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.

In that case spotty i wonder if we should stay put better the devil you know and no time to check them all out, i was hoping ofsted might take some of the hard work out of the process for me, oh well.

Are you dc currently in private schools, SkelleyBones?

Skelley, we moved a few years ago and like you did our homework Re: catchments to get DS into the best state school we could. However there were 17 children ahead of DS on the waiting list so we had to accept the place at the "good" rather than "outstanding" school. After seeing them both I cannot tell you how much nicer in almost every respect the "good" school is. It has actually just dropped to satisfactory but I have yet to meet a parent who is unhappy with the school. The outstanding school gets slightly better results but DS got all level 3s in year 2 and I can't see the point in him working much further ahead than that. Visit all the schools, you may be surprised.

In my experience once a school I'd graded outstanding there is do much pressure on them to maintain that standard. And in ofsted eyes that standard means sats results oh and often glossy substantial paperwork helps too!

Really, it is all about the sats which often means instead of being good in the true sense of the word they sadly become mini exam factories where everything in school becomes geared towards academic attainment rather than the broad and balanced curriculum that I want for my kids at primary school. Incidentally, they are doing very well academically at a school that ofsted have recently criticised for not stretching the more able. As a teacher and the mother of 2 very able children and 1 happily average child I can say categorically, that's bollocks!

You will not accept a satisfactory school? How very entitled of you! Perhaps a fee-paying school would better meet your needs?

I pay my taxes so yes my children are entitled to better, aren't yours ? How about the schools do not accept satisfactory and strive to become outstanding wouldn't that be better alround ?

Ofsted do mean "unsatisfactory" when they say "satisfactory". My dcs school was very upset when given this grading a few years back. BUT that's not to say Ofsted know what they're talking about. Equally there are some results-driven, high-achieving schools that are deemed "outstanding" but are rubbish at catering to the individual needs of some of their pupils.

not all kids can have good though and presumably their parents pay taxes too? Even people who can't pay incvome tax pay other sorts after all. At what stage do we say 'my kids deserve it more than yours' I wonder?

A topical debate for us; school has had to merge two classes to make one of 30. No weeping for the good teacher who has lost his job, but plenty that their child desrves classes of 15 even though hardly any child in the UK gets that. Adults. Weeping in the playground. DS is in the class and I say to him that he has no more right to a tiny class size than anyone else, he should sort his arse out and concentrate whatever the size.

But satisfactory means its fit for purpose, good enough, meets targets, provides a suitable education, etc, etc.

I really think its good enough and don't see the problem.

Yes it would be fantastic if every school was outstanding but if every eevry school was outstanding then it would no longer be outstanding - it would be average, the same as all the others.

Its a bit like the NHS isn't it? People moan about its limitations and waiting lists, etc but don't want to pay more taxes. So health and education only get a limited budget and do the best they can with them.

I have to say OP I do think its a bit off to slag off a school with a perfectly alright Ofsted that you've never visited. But thats your choice and if you choose to chuck a shed load of money at priavte education when there is probably no need when you haven't even bothered to check out the alternative......well its your money isn't it?

"not all kids can have good though" Really ? why not ?

It's a minefield, anyway I got to the bottom of the issue, silly me I said I wanted the children to start in September so despite my application being in first, somebody else has taken the places and put their children in for two weeks.
I put the phone down and swore, a lot.

Ofsted don't say satisfactory when they mean unsatisfactory at all. Believe me DD has been in an unsatisfactory school and the school was put in special measures. She's since been in a satisfactory school which is perfectly good.

I've also know a school get demoted from good to satisfactory becasue its attendance levels went down. Ofsted acknowledged this was becasue it was such a tiny school it only took a few children to seriously skew the figures. So you could be overlooking a "good" school for something as trivial as that.

Because until such time as all schools are rated good (or better) by Ofsted, some children will have to go to the schools which are rated satisfactory or are in special measures - schools don't close to new admissions just because they've got a middling or poor Ofsted report.

I posted a huge post full of suggestions based on my experience as a member/chair of admission appeal panels, which you've ignored. That's your prerogative. But now I'm putting on my sceptical hat. You are (apparently) involved in a legally-aided dispute with your husband, in which the value of your house is not taken into account. The only scenario that fits that description that I know of is divorce. So are you for real here?

Well there aren't any places at this school OP so you either pay for private or you give the other school a chance. You do sound rather high maintainence tbh.

I'm not getting divorced and if you read the other thread, you'd see it says ex not current DH.
I do not have the time to do any of your suggestions and previous experience tells me i'd be banging my head against a brick wall anyway.
The admissions person i spoke to basically told me if I love my kids they'll be ok where ever they go, yeah of course they will. I shalln't be wasting anymore energy there.

I got that message NL, high maintence ? mother wants best for her children, hold the front page !

Oh pardon me. I'll get my coat.

Skelly becuase they are not there now and kids need schools now not when they ahve improved.

I know differences can be amde; heck I was in the job of making changes through input (to famillies not schools).

But you need a place now not in five eyars after a decent plan has made the school better.

Skelley are your children currently in state schools or not?

It's unfortunate that it sounds like you were so caught up with the 'outstanding' label and everything involved in a house move that you failed to understand - or ask, it would seem - how admissions work.

Schools allocate places when they become available. Did you really think they would 'hold' places from June until September?

Well yes frankly I did, i didn't realise there would be such a stampede and had anyone said we won't hold the places you need to get down here pronto then we would have, anyway having chatted to DH we're getting a nanny and staying put.
Thanks for all input.