School dilemma I wannnnnnna cry

[WelshBorisKarloff]

Bugger bugger and more bugger

There are 3 Welsh schools in Swansea the one I want my DD to go to is great, near a fantastic creche which do pick ups and Ive got a friend whos children go there

The 2nd one is further away, has no creches near by and the bus service to get there is poor. So if there was ever an emergency and my mum needed to pick DD up she'd be struggling

The 3rd one is also a great school, down the road from my grandparents and near my boyfriends house

I thought we would be in the catchment area for the 1st school, but I rang yesterday and WE'RE NOT. She has to go to the 2nd school

Now, if she does go there, she'd have to miss nursery because there is no way I could work and get back and forth to school just for 2 hours a day. My mum couldnt get her. So she'd be behind in learning Welsh compared to her classmates who have gone to nursery.

Do I

1. Appeal and try to get her into the 1st school? Plead and beg and offer sexual favours?

2. Say we live with boyfriend and get her into the 3rd school

3. Put her into the local Catholic school where I went. Good school but I really want her to learn Welsh

HELPPPPPPPPP

Would there be anyone who could teach her Welsh after school or weekends? If not, I;d go for the school near your boyfriend, AND appeal 1st school too.
We're very lucky we live right next door to the school we want DS to go to. We could literally chuck him over the wall

I'm learning Welsh in college, Id prefer her to learn in school. That way she can speak it all day.

Thanks for replying, Im going to sit down tonight with my parents and my boyfriend and discuss our options

No problem. It's great that you want her to learn her 'native' language (hope that doesn't sound patronising - don't mean it to be). The Welsh language should not be allowed to die out - same as Cornish, Manx, Gaelic etc. It's part of history but shouldn't be consigned there. Good luck!

Appeal, preferably in Welsh. I doubt sexual favours will be required.

Apeliwch!

(I'm sure Moondog will pop up to correct my grammar...)

i would appeal to first school,tell them your reasons.maybe not offer sexual favours though!im in cornwall,no school here offers cornish lessons so i think your very lucky to have that option and think its great that you want her to learn welsh.

I'm GOOD at sexual favours though

I wanted someone else to have a look at my options to stop me going crazy!!

Thanks girls

.

I would put BF's address and go for 3rd.
My parents even put their friends address to get me in a school. V naughty but v neccesary (sp)
Good luck.

i don't quite understand, how old is your DD? is she going into foundation 1 (preschool) or foundation 2 (reception).

If it is F2 then you can put which ever school down you want as your first choice, then you have to give reasons why, to strengthen your case, not being in catchment puts you lower on the list for a place but it doesn't exclude you. Is the school over subscribbed?

She is 2, she will be 3 in Sept 2007. She will be in nursery class.

I want to sort out her school NOW. She will have a better chance of going into the primary if she has been in the nursery

Plus I dont want to swap schools once she is settled

Not sure about Wales but in Scotland you can put in a placing request for a different school.

on our forms it does say that being in the nursery of a school doesn't guaruntee a place in the primary school, but imo it should help you case. The key thing to look into is whether the school has been over subscribbed in the past, and if so why have they turned people away. My understanding from the booklet we've just got for DD1 who starts school sept 2007 (foundation 2) is that the first places go to children in catchment, then remaining places are judged on their indiviual merit, so sublings at the school, distance as the crowflies, transport issues, convience (so nearer to your place of work). You get a chance on the primary application form to state your case for a particular school. I have thought that having built up a friend base at the nursery would help your case.

Thanks katz thats really useful

Im going to ring the LEA and find out the procedure regarding appeals

bump for the clique

Boris - not in the clique but my friend had this problem in Cardiff this year.

She rang the schools involved and they were really helpful. It's worth asking your No.1 school about their catchment, whether they tend to have spaces, whether they are over subscribed usually etc. They should know their own situation a lot better than the LEA do.

Also, I presume Swansea is the same as Cardiff in that the nurseries, although attached to the schools are not based on catchment but on first come first served. DD had a little girl in her nursery class last year from Caerphilly 6 miles away but a little boy in the same road as the school did not get a place as he was too late to apply. When they went into reception this year that girl did get a place at the school despite the distance as there happened to be one space left.

If it comes to it, the grounds for appeal in Wales are (in order of priority) Catchment, siblings, medical reasons, transport. You might be able to appeal on transport and childcare issues.

Anyway, speak to the school first and see what they say - hope they're helpful to you.

You can be in the clique now hockeymum

Thanks, might see you in a Welsh meet up one day

ooh am honoured - do I get a crown?

Is it your nearest welsh-teaching school?

well im not in your clique but im gonna butt in with my opinion anyway.

Put your choice of school down now. most parents won't have even considered nursary yet (i know i havent)

so being first in with your form must get you some extra browny points.
your may not be in the cathment but you can't be too far out of it as otherwise you would have known not to bother applying.

if the school is undersubscribed they will look to take on people from further afield.

it doesn't hurt to apply, if it all fails you know that school numbers 2 and 3 are still there.

I agree with Iklboo Boris, I would try and get her into the third school AND appeal about the first school, you might swing it, it's not over till the fat lady sings!!

Otherwise I'd go for the Catholic school and get her a tutor for Welsh, although that could be expensive.

Good on you for thinking about it now, you've got a MUCH better chance of swinging the decision about the first school than if you'd left it later.

Thanks greeny

mwah mwah

Found it. Will read it now.

Agree with Greeny. Do I get a kiss too?

Seriously, I do agree with Greeny

mwah mwah mwah

Ill tell you how my family "meeting" goes

It usually involves my father taking the piss out of me, calling me ginger, my mother asking bonkers questions like "hmm but what colour uniform will she wear?" and me storming out like a 15 year old

"S'NOT FAIR"