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.

Hi, I totally see your point and agree that they can't just squeeze the children in as bigger class sizes causes problems for all (they are big enough as it is). I do think however that a review of primary provision in areas where all the schools are regularly over subscribed needs to be done urgently. Off the top of my head I can think of 9 primary schools which are closer than the one offered to us and according to the letter we have been offered the nearest so that is 9 primary schools over-subscribed. The fact that I have stumbled across someone who lives in my area with the same issue on a national forum suggests to me that there are least enough children in the area to warrant an additional class.

I am all too aware of the budget cuts (public sector worker) but this is so detrimental to children and their families that I think it at least deserves consideration. Sending children miles away to school adds to congestion which is bad news for all local residents, the environment and the children are missing out on an important health activity of walking to school which is not good considering the obesity crisis. Later in school life the walk to school can provide a chance of independence and prep for secondary school by walking without parents. I also feel that these children face to some extent being excluded socially from their local neighbourhoods as other children will form friendships at school and also play outside of school. This whole thing doesn't fit in very well with the 'Big Idea' and localism does it?

Probably nothing will be done but I will be raising the point with my local MP, councillor and local newspaper it will at least make me feel better :-). I will deal with this as a separate issue to securing a place for my DS, I have found a lovely school in a neighbouring village with a good ofsetd report and had 5 'spare' places last year - I think with some adjustments we can fit it into our lives so it is now fingers crossed time that there are places available this year...

Thanks
Catherine

I also don't think it helps that developers have been allowed by the council to build and build and build in the area with no apparent thought for the need for extra school places that would bring and now we're faced with this ridiculous situation.

There is no way, absolutely no way, that we can get both DCs to the schools allocated, not with work etc and won't be able to afford wraparound care. It may have been manageable if DS had got into local school even with DD getting into Jrs 4 miles away as the Jrs is near both DH and I workplaces and the local school is obviously near home but also near both sets of grandparents and our own siblings who could help with school runs.

It's completely bonkers to think that DH and I grew up in this area and my siblings and I attended the very school that we can't get DD or DS into, crazy!

You can see why people go private when the couple of thousand cost of fees at primary school isn't so much compared to the price of a house closer

Oneofthosedays - I agree and they want to build an additional 1000 houses in the area too, which is another thing fuelling my desire to take this up with the council.

I also grew up here and went to the first choice school, as did my sister and my eldest son we didn't have any issue getting him in 8 years ago but it seems things have changed since then.

I'm going to ring the school places team on tues and see where we are on the waiting lists for choice 1 and 3 and possibly contact choice 2 to put DS name down and do same for DD for y3, I'm also putting the appeal together for DD choice 1 school (LW).

It's truly ludicrous that they are thinking of building even more houses tbh. Lowton is a big sprawling mass of disjointed estates and is still defined as a village even though it isn't really anymore. Plus there aren't enough local shops to service everywhere as it is!!

Without commenting on the situation in Warrington specifically, a lot of councils seem to have been poor on ensuring an adequate supply of primary school places. Sometimes there are enough places but they are in the wrong place, so area A has a shortage of places but area B has too many. Sometimes there simply aren't enough places to go round.

It doesn't help that some councils were busy closing schools a few years ago to save money due to falling birth rates. Now that birth rates have gone up again they find themselves short of places.

It doesn't help that some councils were busy closing schools a few years ago to save money due to falling birth rates. Now that birth rates have gone up again they find themselves short of places.

Exactly. My son's school was threatened with closure soon after he started Reception, he's now in Year 2. Single form entry school and most classes only have between 21 - 25 children, so too many surplus places. Fortunately, we won against the LA and the school was reprieved. Current Reception class has 29 children and for the Sept 2011 intake there were 35 applicants for 30 places. Fortunately dd got one of the places, but I know that there are at least two children currently on the waiting list!

I have searched the council website to see if there are any figures as I would very much like to know if any of the other schools which were threatened with closure, and were also fortunately reprieved, were also oversubscribed for this Sept intake.

Just giving a quick update and would appreciate your thoughts on this everyone;

I rang the school places team today and DS is 6th on waiting list for choice 1, 13th for choice 2 and 4th for choice 3. I asked about putting DS' name down on waiting list for DD's school as well but was told I would have to remove one of our choices to do so. I removed choice 2 as DS was 13th on list, it's a very popular 1 form entry (and the other 2 and DD's infant are all 2 form) and sent a request to be added to DD's school which at the moment has no waiting list. I did question them on having DS's name down on more than 3 but apparently the 3 rule came in this year in the borough which is rather annoying!

I feel (not too foolishly I hope) more optimistic about DS's chances at getting somewhere local or DD's infant but am still going to appeal for DD's first choice for y3 and see what happens. I may post separately re grounds for appeal and ask for advice though as I've not a clue what will improve our chances of success.

Thanks for all the advice again.

Not another one!

Go back and remind the LA that you are entitled to have your son's name on as many waiting lists as you want. The rule they have introduced is illegal.

I tried to challenge him on it and said I'd heard I could put my name down on as many waiting lists as I wanted but he was insistent and said Borough council had brought in the rule this year. Really didn't know what to say to that tbh, how could I pull them up on this?

Refer the matter to the Schools Adjudicator. Ask the Adjudicator to deal with it quickly.

Thanks, I've fired off a quick email outlining the situation and asking for a quick response.

I've received a reply from the schools adjudicator and thought it would be interesting for others to note as well, not good news unfortunately!

[quote]

I am able to confirm that I am unable to find anything in the schools admissions code that states that an authority is unable to limit the number of waiting lists offered. When publishing its admission arrangements one of the things that the authority must state is how many waiting lists it allows. I have to say three is usually the norm.

[unquote]

That is really worrying and contradicts what prh47bridge has been saying. It certainly looks quite opaque in the admissions code.