I've screwed up big time

[HappyLoneParentDay]

Sorry if this is in the wrong topic.

Ok my DD starts school in September. She currently attends Pre-School at a primary school I wanted her to attend. Was first choice on the list. However unfortunately she got given a different school. She was placed 2nd on the waiting list for preferred school. However, I accepted the offer for the school she was given (because I'm an idiot and didn't realise) and so local council have taken her off the waiting list!

Had her parents evening the other day and they were saying how much they're going to miss her etc and I was nearly in tears! (Ridiculous I know, and not at all like me) I'm just gutted as she loves it there so much. Pre school is very much considered part of the school and she loves it! There's nothing I can do now is there??

I'm aware there's probably nothing anyone can suggest but I thought I'd ask anyway!

Ask to go back on the waiting list for your preferred school but in the meantime plaster on a happy face and look for the positives in your situation. You may get lucky and there is some movement before September or your daughter may start at the other non preferred school. You know your area better than we do.

You needed to accept the place you were offered or your daughter risked not having a place in September.

A lot of councils keep you on the waiting list for schools that were higher preference than the one you were given. It's a shame yours doesn't. But nothing that stop you calling them up and asking to go back in the waiting list for your 1st choice. If you were 2nd, chances are you'll still be quite high up. You never know, there may still be movement between now and sept.

Would you consider starting at the offered one but moving her if you got a place between sept and Christmas? It can happen. My friend did just that and got her 1st choice school in the 2nd week of term as 2 children just didn't turn up.

Just get her back on the waiting list and see what happens.

Fab! Thanks guys I'll do just that!

If you knew that your DD was 2nd on the waiting list for your higher preference school, then surely, either your LA did automatically put her on the list, or you asked to go on it? I don't understand why you would be taken off the waiting list at this point in the admissions cycle?

The LA should not have removed you from the waiting list for your preferred school just because you accepted the place offered. Without knowing which LA we are talking about it is impossible to be sure but you may have a good case for appeal if you have missed out on a place due to their actions. As others have said, you are entitled to go back on the waiting list.

Prh47 is right.
The usual procedure is that you accept the place offered (do that you do have a place somewhere), but accepting that place does not disadvantage you on the waiting list for schools higher up the list.

Did you tick a box to say you wanted to come off the waiting list?

Are you sure you are not still on the waiting list?

They should not have removed you automatically or without your permission.

Waiting lists are held in order of how closely you meet the admissions criteria, so hopefully you would still be near the top.

But if they removed you without permission you have very strong grounds for appeal if they have re-allocated places that you could have got.

You’ve not been an idiot, you did the right thing in accepting the place offered because your DD could have been left with no school place at all if you’d turned it down.

The problem is the council removing her from the waiting list without your consent.
My DS1 didn’t get our first choice school, we accepted a place at another school, and we were still left on the waiting list for the first choice school. That’s standard practice for our council.
It would be ridiculous for a council to only have children on a waiting list if they’ve refused all other school places, there’s no guarantee that a particular child will offered a place at a particular school off the waiting list because it’s all dependant on how many children leave the school and how big the waiting list is.

Your council should put you back on the waiting list if you ask them to.

Update - She got a place at desired School! Yay!!! 👍🏻
Thanks everyone

Well done Happy! Great news.

Wahoo, that's good news!