Is it so bad to not get 1st choice school?

[doodledotmum]

As primary allocations day looms and there are yet more headlines about place shortages, it is time to prepare for disappointment. Can any one cheer me up and say that not getting choice 2 turned out fine?

We got first and glad we did. Sorry.

This is more for secondary school but anyway. I know a parent whose daughter got their sixth choice. They were appalled. They appealed for 1st choice but were sadly unsuccessful. The poor girl was so upset. As a result of that, her SATS scores were drastically lower than expected even though she was a very bright girl who always scored top marks in SATs practice papers. She is now in Year 9 and thriving at the sixth choice school. She's having so much fun while still learning thanks to the amazing teachers. All the girls who attend it are lovely (her words). The school has gone uphill ever since. So no, it's not bad not to get your first choice. Sometimes the last choice might be the best for YOUR child.

I know someone who hung on and on with the waiting list until just before the start of term a year back, and finally got a place in her first choice school, widely regarded as a wonderful place in the local area. Friend was distraught at the school she was originally offered and horrified by the idea of sending her child there. Fast forward to a term later and she hated the first choice school which they had found unfriendly, rigid, uncaring and no fun, so she took her child out and sent him to the school that had originally been her fifth choice (as it was the only one with places). The child loved it and is thriving (in contrast to first choice school which he hated and sobbed every day when dropped off).

I also know someone else who went private rather than accept her sixth choice and two years later took her child out of the private school and sent her to the sixth choice school for Y2. She later admitted to me that the sixth choice school was hundreds of times better than she'd imagined and that there was no real difference in teaching etc from the private school (only she was £12,000 a year better off and was really looking forward to being able to go on a nice family holiday).