To be cross that new family in village have got their children into our full school on appeal and have bumped up class size to 31.

[31inclass]

The family have moved almost opposite the school and hence became first on the waiting list. The school is extremely popular, and is always full with a waiting list in Reception year. The school turned them down initially but they have got two children in on appeal, one in Reception and one in Year 2.

It is a CofE aided school with strict admission criteria including attendance at our local church for at least two years, one parent has to be confirmed etc. I've heard through the grapevine that the family don't meet any of the criteria, but have got in simply because the LEA have said that it is cheaper for them to send them to this school than fund the cost of taxis to the next nearest school.

My children are also in both these classes, which now have 31 children although the LEA has paid for an extra teacher so it is now a ratio of 31 children to 2 teachers. This applies until another child leaves and then the class goes back to 1 teacher.

Some parents are ok with what has happened because of the extra teacher. Some are quite upset and angry because they know other parents on the waiting list and they feel the parents have worked the system. They also feel that as the school building and grounds are small that the school should be allowed to stick to 30 per class.

I don't want to ostracize the parents or children but I must admit that I do feel a bit cross myself, having made a lot of effort to meet the criteria when I applied. AIBU?

YABU, but I suspect you already knew that based on the name change, or otherwise you are merely trolling for some midweek entertainement

yabu you crazed loon!

The word is that they chose the house purely to get a place at the school because they knew they would go to the top of the list.

parents buying a house near a good school and expect to use that school how sneaky of them.

"the word is" and "on the grapevine" are really not good bases for you to be having a go at these people imho.

Very fishwifey imho.

"the word is"

fgs, where do you live, Yokelville?

get a grip and welcome the new family

So who are you 31? Of course they may have choosen the house in order to get their children into a particular school. Don't most parents factor that in when house hunting

oh fgs!

of course they did

well good luck to 'em

It isn't illegal and seems like a pretty smart move on the parents' part!

I think this is a trolleroo

"having made a lot of effort to meet the criteria" - did you find faith suddenly? sounds like you worked the system too

i feel very sorry for this new family with you lot all getting your pitchforks out

YAB totally U

such is life.if I lived opposite the school I could have done the same. surely 2 teachers for a class of 31 kids is a result?

It seems IABU. Thank you ladies- it has been very helpful. I better go now I think...

dh works in a crap area and the local school there has people starting every week, non english speakers who are either migrant workers or refugees

they get more teaching assistants etc to ease the (considerable burden)

I don't see one extra child in a village school causing a major problem tbh

sounds like sour grapes to me from one of the locals maybe? have they gone to church for years, pretending to be religious and now see someone swooshing in, not having done?

YABU

Where else were they meant to go?

I bet if you moved somewhere else you'd expect to get into the local school

I would be rather pleased if the end result was the pupil teacher ratio dramatically improving.
It would be ridiculous for the children to be dragged half way across the country to a different school. And this is what annoys me about CofE and other faith schools in rural areas.

Wow the place you live sounds like it makes new people feel really welcome

1 teacher for 30 children --ok

2 teachers split between 31 children --Great

People with nothing better to do then stand at the school gates each morning whinging about nothing - priceless

Get a grip love!

Why would you ostracise them for pursuing their legal right to appeal?

Bloody hell.

I think it's plain wrong to have state schools which have admission criteria which rely on you attending church anyway.

YABU

YABU.. they haven't actually done anything wrong..

if you have an issue with the process take it up with the LEA but from what you've said they have only done what they are within their rights to do.

Do you live near a local shop for local people?

So, the system has been folllowed, and adhered to (waiting lists always go back scratch with the original criteria, proximity etc, newly arrived people don't form a queue in front of original applicants - and any new person who lives even nearer or meets top criteria will go straight to the front), the thing about thier faith adherence in their former home is 'grapevine', the LEA has responded as it should and provided an extra teacher, and you are huffing and puffing about 1 extra child causing over-crowding?

YABU, and not sounding very nice, either. Why should you even contemplate being cross with them - you met the criteria, they meet the criteria. If they had moved in at the start of the application process they would have been at the front of the queue and even fewer of the other parents would have got thier children in because they probably wouldn't have won an appel, lliving further away.

Put your sour lemons away and suck on something sweeter.

"the LEA have said that it is cheaper for them to send them to this school than fund the cost of taxis to the next nearest school"

Well that's good isn't it? Why waste money that doesn't need to be. YABU. Did you really want them to have to travel miles and miles to get to a school?