Wandsworth Primary Schools - Anyone else not offered a place?

[DastardlyandSmugly]

Hi - I'm wondering if there is anyone else in the same position as us on here. We applied for four of the five schools closest to our house, including our closest which is approx. 550m away, and we haven't been offered a place at any of them. We are 7th, 23rd, 53rd and 59th on the wait lists. The other school in our locality, which we don't want our son to go to, also has no spaces available anyway. As it stands all we're being offered is to submit a late application to one of the schools that do have open places - all of which are prohibitively far from us.

Is anyone else in a similar position?

I also agree that siblings should go to school together within reason. Once a sibling is in it shouldn't be possible for you to move far away from the school and then take priority over someone for whom this is their closest school.

And FWIW I work full-time, have a daughter in a local nursery, a husband who works away a lot and I don't drive, so the possibility of having to send my DS to a school miles away is also a nightmare for me.

Reasons above mean I can't homeschool either.

Have heard today of a child in Lambeth who lives on the third floor of a block of flats opposite a school, who has been declined a place at it. The mum called the council to say that she's a single mum who works and can't take her son to the allocated school, which is miles away, and get to work on time and she was told by the council official that she'd have to give up work and go on benefits! This is what we're up against. Parents shouldn't be put through this kind of thing.

I do know of people who have rented and never lived in a place to get into a school. It does happen.

that's another annoying issue isn't it ohforfoxsake, and I agree with you entirely. there needs to be some sort of contract to avoid that problem too - probably a very discrete problem for specific areas! feels like people just take what they want and then bail out.

I think that Oliver House has a policy (prob not enforceable) of asking parents to commit to the full 7 years - I imagine that as a relatively new school they know they have to fill the school the whole way up rather than see everyone leave at age 8.

The Council needs to be making sure they don't get away with it - not changing policy because of it.

It did, very briefly, occur to me that it could be an option and people do it - but I would never have considered actually doing it. And I suspect there's alot of people who think it through, talk about it, but wouldn't actually do it.

Also, they can't penalise families whos circumstances may have changed. Moving to a less expensive house out of the immediate area for whatever reasons shouldn't prevent siblings going to the same school. For every con-artist, there's probably a genuine need for the sibling policy.

The area attracts families because of the schools. We come here, breed, siblings take up all the places. And every year it gets harder to get in.

We should be campaigning for more places. Extra classes in Reception and Year 1, and can be redressed in Year 2/3 when the places come up as Tarquins gorn orf to Prep.

I'm sorry I still disagree that a sibling out of the area takes precedence over a child who lives locally to the school.

But yes it is wrong that there aren't enough reception places, that the council closed schools, that parents are put through the stress and worry of this.

On offer day when we rang the council to discuss what had happened they were proud of the process as it meant no child got an offer at more than one school. We were just aghast that the attitude was that it's a successful process when, as we've since found out, it left 421 children and families with the worry of not having a place anywhere.

DandS - I believe the council had to close schools because of national education policy - this area didn't always have the big family boom going on, so when schools seemed to have surplus places, councils were told to streamline / consolidate. and no-one had the good sense to allow for an overflow, trying instead to manage down the the exact numbers.

now of course the council benefitted by selling off sites (and thus keeping our council tax low) but now there are no sites for new schools and we are stuffed. so i hold the council and the govt equally responsible. can you tell I'm cross and worried?!

Cross and worried here too. Can't believe that this can be allowed to happen.

Hello all. I'm a few years off needing a school place but I am following these discussions with interest as we live about 480m from Honeywell in Wandsworth and obviously hoping for a place there. It's completely lucky as we didn't move here with schools in mind (stupidly enough as I am fast discovering!).

Can I ask what distances you live from your chosen schools?

We are 607m from our closest school, although the council dispute this distance. That wouldn't get us in though on a two from entry, only higher up the waiting list.

Ohforfoxsakes, completely agree with you. I can't grumble too much - one of those Yr 3 off to prep schoolers gave my son his place...

Until all the 'local' schools are great parents will strive to get their children into the best school they can.

