waiting lists

[RobynLou]

we missed out on our first choice for reception by 25 metres, we've returnec our form, accepting the school we've been offered and asking to be put on the waiting list for our first choice.

I've read many times on here people being advised to 'keep in touch' with both the school and the council re waiting lists - what does that mean exactly? who should I be asking to talk to at the school and what should I be asking? how regularly should I be in touch with them?

every week, ring up the council/school to find out where you are on the waiting list.

Yes, some people say there is disparity between the council and school waiting lists, so it makes sense to keep in touch with both.

It is the Local Authority who are responsible for all offers of places at a school and it is the admission office at the local authority you need to ensure has you on the waiting list. The school will symphasise but can do nothing.
You will find that little happens for the first couple of weeks after the first round of places are offered. This is while the LA are co-ordinating all the declines and accepts for the schools, after which they will start to fill places declined from the waiting list. If you missed out by 25 metres then you should be near the top of the waiting list of those that applied on time, but you could find that there are late applications that are nearer than you or have a sibling, so do not assume that you will be at the top of the waiting list.
The other thing to do is just look at the distance quoted - does it seem sensible for the distance from home to the preferred school? If so you then need to make a decision whether to appeal but on what grounds I am not quite sure. If the distance looks wrong maybe it is worth checking out more to make sure it is correct. Whilst the distances are usually very accurate, human mistakes do very occaisonally occur

I don't think we have any grounds to appeal - their measurement actually put us v slightly closer than ours!
It's just an incredibly oversubscribed school, with 56 siblings from an intake of 90, and a block of flats built v recently vvv near the school which a number of people are renting and pretending to live in but not - unfair but not against the rules according to one of the governors those two factors have caused a catchment of 0.38 of a mile this year - we would've got in any year previously
as its a v affluent area I'm hopeful a decent number of people with places will defect to private schools...I'm thinking of putting up some ads for private schools around the area

thanks for the advice, it's so overwhelming this school thing, just really want to get it right for DD1, it feels so important.

The governor is incorrect. The admission rules are such that it is the pupil's address where they are actually living on set dates that is the address that must be used. So if there are people renting in this block of flats and they do not live there then they are cheating and need to be reported.
I would definitely report them and for a governor at the school to be in effect condoning this is disgraceful.

Hi All,

My DD got her third choice and I am waiting till May 2nd for the waiting lists to become available to find out where she is on the first two schools she missed out on.

I am wondering about the new system and is there likely to be any movement before the September 2011 term?
It just seems that everyone had to accept their offer, for fear of losing their place, so it just seems unlikely that any places will be available.

Let me know if this is not the correct thread to post this in and I will move it. BTW the schools are in Barnet, North London.

CHarmie,
The sensible thing to do is to accept the place offered. However that is just the start of the "appeal season" and the probability is that some will move to independant schools and others will change their mind even before any appeals start. So it is reasonably likely that there will be some movement in the waiting lists between now and September.

Hi Admission,

Thanks for the reply.
It seems that this years intake was the start of a new type of application. Last year, my sister was offered two places so was able to accept one and then reject the other and therefore create some movement within the waiting list.
This year unless someone is brave enough to reject their only offer it looks as if everyone will have to take what they have been offered.

Today I visited one of the schools where we are on the waiting list as my daughters criteria has changed so wanted to know if this would affect her position on the list and was informed that it would. This is good news as it will mean she will move further up. Am hoping my DD does get in as another mother wants her place at the school that she got accepted into.

We are also going to appeal as this is what has been advised, though I am not sure that we have a strong case, but I guess it can not hurt to try and shows the school we really want a place.

Your sister should not have been offered two places. That was a breach of the Admissions Code. They should only offer the place at the highest preference school with a place available.

Yes, people should accept the place offered. However, there will be movement on the waiting list. People will move out of the area, win appeals or decide to go private.

Appealing will not affect your position on the waiting list at all. If it is an infant class size appeal you should only win if you can show that a mistake has been made and your daughter would have been admitted if they had got it right. If it is not infant class size you will have a better chance but it depends on the strength of your case for your child to be admitted and the strength of the school's case to refuse admission. If you want to tell us the basis of your appeal you will get more help.

admission is absolutely correct when they say that the LA handles the lists but I know from my own school that we like parents to be in touch with us as well, as although we cannot influence the decision good thing to) sometimes the information we have turns out not to match what the LA has - and a discrepancy like that sometimes throws up an issue that needs to be dealt with -bluntly it can pick up a mistake early, so that it can be fixed without difficulty.

We only put 1 school on our preference assuming (wrongly) that we would automatically be allocated a place at our catchment school. We have been allocated a school that is 2 miles away (our catchment school is walking distance). We know that the information about the process was provided but we failed to appreciate the ramifications - the online form should force you to enter more than one or at least have an additonal button so that you understand possible outcome. Its sad that subsequent emails from the admissions department did not query this fundamental mistake.

What can we do - can we ask to go on wait lists for others schools namely our catchment one and our original choice and hope someone drops out (both schools at their legal capacity)?

Or is it our hard luck and fault that we will have to live with...