Primary school places - waiting room for anxious parents !

[thetideishigh]

When does everyone find out where their dc have been allocated a place ?

Very nervous waiting going on here as we have applied to dc1's school for a place for dc2 even though we are out of catchment but because the order of preference rules have changed siblings out of catchment no longer have priority over children within catchment (The school wasn't that popular when we applied for dc1 but has been over subscribed for the last 2 years).

Dreading having to be in 2 places at once on the school run if dc2 doesn't get in.

Off to check the LEA website for date of notification of places but it is deffo March sometime.

So relieved, got letter today to say that DS was offered a reception place at our 1st choice school. It's a Catholic Academy and the best in borough. DS is an only child (so no help from siblings to get in) and even though we live fairly close by (0.5 miles) we are technically out of borough too. So many bloody hoops to jump through, but so glad he got in.
I had wanted to move house last year and even put that off as I didn't want the move to jeopardise catchment etc...Crazy that you feel you have to plan your whole life round this thing. The silly part is that now I can move to outer Mongolia if I so wish, as long as I can get him to school on time every day.
Good luck everyone else still waiting, I know how it feels to be on tenterhooks. I was sure I would have to start lodging appeals etc... before Easter.

hi kitty, sorry I couldn't reply yesterday.

I am no expert as this is the first time I have gone through the system but it sounds to me like your LEA have ignored your application on medical grounds.

how did you apply - online or by post? We applied online, ticked the medical grounds box against our first choice school only and then added the supporting documents at the same time we hit the 'submit' button on the application. So there was no chance of documents going missing with the LEA or them not being kept with our application.

We then got our letter a few weeks back saying 'we note you have applied to xx school and your daughter has CF with x requirements' We are pleased to advise that we will accept your application under exceptional medical grounds'

So surely, if your LEA had all your documents and you had applied specifically on medical grounds then they must acknowledge you, even if it is to say that you have been unsuccessful?

I wonder if it would be worth posting on the special needs boards to see how other parents of children with CP got them into schools and if there are any tips they could give you for the wording of your appeal?

It's hard enough dealing with all that goes with a child with a medical condition let alone having to fight to get them an education at the right school for them. I feel for you and hope you are successful in your appeal

good luck!

Hi Mintyneb, well after making phone calls to the LEA it turns out that the report we submitted with the form (by post) was not enough to be considered medical grounds - it is a general cerebral palsy clinic report by DS consultant regarding general health, what his abilities are and any treatment/appliances he is considered for/getting, but what the LEA needed was a letter from DS medical professionals to say specifically why they would advise under his medical condition how he would benefit from going to the school I chose. I am annoyed about it as I did ask my doctor for this & he said his CP report should be enough, I rang the LEA before submitting it to ask if it would be enough & they said to send it anyway & they would be in touch if they needed anything else - but they didn't - not until I got the letter saying he didn't get into any of the 3 schools I chose.

I am appealing & have got 5 letters in the pipeline (hopefully will receive them all by next week) from medical professionals stating what the LEA have asked for. He is 5th on the waiting list anyway so I know stuff can change between now & September but I would rather know sooner rather than later.

I was surprised that he didn't get into any of the 3 chosen, the first being a 5 min walk away & the other 2 about a 10-15 walk away even without the medical grounds, although like I say 5th on the list for the first 2 not sure about 3rd.

Thanks for your advice & best wishes & hopefully it will be resolved soon.

Kitty x

Well, the bad news is in.

dc2 didn't get a place at first choice (got second choice) so unless the waiting list moves dramatically between now and September I'll have a logistics nightmare on my hands or end up paying an additional £25 a week for breakfast club at dc1's school so I can drop them off early before taking dc 2 to the other school.

Dc1 already goes to after-school childcare, I really didn't want them to be adding to their childcare hours away from home.

Have e-mailed headteacher at dc1's school to ask where we are on waiting list.

Have resolved to say nothing to the dc yet until we know more about waiting list position.

@thetideishigh - must be tough waiting over Easter hols (but we too waited a week in Surrey) - does your LA/council have a number you can call on Tue? My sympathies as we didn't get any of our choices and our waiting list position looks dire, so another round of visits and calls to do.... I wrote another post an auction would be better, lol..... or a swap shop with other parents.

We've still got a week to go. I'm not complaining though as this year they have put siblings above catchment in our area so I am sure DD will get in, feel so sorry for all of you who haven't got your choices. The only thing that bothers me though is that we live on the county border and all the parents who have applied to our school from the next county already know and we are still waiting.

JiltedJohnsJulie - guessing you may be in Cheshire West and Chester. If so I looked on their website and the notification has been moved forward because of the bank holiday to 12.30am on Thurs 28th (well late Wed night in effect - I'll be staying up to check!).

