scared

[lea2810]

I put my daughters name down for a reception place for September, I only put one preference down as I didn't know u had to put 3 down, today I found out I'm actually not in the parish where iv put her name down even tho that school is closer to me than the actual parish I'm under, iv got told today that if I don't get a place at the school iv put down that I will get placed anywhere and only be put on a waiting list incase someone doesn't take the place they are offered...have I just ruined my daughters education by only putting one choice down as I got told I will be placed in the nearest school that has a place surely that school is going to be a crap school if it has extra places, I'm absolutly scared to death she will end up in a rough crap school!

Well, it's not a great situation to be in, to be honest. Did you not read the booklet which came with the application form, which should have advised clearly against putting down only one choice?

Talking about a parish suggests that you have applied for a faith school. There will probably also have been a supplementary form for that school, did you complete that?

You need to check the admission criteria for the school you have chosen, work out whereabouts you come on that list and then ask the school how many, if any, people have been admitted to the school in past years from that category. Just because it is not your closest school does not mean that you will not get a place.

Once you have been allocated a school place in April when the offers are made, if you do not get your preferred school, you can go on the waiting list for any schools you wish your daughter to attend. Your are not restricted to only one waiting list, you should be able to put your name down on as many as you wish, although some LAs are a but difficult about that. There can be a lot of movement on admissions before the term starts in September so you may well get a place at your preferred school or another good one.

Do not panic yet, what's done is done and all you can do now if look at actions you can take after offers have been made.

Oh Lordy, typed without my glasses on. Now I have put them on I can see mistakes all over the place in my last post

Assuming you don't meet the published admissions criteria for your 1st choice, you will be allocated the nearest school that is undersubscribed.

This might be:

(a) quite some distance a way
(b) not very good

But it's hard to talk about things in the abstract if you don't want to give detail on where you live.

(Although admissions stats are published by the council, in most cases, so you could figure out, based on previous years, which schools you are most likely to get.)

I have spoken to the admissions today and give her 2 more preferences in the case I don't get in my preffered school, which she will add on after the offer date, so iv given her the actual school in my parish (further away from the one iv put her down for-so stupid how they work that out) and another catholic school out of my parish, so I will basically go on the waiting list for all 3 if I don't get in my preferred, I'm criterea 3,4 and 5 for those 3 schools! I'm absolutely bricking it, but like u say I can only wait until the offer date n keep my fingers crossed that I will get in the one iv put down! So stupid how I only put one down but it just said choose between 1 and 3 it didn't say I could get put anywhere if I didn't get my pref...wish I would have put 3 down in the first place now :(

So why have you added 2 schools that you are not in catchment for?

You are aware that you may be allocated school 5 miles or more away? And it might be awful?

I'm aware of that now yes, got told today! iv added 2 out of the catchment area as there is only 1 in the catchment area, when I first put the choice down I was told by the 2 schools I was in that parish found out today I'm actually in the other parish, even tho the walking distance is further.

Lea you keep talking about parishes which makes me think all of these schools are faith ones. There is almost always a supplementary form to be completed for faith schools, detailing your level of commitment to the church - baptism, attendance on Sundays etc. Have you filled in any of these forms? Do you meet the criteria to be able to get them signed?

Also, do you understand what the different level of criteria for the schools mean? Each may have different admission policies e.g. giving higher priority to siblings. You have to know what the different categories are and work out what kind of chance you have of getting a place from that category.

Definitely double check after offer day that you have been placed on the waiting lists for the other schools. I don't understand why the LA would agree to add you to a mythical waiting list at this point when you don't even know if you need to be on it!

Do you actually mean parish or LEA?

Do you still have the original application booklet or can you get a copy? That should set out the criteria for each school and show which had more applications than places last year, how many children were admitted under each criteria and how far the catchment went. If your 1st , and/or new 2nd and 3rd "choices" (not that they will come into play until later) were oversubscribed and you do live within the distance of last child admitted then it is less likely your dd will get a place unless you meet the specifics of religious criteria (ie practicing regularly at the parish church/es local to the school which would probably need to have been evidenced). Sorry you feel you have been so naïve and potentially lost out but all the details would have been in the paperwork.

Tiggytape, the OP has already applied, this is for admissions in Sept this year. She has only named one school on the application form so unfortunately it's too late to talk of checking the criteria or putting down a "safe" choice on the form. What people are advising her to do now is minimise the potential of her dd ending up at a completely unsuitable school.

It's difficult to understand exactly what kind of school the OP has applied for, whether there is a confusion over the use of the word "parish" and what exactly the admissions person said yesterday. I think the OP may feel that she now has some additional chance of getting one of the two schools that she has identified as suitable alternatives when, in reality, she will just have to go on the waiting list with everyone else after offers are made.

Tiggytape no worries, I thought you might be providing general advice for others! As you seem to be a bit of an expert on admissions, can you tell me if the LA are already operating waiting lists for next Sept reception classes in advance of the offers being made? It just seems a bit odd to have a waiting list for classes before the offers.

Sorry to confuse people basically I was told I was in st bredans parish (she currently attends this nursery, its also catholic I want her to go to) this is also the nearest catholic school in my area and that point I was criterea 3...1 being looked after catholic children, 2 being catholic children living in the parish with siblings at the school, me 3rd catholic and living in the parish but now I am in number 5 as I know have found out I don't live in the parish so number 4 is looked after catholic children out of the parish then me 5 catholic children out of the parish...I'm basically right on the boarder of this school and the one in my parish, so I have now given the council 2 more choices to be added to the waiting list if I don't get a place at this school, I am criterea 3 in that school its the sane criterea list as above school. There is no other application forms I have to fill in for being catholic.

I agree with Tiggytape - how do the school know which criteria to place you in if they take everybody at their word about their faith? Are you sure that the criteria doesn't say something like the following:

Baptised Catholic children (baptismal certificate required) of practising families (i.e. at least one parent/guardian practising) from the parish of St X and whose application is supported by their parish priest or a priest known to them.

Are you prepared to say which school or parish this is, or perhaps send a PM (private message) to someone here with the information?

I've never come across a Catholic school that didn't need you to fill in another form to prove you are Catholic. Lea, you really need to double check that, or get someone here to do it if you prefer, otherwise you run the risk of being cat 5/6 instead. Just because your DD is already in the nursery doesn't mean you don't have to prove Catholicism again for reception.

Sorry for a really stupid question - which country are you in eg wales, scotland, eire.

Hi there is no form u just had to give them baptism cert which I did about a year ago, double checked they had it when I put name down, I can't get any higher than cat 3 as she isn't looked after and has no siblings. I live in bolton,manchester. The school I applied for is st bredans Harwood, (closest to my house) the schools iv given to be put on waiting lists are ss osmunds breightmet (this is my parish, even tho further away which is crazy) and the 3rd is st columbas bolton. I am thinking of changing st columbas to harwood meadows, this is the closest school to me but isn't catholic...I'm just in a pickle wish I would have pit 3 down but iv gone through all paperwork again and it doesn't say anywhere the consequences of only putting one and says choose between 1 and 3, I'm pretty annoyed and gutted if she gets put in a crap school what can I do? Could I like move schools after so long or are u not able to move schools?

op, do you know if the Catholic schools you listed are actually oversubscribed? down south lot of them are so people assume there will be a queue but it's not always the case! if local schools are not generally full you have very little to worry about.

I don't know how you find out if they are oversubscribed...I know there is nothing I can do until 16th April...I'm just obviously really peed off with myself and nervous :(