What should I do next? DS didn't get into ANY of his choices for Reception :-(

[oneofthosedays]

I'll give a bit of background first - DD (7) attends an infant school close to our old house (we moved 4 miles away in Nov 2010) and is moving up to Jrs in Sept and has received her 3rd choice (which is the Jrs connected with the Infants), her first 2 choices were local to our new house but unfortunately oversubscribed, we were advised by DD's school to put the Jr school nr old house as 3rd choice so she wouldn't miss out altogether.

For DS we applied for 3 local schools (local to new house). Unfortunately today we have had the letter thru telling us DS didnt get into any of his choices and I am absolutely gutted. DS choices were;

No1 (161 apps for 30 places, last place allocated was 0.3m and we're 0.5m),

No2 (118 for 30 places, all allocated for siblings or church goers) and

No3 (91 for 30 places all allocated for siblings and distance, last place to 0.9m and we're 1.2m).

He's been allocated a notverygoodatall school 3 miles away.

I don't know what to do for the best now - if DS didn't get into school on distance I'm presuming an appeal would not be likely to succeed?

Another option would be to submit a late application to the infant school that DD is due to leave of which DS would fall under the 2nd allocations criteria for admission (sibling, criteria 1 is children in care) but I dont know how likely the chances are of him getting in there as all places have presumably already been allocated.

Last option would be to keep DS at home (he only turns 5 in July 2012) for another year and apply again for Sept 2012. If we do this would DS be applying for Reception or Y1?

I would be so grateful for any advice, a bit dramatic maybe but I'm sat here in tears over this as it was so unexpected for DS not to get into any of his choices.

Id put him on the list for the school your DD goes to, as she will be in the juniors, and this will make your morning journey much easier.

Put him on the waiting list for all three in fact, as people can move in and out of the area and may waiting on appeal to another school.

i would do what hatti suggests but also see if you can put him on the waiting list for any other schools near your new house too.

if you keep him at home (which you legally can) then you will have to apply for a year 1 place for the following september (not year R as he will be too old) and if all the schools are that oversubscribed for reception its pretty unlikely you would get a place in year 1 either since someone who started this sept in reception would have to leave for there to be a place available in next years year 1 if you see what i mean.

oh, meant to say, if you decline the place you have been offered, then the schoolm can give that place away and you may end up with no school place (or one very far away) so ideally, you need to accept the place you've been offered for the time being anyway.

DS has automatically been put on the waiting list for 2 of his declined choices, so that's one less thing to do at least. If all the places for DD's old infants have been allocated is putting DS on the waiting list the only thing we can do or should we submit a late application?

I presume if all places have been allocated at the school (highly likely as, like all DS's choices, v oversubscribed) then DS could only wait to see if a place becomes available, he wouldn't get bumped into a place causing someone who got the place on a lower criteria i.e distance to lose the place?

No they won't take a place away from someone else, but as a sibling (assuming the infants and juniors are linked for admission purposes) I would think he'd be high up the list. Is there generally much movement in the area or do many go to private schools? You only need a few who were planning on going privately anyway to release their places and you could be in. Good luck!

I'm in a similar position to you, except we don't have an older child. Suggestion: put his name on DD's school. Can I ask why you didn't put her school down as one of your choices? (seeing as you are considering it now?)

For now it is best to accept that school he has been given for now and then decline it later if you get a place at a school you want(unless home schooling is ok with you).

I am guessing he isn't at nursery at present - because some nurseries are qualified (these are private ones) to provide reception to year 2 education as well, although they are not schools and it may not be such a varied programme. He could go to one of those while waiting for a place to come up.

Just to say that in many areas if you start attending at the school you don't want, you may not get a place at the preferred school if someone moves in who lives closer. I wouldn't worry about the bumping off - that is what will happen to your son on his two other waiting list choices too...even if he's number one on the list.

If you reapply for Sept 2012 he will start in year 1, not reception, is what I've been told. (My child has a late summer birthday too).

P.S. They can't take away a place from a pupil if it's already been offered, you can only edge someone else down the waiting list. Just reread your post and realised that this was probably what you were asking about.

South - We didn't put DS's name down for DD's school as we were trying to get them both into the local school which is near the new house but was strongly advised to put the Jr school nr old house on as 3rd choice just in case. In hindsight we probably should have done that with DS as well but with a glut of schools within 10 mins walk of the new house, the closest 3 of which we applied for, we presumed it would be a given that he would get one of his choices.