Hello, Can i join? I'm anxiously waiting for YR and Y3 placements next thursday, DS is already at the infants. but we live out of catchment. so desperate to know if mine have got in.

The closer the day gets the worse i feel. Is it a bit precious to get teary over this? Its driving me mad. I dont get precious about anything!

Anyway good luck to those who still dont know yet.

Hi nervously waiting here too. Should hear on Tuesday 26th if DD has got into 1st choice school. We live 0.2 miles away (according to google maps) so hopefully should, although it is a massively popular school and only has an intake in reception of 35 children. Will be gutted if she doesn't.

MrsBrolly close, its Cheshire East. Checked their website last week and it was still saying 29th. Emailed them to ask if they'd changed it and had no reply. Just a bit narked that people who live in Staffordshire know before we do, but like I say I can't complain too much as I'm sure she'll be in.

sprinkling not its not precious to cry. The system is a lottery and it is ludicrous.

apple hope you get the school you want. Is it 35 pupils in one class though? That seems a lot.

I'm still anxiously waiting to hear about dd's Reception place. Ds is already at the school so I'm hoping we get in on the sibling rule even though we're quite a way out of catchment. We're in Derbyshire and don't hear until 3rd May!

We're Cheshire East too, the wait is ridiculous.

3rd May, that has to be the latest yet.

Completely anxious again as I've just been talking to a Mum from around the corner. She says she called the LEA recently just to clarify something about the admissions, they asked for her child's name and they said they have no record of the application although the Mum has an email receipt. They've been told they will just have to wait until all the places have been allocated to see if there is anything left. Seems a little unfair as they have already told parents who have applied and live in the next county that they have places.

Think I'm going to have to call them on Tuesday and check they have our application.

Now you've got me paranoid because I don't think I have had an email receipt! I did it online and the webpage acknowledged that they had received the application, but now they have taken that page down so I can't even print it off.

Oh yes I have.

I had an email from my council the other day to tell me that i will get an email thursday
after tonight it will only be 2 days away!

I'm anxiously waiting today, perhaps even more anxiously as all three of our choices are out of borough.

Received our email at 8.30 this morning. DD3 has got into the same school as DD2 which we're really pleased about. We're out of catchment and the sibling rule doesn't give us priority. Catchment children come before out of catchment with siblings at the school.

We got what we wanted - checked last night (early this morning) - all ok as Ds and DD will be in the same school!

JiltedJohnsJulie I'm in Cheshire East too - checked earlier and we can log in to website after 3.30pm on Thursday 28th :)

I'm getting nervous now. We only live about 300m from first choice, but I have heard from DS's preschool teacher that there were 80 aplicants for 30 places, and siblings are priority over catchment. Hmmmmm.

Second choice is a good school, but is 30 mins walk in opposite direction from the train station, and I have to commute to work, so will be a bit of a logistical nightmare. Not to mention that DS2 has a place at the nursery next door to 1st choice school.

Argh.

Marion called them today just to check they have my application and they do, thank god.

Disco and Androb, glad you got the places you wanted

Sprinkling Pink and Ninth, hope we all get our choices. I stupidly put a second choice on mine, the local Catholic Primary which has good results but is super strict to the point of being ridiculous, am dreading getting my second place as I really don't know how I'd cope doing the school run.

Will have to wait until Thursday.

Headteacher of dc1's primary school called me over to a quiet corner for a chat today. They know I've queried where we are on the waiting list (3rd)

Apparently they were only oversubscribed by 6 (it's a one form entry school so 36 applications for 30 reception class places).

Head is disappointed for me and I quote "and disappointed for the school as we'd love to have dc2 follow in dc1's footsteps" .

dc2 has trundled in with me each day to drop off dc1, we've been to open mornings twice recently and they know that dc2 can read basic stuff already, count and do basic addition. Head said they are really hoping dc2 makes it to the top of the waiting list by September and advised me of what I already knew, that I can accept second choice place while still staying on the waiting list at first choice school. Head thinks I've "done my homework on the matter", (obviously doesn't realise my knowledge comes courtesy of the educational power of Mumsnet ! )

Head was not amused to hear that the LEA had informed me that our second choice school, at which dc2 has been offered a place also has places available for dc1's year group the suggestion being that I could pull dc1 out of the head's school to put both in the other school in order to avoid the logistics headache in the morning.

It's just a waiting game now. I won't be buying logo'd uniform/colour specific shirts until the day before term starts in September !

When do I tell dc2 ? They'll need time to get over the fact that they may not be going to dc1's school ? How is everyone else who is disappointed/playing the waiting game, handling this ?

Hopefully you will get your place then thetide. Know one person who was phoned at 8 am on the first morning of term to say they had now got a place.

Found out today dd has got in 1st choice primary, Mega pleased!! Good luck to all those still waiting!