D&S and others, am truly shocked that you have been left without any school place at all. Best of luck.

honeymoo - last year Honeywell went to 439 metres

Hi Eldon - does that mean it didn't give out ANY places any further out? Even on a waiting list? Thanks

Hi All,
Haven't been on in a while but really thrilled to see such lively debate!
Honeymoo - bad news I'm afraid; you wouldn't have got a place at Honeywell this year as they only offered to 406 metres while Belleville offered to 505 metres. All signs are that there'll be similar pressure on places next year too.
Absolutely agree with the points above about the need for more reception/Year 1 places. The only trouble with that is that, as has happened at Belleville, existing parents will often fight tooth and nail to veto plans for school expansion fearing the potential impact on their own children who've been lucky enough to get in. So with regards Belleville, we've now ended up with a fudge of a compromise with the Forthbridge Road site being set up with admissions based on Belleville location. But at least our chances of getting a school place are better now than they would be without the new site.
Also agree with the need for siblings to attend the same school - but surely only if they still live in the 'catchment area.' I know of families living in Tooting, Balham, Wandsworth, and even as far afied as Croydon who have retained places at H'well and B'ville and whose siblings have priority of places over those of us who still actually live within walking distance of school - surely that's not right. After all, it's not as if those areas don't have schools.
I think part of the reason why the system is currently open to abuse is that there doesn't seem to be an effective way for the authorities to ensure applications are not 'fraudulent' - basically it would require checking every applicant's situation prior to offering places and that's just not going to happen.
The council does, however, finally recognise this is an issue and is promising to look into it - not sure how they'll address it but at least, finally, they're accepting the need to at least revisit the system that they seem to be so proud of but that leaves so many families without any offer of a school place. I checked, however, and any changes will not come into effect until after 2011 entry as the 2011 admission criteria have already been published.

I assume the distances published relate to final offers before school starts

I do know people who got offered places 2 weeks into term

I'm actually not sure when the distance published relates to as Swaffield offered an additional class later in the day last year and the published distance for the school doesn't seem to reflect that.

I think what's fundamentally wrong is that I can't get my DS into any school in our allocated ward - surely this is something the council need to be addressing? Meanwhile there are pockets of schools in other parts of the borough that do have places (the Battersea Park area has three schools with open places at the moment) - suggesting something of a mismanagement of resources.

I also agree with mtcac that there should be a distance component to the sibling criteria. It can't be right that siblings from no matter where have a place over children that live walking distance from the school.

mtcac any news on the press thing yet?

I had an e-mail from Mark Clarke (propsective Tory parliamentary candidate) this morning giving me the latest facts and figures re. admission and also letting me know that the council aren't adverse to putting an additional class on at Swaffield but are waiting to see how the land lies as apparently they've put on extra classes at schools before and they've ended up not being required.

Also, anecdotally, have heard about a mum without a place who actually works for the council organising responses to OFSTED and she has told our mutual friend that she isn't worried as she's sure she'll get into her first choice shool. She's 25th on the list for it.

Thanks DMF I really hope so but the lists are moving so slowly it's hard ti keep up hope.

Hi DandS,
re the press thing. My DH has put the kaibosh (spelling??!) on my efforts to promote this appalling issue in the local press by refusing to consent to me and the children being photographed for the article (which, the reporter suggested could even make front page - but not without a pic, sorry!) If any other family in a similar situation would be happy to be photographed though maybe they'd still go ahead - would you be prepared to? Let me know and I can pass on the reporter's details to you offline.
In relation to the distances quoted - those were first round of offers this year. But in previous years, the offers for Honeywell haven't usually increased by much (basically because not very many people don't take their Honeywell place) while Belleville has historically increased more - I think out to 800m last year (but the offers made that far out were made into the school year and the admissions apparently had to go a long way down the list at that time to find a family that hadn't already committed to an alternative), so that figure isn't really a good guide of the likelihood of getting in.
We've actually now moved to 3rd on Belleville list so looking increasingly like we will get a place but like DandS says, the pace of movement on the lists is snail-like. The likelihood is we won't be offered a place now until the Summer, which means I can't start talking about school and this massive change in my daughter's life given the uncertainty.
DandS, I do hope they open up a new class at Swaffield - that would be your first choice wouldn't it? What do existing parents say re possible expansion - the 'I'm alright Jack' phenomenon is alive and kicking in this part of the Borough so I hope it doesn't stop any expansion at Swaffield.
Let me know about the press thing.

