Re-allocation - How does it work?

[Zingy123]

We got 3rd choice for Dd. We are on the waiting list for 1st and 2nd.

The advice is to accept what you have and wait for a place to come up off the waiting list/appeal.

So if everyone accepts what they have how do places become available to swop. Small numbers may take up private school places or home educate.

Thanks

As you say some go private, home educate, move out of the area or win appeals. But one child, A, freeing up a space by moving away for example can release five or six places as the child who gets the newly freed up space, B, then doesn't need the place they had, so child C gets B's original space, thus freeing up their originally allocated space for child D etc etc.

Thanks.

Thanks tiggytape. How long would you normally get to decide? What happens if someone turns down their new offer? Person with School C gets offered B which means person with school D gets offered C etc. But what if person with school B offer doesn't want it. That place that they should have freed up doesn't exist. Sorry not making myself clear.

Trying to work out if we should start on our appeal or hold off for another week. We are 5th currently on w/l.

Thanks

You normally have a deadline to get your appeal heard in the first round. I would register for the appeal, but you don't actually have to start preparing straight away and you can withdraw your appeal at any point.

You normally get 1 to 2 weeks to accept a waiting list place, and can certainly ask for time to consider.

Thanks that makes it clearer. Have 4 weeks for appeal to be in. Hopeful we should get in on w/l. It is a church school and we come high up on criteria just further on distance offered already.

Great thanks. So I could just send the form in with reason e.g. school offers cello lessons and offers Greek GCSE which my child wants to do.

Thanks a lot for all your advice it is really appreciated.

There is sometimes LOTS of movement. Last yr We were 95th on list at allocation day. By July we'd moved to 10th:) it really depends on area. This was Richmond where a lot go private.

Remember that many people on a waiting list is probably on multiple waiting lists, so as soon as one person accepts a new place they are happy with they withdraw from up to 4 or 5 waiting lists!