No school places, head told us there were on the date we applied ?

[SkelleyBones]

We looked around a school 16/6 and applied the same day for the two places we were told were available.
I've just had a phone call saying there now aren't any and would I like bogsvile up the road.
Can I make the admissions team prove when the other applications went in because tbh I am gobsmacked this has happened.

And there's no need for you to suggest it's my fault that the places seem to have been snapped up from under my nose

Yeah, it's frustrating, but you may not have a choice.

Even if you start them at the one you don't like, you'll be right at the top of the waiting list for the better school, and would probably have them in by October.

You see I can't see that the waiting list will move this side of the summer can you ? If people were moving surely they would have told the school by now ?

OK, how much the house cost is completely irrelevant - obviously .

By all means ask when the other applications went in but I doubt very much that it will change anything. The LEA will have a clear reason for allocating the places to others above you (if that is what has happened) & will not back down. Therefore, you are either looking at joining a waiting list for the preferred school & HE in the meantime or finding a fee paying alternative.

If it were me though, I would be at least looking around other schools as the Ofsted "grade" is like a car MOT - only valid for the day it is given. Everything can break down very shortly after!! DS2's school recently went from "satisfactory" to "outstanding" in a day because it was Ofsted time - however, in real terms, nothing had actually changed . Similarly, the uber-popular, fashionable, primary on the other side of town went from "good" to being given a "notice to improve"!! Cue, our once quiet & unfashionable (but lovely) school becoming full to bursting with children from said "notice to improve" school - all because of one Ofsted Inspector. Ofsted, IMO, is complete tosh .

It's not irrelevant at all because had I been happy enough with the other school i'd have saved myself £100k and got an extra bedroom.

How else do you quanitify these things though Emma, I certainly take your point and you are right but visiting and getting a feel has been completely bloody useless in the past too, an 30 min whistle stop tour doesn't tell you much either.

Talking to toehr aprents in the area can give you lots oof info though.

Speak to the LEA of course but assuming that the aplces were correctly allocated what do YOU think the LEA should be doing?

I think the opposite. I think a tour of the school and a good chat with the head can give you a much better picture of a school than an Ofsted report can.

It can also give you a chance to ask the head why they got satisfactory, what areas Ofsted thought they could improve on and what steps the school are taking to improve.

How old is the Ofsted report.

A school near me has just gone from Special Measures to Outstanding in 2 years and 2 weeks. So things can change. Obviously this goes for the Outstanding school as well. If it was Outstanding 2 years ago doesn't mean it still is.

They can't do anything Peachy I appreciate that, but I want to know for sure there hasn't been any sort of mistake because you'd be amazed how often it happens. Friends of ours received a letter saying their child had failed the 11+ getting 240, the pass mark was 236, a couple of phone calls later he was in the grammar school, you can't take everything at face value IME.

Can I be the first to point out to OP that you may be determined that your dc going to something 'better' than a satisfactory school and be able to pay shed loads for a house, but you aren't able to punctuate properly.

Just an aside.

I believe that you can ask when your application was processed (does take few days, I believe) and when the places were allocated as it is possible there has been a mistake.

Otherwise, as a late applicant, you are actually fairly fortunate to be offered a nearby school, tbh.

I think it's unlikely you'll have places by September, but people move all year round, and you say you live pretty close.

I definitely think you can judge a school by having a tour, just make sure it's on a regular school day (tricky by now, unfortunately). I rejected my local "good" school, because no-one seemed to be paying attention to the teachers, kids were shouting in corridors, and the headteacher was a snooty cow, and chose the "satisfactory" one because the kids were bright and happy and the headteacher was a creative/eccentric that they all clearly loved and respected.

skelley I understand what you are saying to a certain extent how old are your DC?

Oh, and the results were better in the second school.

Definitely ask then Skelly. fair enough to be disappointed (just you know what MN is like, you get people who'd want the other kids kicked out for their own so I always check people's expectations nowadays).

School turnovers for palces can be pitiful or astonishingly fast, the school secretary (your best mate when on a waiting list) will know.

Personally, I would trust my instincts from the 30-mins whistle stop tour more than the Ofsted report. I go on things like how happy the children seem to be & the general "vibe" of the place. The point Peachy makes about talking to other parents in the area (hard I know if you are new & know no-one - although not impossible), is a good one. You will generally get a decent picture of a school from parents of children who go there.

Are there any other "outstanding" primaries in the area you are moving to? I understand that you really want the one you have bought a house practically in the grounds of but if in reality that is not going to happen, could there be suitable alternatives to look at other than HE or private? And that's if there is a good enough affordable private school with places locally .

Well there we are yellow submarine all the more important the children get the education i didn't and how bloody marvelous am I being able to spending such a lot of money on a house despite my disability

How frustrating! However, I don't suppose there's anything else you can do than put their names on the waiting list and appeal. Ask for the details of when these applications came in as part of your appeal preparation, and if a mistake HAS been made, you will have a strong case.

Yeah, don't really think that OP's punctuation is the issue here at all.

I can definetly see that you'd be disappointed having bought a house, paid more for a good catchment area to not get a place. But agree that being disappointed may not do you any good.

So are you prepared to HE while waiting for spaces or are you prepared to use the other school while waiting?

When we moved DD from her first primary school we turned down a Good school in favour of a Satisfactory school. She's flourished there. To me the school seemed better when I went to look round it. The head was passionate and enthusastic and I just thought that this was the sort of person I want being an influence on DD.

Now we're looking at secondary schools. We're in the catchment area for the top state school in the country. However even with its No 1 position, its 100% GCSE rate (and its a comp not a grammar), its outstanding Ofsted, etc we're not putting it on the list. I don't like the head and I don't get good vibes from the staff. I liked the comp down the road with its 56% GCSE pass rate, good ofsted and the enthusiastic staff, etc.

I work full time and have 4 children, not moving is the more likely option tbh.

I thought you couldn't apply for a place until you'd actually moved? If you haven't moved in yet could this not be why you're not been offered places?

We've bought the house, DH is down there, we are finishing the school year up here.

Good point Viva. There was a thread, IIRC, a while ago where someone was frustrated that they couldn't secure school places until they had actually moved house. Maybe it depends on LEA?

With a full-time job, HE is clearly not an option & private for 4 would be a huge expense, so also maybe a no-go depending on circumstances.

Is not moving still an option? Or, rather, is delaying the purchase until you have places at preferred school an option? Easier if places come through in September/October than later next year obviously. I had been assuming that the house purchase had completed already.

Oh, I see. Therefore, is it an option to keep the children where they are until the places come through? Although that may be unsettling if they are prepared for leaving current schools now.

Not only that it IS possible tehir palces have been allocated (ds1 helped his 'replacement' settle in when we moved).

It's difficult because to cut a long story short, DH will have to live down south, I will have to work full time to pay two mortgages and we will be no better off in two years time, the next natural opportunity to move because unless we claim the children are being HE down there they won't be eligible for a place.
We could stay up here but it would be a logistical nightmare I work in the midlands, the children are up north and their dad down south.