Movement wise at the DD's infant - perhaps not many choosing private it has high immigrant/non english speaking population and a high no of rental properties (between which there seems to be a lot of movement). That said, this infant school has been rated outstanding by ofsted and is near a equally good catholic school and a not so good non-church school so although it is a double intake (60), places are coveted!

If I had known this was going to happen I would definately have put DS's name down for DD's school and am now kicking myself that we didn't!

Oh, I see - that makes sense. Yes, hindsight is wonderful (sigh) - we are in a bit of a holding pattern too. Do you know which position you are on the waiting lists?

No idea re postition on the waiting lists, literally only got the letters this morning, so have to wait until tuesday before I can speak to anyone, which is rather frustrating, I'm chomping at the bit to get on the phone and speak to someone! Stellar way to ruin someone's easter weekend isn't it?!

I would go for submitting a late application/waiting list request for a Reception place for your DS at your DD's current school. If he is offered a place for September you don't actually need to take it up but could accept it with a view to sending him at Easter next year if you felt he was ready (and a closer school place hadn't been offered).

At the same time I'd ensure your DD is on the waiting list for the schools near your new home... as she will be going into Y3 you may have better grounds for appeal as KS2 won't be subject to class size regulations in the same way. Once your DD has been given a place at a school close to your new home, your DS's position on the waiting list will improve as he will then be a sibling.

If you're happy to postpone sending your DS to school until Y1 then I'd concentrate on getting a local place for your DD, a place for your DS will probably come up eventually.

Don't lose hope (easier said than done, I know!), my DD wasn't offered a place at any of the 4 we applied for two years ago and was offered a place 3 miles away (2 buses or an hour's walk due to the railway line) in the opposite direction from the local school where I am a teacher. We ended up sending her to another local school for the first term of Reception, at which point she was 10th on the waiting list for my school. By January she'd been offered a place at my school - as the result of the knock-on effects of fraudulent behaviour elsewhere in the LA which meant a number of children ended up changing schools after a term.

Definately going to ring the school placement team on tues and get DS's name on the waiting list for DD's school. I can't think of any suitable reason for appeal, the distances look fine, no special needs or anything, I can't believe how many have applied for the places at each school! DD's letter knocking her back from choices 1 and 2 (which were the same as DS choice 1 and 2) simply state that y3 is oversubscribed at these schools so I don't even know what angle I would go for to appeal for a place at either and still with no guarantee that DS could go to the same school or even worse, would have to change schools part way thru reception year. It's a right bloody mess and I am struggling to think clearly as it all seems so confusing on what to do for the best as there's no guaranteed outcome.

He might not be a sibling at yr DD's school as she won't be there in Sept. At least, that's how it worksat our inf and junior schools - they are separate schools so a sibling in jrs doesn't count for infant apps. It may be different for you tho - worth checking.

Where are you? Staggered that you were not given place at nearest school (or is there a nearer one?) - this seems madness. Can only suggest waiting lists.

If you apply again for next year he will go into yr 1 and be no better off in terms of spaces.

We're postcode area WA3 and we applied for all 3 of the closest schools (i.e 2 choices 0.5m away and 1 choice 1.2m), the only school closer was a catholic primary which we knew we had no chance of getting into as it is very popular and DS not baptised/christened.

The infants and jrs are separate schools but the sibling priority still applies, same as DD had a guaranteed place at the jrs (but had option to apply elsewhere). I am 99% sure that all reception places will be filled and oversubscribed as they are every year at DD infants - but will be ringing to check, I think the waiting list option for DS at DD infants will be first point to action plus finding out where DS is on the waiting list for the 2 local school choices. Then possibly appealing for DD's place at the local school.

There's been some good advice which I can refer back to on this thread, thanks to everyone who has posted. Any further reasons that people have used to appeal school places and won on would be appreciated. I'll be doing a search on this too.

Hi,

Your story sounds very similar to mine and I am also in WA3 and lost out on first choice as we live 0.580 miles away and the last place was given to 0.398 miles :-( There are 60 places there too.... My ds is my youngest but my eldest is in secondary so he was no help.