God how stressful for you. Do you have a backup plan in case, or will you wing it? I have written to the Tory MP Jane Ellison this afternoon asking what she's going to do aout the issue - guess what? No reply!

she isn't our MP - she is the conservative candidate

No back up plan - other than phoning round private schools desperately come Sept if we don't yet have a place. Would then have to pay until we could get a place.
I honestly believed we would get a place given Belleville's expansion to a 4 reception form entry - how misguided!!
Not much the MPs can do really about school places nor local admission policies - that's all down to the council.
In my view, given the Tory council's mismanagement of the need for places and the admissions policy (they're also making a similar mess of senior school places - again, in my view), the local council elections are likely to have a bigger impact on these issues than the general election. It's all very well and good having the lowest council tax in the country, but you get what you pay for, and in this case, we appear to get inadequate provision of state school places.
I'd urge you to use your local vote to make a statement of discontent!

Eldon that's what I meant...

wow honeymoo - you wrote this afternoon and she hasn't replied?! give her a chance! it's the day before polling day she'll be out on the streets trying to meet people. it is a council issue - you'd be better off writing to the council leader, teh head of the education ctte and also speaking to the council officers - that's what I'm doing. can give you contact details if you want?

mumtocandc - the 4 form expansion isn't until next year is it? i know it's 3 form this year, with the third form moving to the new site in 2011 when the new 4 form Reception starts. so on that basis there might be new places opening up in yr 1 next year? (not sure on this but it would make sense to open up yr 1 to 4 forms if demand allows) not great but perhaps a year of private and then move across? or stay at nursery (if an option). again not ideal i know.

another one here by the way at the selfish types already at school who fought so hard against the expansion. probably some of the same who will be taking their kids off to prep school come year 3 ... (cynical and bitter I know!!)

mtcac will have a chat with my DH and see what he thinks. It does need publicising as it's truly appalling.

Pleased you've moved up to 3rd - that's an amazing rise. We're still at 7th place for Swaffield so movement much more slow for us.

Our first choice would be Allfarthing but, given that we're 57th on the list there, not much hope of getting in. Seconf choice is Swaffield and I'd be over the moon really if he did get in. I really really hope so.

As for alternatives nothing really apart from potentially leaving him in nursery and hoping a place comes up mid-year (not great), or ringing round private schools late in the day. Neither are really palatable and I can't believe the LEA aren't doing more to work with us. We've been pretty much left to sort this out ourselves.

DandS, I know, it's absolutely appalling and I'm very cross with DH for vetoing my 'campaign' efforts. I wonder if a better option on the photo front (and perhaps more palatable for DHs) would be to get a group of us together with our little ones so then it's not quite so 'personal'? What do you think?

GoingPostal Belleville is already 4 form entry since the council had to put in an extra class last year and places for all 4 forms have been offered this year too. So from Sept the school will have 4 forms in reception and Yr 1.
The plan as it stands is that the new 4th reception form of Sept 2010 will be educated on the Belleville main site for this coming academic year and have to move to Forthbrige Road in Sept 2011, as that's when the new site will be ready. Thereafter, the 4th reception class will always take up its place at the FB Road site, and the school will build up from the bottom (iyswim).
The ridiculous thing about the FB Road catchment being determined by distance from Belleville and not FB Road itself is that you could live at the Wandsworth Common/Thurleigh Road ends of the 'catchment area' and have to walk past the Belleville main site all the way over to FB road to take your little ones to school - but that's a whole different subject and anyway, a place at FB is certainly a better option than no place at all!
If anyone else is interested in publicising this issue and would be happy to be photographed by the Wandsworth Guardian (possibly as a group of concerned mums and their little ones), do let me know.

mtcac I would definitely prefer the group option. I think there's a group of mums on Nappyvalley as well and I know of a couple who might be interested.