/02/2017 13:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MewlingQuim · 26/02/2017 13:40

I know someone who did something very similar last year. They seemed very surprised not to get a place at the oversubscribed religious school on the other side of town. They were offered a place at the local 'good' primary and refused it, preferring to pay £££ for private.

I thought it was bonkers but they seem happy with their choice in the end.

MidnightVelvetthe7th · 26/02/2017 13:44

Oh this happens every year, some daft parent thinking that they are too clever by far & only putting down one choice overall or the same school for all choices. Always have stories to recite of X who did it & it worked for them.

Always ends badly when they end up getting a place at the rubbish school 10 miles away & turn it down in a fit of rage & then find out their child doesn't have a place at all & its their own fault.

Original poster
DelphineCormier · 26/02/2017 13:48

A few years ago someone I knew then decided that the schools where her Drelative lived were better, so she and DC moved in with Drelative and another Drelative moved into hers until places had been allocated. As far as I know she got away with it Hmm

OP posts:
Fairenuff · 26/02/2017 13:50

Who is the parent in this scenario OP? (It's you isn't it Grin)

Witchend · 26/02/2017 13:50

Funny how their child ended up "exceptionally bright" when the parents can only have "exceptionally dim" genes. Grin

Do people like that realise that if that was a guarantee then everyone else would do it too?

Bet they'll be the sad face in the local paper saying how unfair it is.

Original poster
DelphineCormier · 26/02/2017 13:56

fairenuff I would never be so arrogant as to assume listing the same school in each box would be enough to guarantee a place.

I'd create an extra ten boxes and list it in those too Halo

OP posts:
Ratbagcatbag · 26/02/2017 13:56

There are more of these out there. I was going through checkouts at Tesco with my dd nearly 4. Lovely cashier asked if she's starting school in sept. Yes I replied, she asked which schools. I named top two which are religious schools. (I have put two others as well) she said wow me too. Now to get into school number one (that we've both picked) the criteria is very very specific, it's a 20 year intake, i mentioned id not seen her at church, or at any of the committees. She breezily replied, I'm not worried they have to give her a spot, I asked if she'd looked at the prospectus, which showed that actually location was down at around 5th or 6th? No, nothing to worry about, I'm sure I'll see you at the school gates in sept!! Hmmmmmm

PerspicaciaTick · 26/02/2017 13:58

That's not a fuck up. Fuck up implies some sort of accidental mistake, and parent's actions were deliberate and planned.

It is an act of monumental self-sabotage brought on by willful ignorance and an overweaning sense of entitlement.

NapQueen · 26/02/2017 13:59

Oh I do hope you are going to update when the school letters come out!!

blueskyinmarch · 26/02/2017 14:04

These parents are being monumentally stupid and will probably go apeshit when the allocations come out and they are given a failing school mile away.

IamFriedSpam · 26/02/2017 14:23

If it was that easy everyone would be doing it and she's missed out on actually getting to choose what her second and third preferences would be.

InvisibleKittenAttack · 26/02/2017 14:26

Oh she'll get a place for her DD somewhere, just wherever no one else wants.

Do update.

Musicinthe00ssucks · 26/02/2017 14:28

Oh dear. My DD goes to a school such as the one you have described. The Council does not make the decision on which children are offered a place, the school's board of Governors does. We also have to have a reference form signed by the Paris Priest.

Musicinthe00ssucks · 26/02/2017 14:28

parish on Paris

JaniceBattersby · 26/02/2017 14:35

My friends did this at a village school with an intake of 15.They didn't get a place, obviously.

Then they appealed. The people hearing the appeal listened to what they had to say (exceptionally bright child, needed a smaller school to nurture her etc Hmm ) and only bloody gave her a place. They were the only ones who bothered to appeal apparently so they just increased the class size by one.

After everything I'd read on here I couldn't bloody believe it. My 'I told you so' face was totally redundant.

HelenaGWells · 26/02/2017 14:36

It's a monumental fuckup by the parent. They will get a place at the closest school with places.

The council just have to give you a place. If you only put one choice it means if they don't get that you get shoved to the bottom of the pile and allocated whatever's left as they have nothing else to go on.