I got my letter this morning and am devastated that my Ds hasn't been offered a place at any of our three choices or even a place within our village. The school he has been offered is 2.6 miles away and has an Ofsted of 3 with the comment in the report that the children's achievements are below average with below average English skills and demonstrate a 'narrow vocabulary'...! I dislike the area that the school is in and would not choose to live there or send my child to a school there. I am absolutely beside myself and furious with the council for sending this letter out to arrive over a long weekend so I can't phone anyone or do anything!! I ticked the box on the application form to be notified by email at 9am on Tuesday 26th and had even made arrangements to go into work later on that day!

One thing I am looking into at the moment (not sure if its an option for you) is alternative councils for example, I have a Warrington post code but pay my council tax to Wigan, so have up to now only considered schools in Wigan Borough, but we are surrounded by towns such as Culcheth, Croft and Newton Le Willows that are in Warrington and St Helen's councils - I intend to call them on Tuesday to see if there are any spare places in those places as it might be a bigger distance to travel but better than what I have been given. I will also be trying the waiting list route.

It such devastating news though and I can totally understand how upset you are, the things that upset me are:

1)My child won't know children in the local area (to play out with etc)
2)My child will never get the opportunity to walk to school
3)I honestly don't know how my husband and I will manage to get him to the school as with eldest grandparents did the school run but they don't drive and there are no buses at appropriate time, we can't afford wrap around care
4)If my child goes to our local secondary it is likely he won't know anyone there
5)I simply don't like the idea of him being so far from home in an unfamiliar area
6)I still don't know what school he will be going to and face the stress of waiting lists and choices being changed at the last minute so will struggle to prepare him.

People keep telling me to appeal but when it is distance or religion (which I can't believe in this day in age can be a criteria..) and they can only fit 30 in a class I just can't see a case..would love to hear otherwise.

Catherine

oneofthosedays and cswilliams78 - On the admission numbers any appeal will be infant class size. This means you can only get in if you can show that a mistake has been made - that the admission arrangements contravene the Admissions Code, the arrangements have been administered incorrectly or the LA has behaved unreasonably. I have come across some cases where appeal panels have admitted even where no mistake has been made but this is rare. The most likely mistakes are putting your child in the wrong admissions category or getting the distance from your home to the school wrong. You can still appeal even if you don't have any evidence of a mistake and you may strike it lucky but be realistic about your chances.

I would recommend accepting the offered school so that you have a backup if all else fails. If you reject it the next school offered is likely to be even further away and, as it will be an unpopular school, it may not be any better than the school you have been offered.

You are now entitled to apply for as many schools as you want and go on as many waiting lists as you want. Look around for acceptable schools even if they are in areas covered by neighbouring councils and apply for places at them. Get yourself on the waiting list for any where you think you have a realistic chance of getting in.

Also, make sure the council have put you on the waiting lists for all your preferred schools. There is often quite a lot of movement on the waiting list so you may still get a place that way.

Catherine - wasn't school with initials LW was it?

I think we may appeal to get DD into Y3 then at least if she gets in DS will move up the waiting list.

You don't say if your DS is already going to nursery school / early education; you know you can keep him in early education using your free entitlement and then send him to school in September 2012 (Year 1) or he can start Reception when a place occurs between September 2011 - July 2012.

Hi, if you mean our first choice then, yes...

And Mr Burnham can expect a sharp letter on the subject...

I know 'they' have their rules and criteria that can't be bent but 'they' shouldn't be allowed to hide from that and look down on reasons such as social issues and childcare as being not important! This is plain wrong, children should have the right to go to school within their own neighbourhood and community. It is totally unfair that certain children miss out based on a quarter of a mile it really can be a massive disadvantage! I read earlier that because the school is over 2 miles away he gets a free bus pass..even if there was a bus....lot of use to a four year old!!!

steps off soap box

cswilliams78 - GiddyPickle is right. The entitlement is to free transport. This may take the form of a free bus pass but that would be unusual for a primary school child. A taxi (not just a random one but with the driver having passed CRB checks) would be the usual provision.

I sympathise with your views but it isn't always that simple. You often find that schools are in the wrong places, so some local schools are oversubscribed with local pupils whilst others have a lot of children travelling some distance. If you miss out based on a quarter of a mile it generally means that most of the pupils who got in are at least a quarter of a mile closer to the school than you, although, depending on the admission criteria, there may be a few children from further afield - siblings of children already at the school for example. If you insist that only the children who live closest to the school get places you would get complaints from parents who already have a child at the school and now find that their younger sibling can't get in. They would also be talking about transport and childcare problems, so back to square one.