No school places in Belfast

[Trufflepizza]

Oh my starsss, we're moving to Belfast from London next week and cannot get a school place for our 13 year old son. Every single school we've contacted is oversubscribed and not even taking names for a waitlist!!
Does anyone have experience of this and if so, what did you do in the end?!

In case you need it: Home Education Northern Ireland https://hedni.org/
but I hope you manage to get a school place! Good luck.

Who are you speaking to at the various schools? I would try and speak directly to some heads and plead your case. Can your head in the school in London do any bidding for you?

I wouldn’t say that this is true. There is unfortunately (and unfairly) still massive disparity between the two sectors. Things that you would take for granted like the option to take science subjects at GCSE level are simply unavailable in many non-grammars, which I find quite shocking in this day and age. It severely limits a child’s choices when it comes to A levels, university, future careers etc at such a young age. Behaviour is another big issue along with the classroom disruption that goes with this. We live beside a big comprehensive type secondary school in south Belfast, some of the things I regularly overhear and witness from their students are beyond belief - it’s not an environment or crowd I would want my child in. Happy to PM if you would like OP, don’t want to publicly name and shame but it’s a school to avoid!

Obviously there are exceptions (Lagan, St. Joseph’s, Bangor Academy to name a few), I’m generalising here but on a whole I’d be aiming towards one of the grammars. Much more opportunity - both academically and extracurricularly.

There are excellent grammars and excellent secondaries and awful grammars and awful secondaries so I wouldn't listen to the above crap - as for behaviour you will find some of the worst drug taking / selling happens at the beloved prestigious grammars ! There are grammars that have dreadful pastoral care and bullying and there are secondaries that have amazing opportunities at all levels.

Hope you get sorted !

A teacher friend was recently bemoaning the quality of teaching in grammar schools - her opinion is that many take in bright kids with invested parents and then don't need to do much else. Not all teachers and not all schools of course, but being from the south and not familiar with the grammar system I found it an interesting perspective.

We're lucky that schools here are mostly pretty good, and an ok school is definitely better than no school.

Try Rockport and Inst / RBAI.

Can you look outside of Belfast? Not ideal I know but Belfast High or Ballyclare High may have places. Have you been able to get on any waitlists as yet?

Have you tried the two Christian Brothers schools on the Glen Road....the Grammar and Secondary? They might well have places.

Weekly boarding might open up a much wider choice of options?

Are you trying to get into NI year 9 or year 10. Year 9 will be tricky as schools will just have given any available places to children who had a near miss in previous years transfer seeking entry. If you have a child now in Methody prep you must be at the top/ near the top on the waiting list.

@Trufflepizza assuming they have satisfactorily sat Methody cognitive test (see admissions criteria) - I assume that they then should be a good way up the waiting list for clarity.

Not the case unfortunately. DD went to MCB prep - it’s not a golden ticket to Methody itself whatsoever. Plus, the school year is now in full swing so the chance of a place coming available at this point is slim to none.

@Trufflepizza Apologies, I thought they applied year 8 criteria where a sibling at school would advantage you, but on re reading the criteria see that is not the case for year 9 onwards. You must surely though know where you are on the waiting list and if it is anyway worthwhile waiting for a place. I do agree there is unlikely to be a place but you never know, sometimes the unexpected happens, (obviously if there’s 10 ahead of you unlikely) meanwhile as someone suggested Rockport is possibly your only alternative , although I would have thought Campbell would make room for a boarder.
If that is not an alternative for you I think there may be places in some secondary schools in the Belfast area to wait it out. Home education would not be for me. I think it takes a very motivated child and parent to be truly successful.

Op did you get sorted? My dd is in a grammar and I know that there is often some last minute movement for year 9 (form 2).

If it's for girls, have you tried Victoria and Bloomfield?
The grammars surely have waiting lists already as they're so popular. What year is your child going into? How will they prove themselves academically for a grammar and can you put them on lots of waiting lists?

Any updates, OP?

Nothing yet! We're still on waitlists and hopeful, but it's a whole other ballgame in NI when it comes to schools!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Hopefully you'll get sorted soon.

Have you tried contacting schools outside of Belfast or considered boarding options?

I know this thread was a while ago but just wondering if you managed to get a school place and how long the wait was?