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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

All a bit quiet considering today we find out about primary school places

170 replies

MindySimmons · 26/04/2011 12:21

Just thought it was quite strange that here and in the media, it's been rather quiet, considering there is a significant shortage of places and many of my friends throughout the area didn't get first choices (mainly in Bristol City, I'm out in South Glos and have been OK).

How did everyone get on?

OP posts:

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Pinkjenny · 27/04/2011 09:04

We got our second choice school

matpol · 27/04/2011 09:09

none of our preferred schools have offered us a place. I think we might have been through a random tie-break scenario as the school that has offered us a place seems completely random. It is 12mins away by car(according to google) probably more like 30 mins if you take into account traffic etc and is under ofsted. Apparently the council want to promote walking/cycling to school - massive fail. We are going to appeal and also get dd1 a place at a local private school but keep trying to get the place either from the waiting list or for dd2 and go from there. It is so annoying - we almost see our preferred school from our front door.

Does anyone have any advice on appealing?

Thanks!

northernrock · 27/04/2011 09:25

Rosebud, I could kill I really could!Off with their heads.

Panelmember-the thing is you have to know all the rules before you apply. I just naievly put the nearest schools in the order I liked them.
Doh! Silly me.
You have to know the system in order to be tactical, and most parents who are busy, and a bit thick (like me) dont.

Mrs Moppet-will deffo keep you posted. Let you know how the home schooling is going.

WhiteBumOfTheMountain · 27/04/2011 09:28

pinkjenny Yay! So glad that it ended well!

Sorry about those who havent got what they wanted though...

The whole boody system is ridiculous!

PuppyMonkey · 27/04/2011 09:48

Am I the only one still waiting? We don't find out till Tuesday, May 3 in Derbyshire.

Meglet · 27/04/2011 10:31

We find out tomorrow in Hampshire.

I am crapping myself, our first preference has been under-subscribed in the past but as we are just out of catchment I can't guarantee we'll get it.

Second choice is bearable.

Third choice will be a nightmare as there is no where to park and I'll be stuffed on the nursery / school / work run.

easycomeeasygo · 27/04/2011 11:09

My DS2 hasn't got a school place anywhere, all my own fault though, as I only put down 1 preference [really wanna slap myself emoticon] and now i'm moaning about it to the LEA and really its not their fault...ah well. :(

Bunnyjo · 27/04/2011 11:15

We also find out tomorrow in Cumbria. I am really worried now to be honest - our catchment school isn't actually our closest school and is poor school, so we didn't put that down as one of our preferences - which I know is a dangerous thing to do.

Our first preference was over subscribed last year (PAN 60, so no movement on intake), but under last years applications we would have got a place - we live 0.9mile away and the furthest non sibling offer was 1.1mile away. Unfortunately 2006-07 seems to have been a bumper year for births so I am genuinely worried we won't get our first choice. Our second was undersubscribed by 7 last year (PAN 45) and is 0.5mile away, so I am truly hoping that it is a strong second preference. Our last is a local village school that was slightly undersubscribed last year, so again hopefully a strong preference.

Good luck to those still waiting to find out, I'm as nervous as a kitten and also 36wk pregnant - not a good combination!

easycomeeasygo · 27/04/2011 11:20

good luck Bunnyjo no you really dont need this at the mo, I hope you get what you want. It will be one less thing to worry about. x

Whatevertheweather · 27/04/2011 11:30

Meglet - whereabouts are you? I'm fareham and in same situation - previously under subscribed school but I have heard through our nursery manager that its 42 places over subsribed this year and we are out of catchment!! 2 and 3 are okay schools but geographically a nightmare to get dd1 to school and dc2 to nursery and get to work. Nervously waiting the outcome tomorrow!!

Buzzybritches · 27/04/2011 11:33

We got our 2nd choice. Not a surprise as #1 not our catchment and no siblings. We just really liked it when we visited! Sad to miss out as her friends from pre school will be going there. But having just gone over our allocated schools website, 1 of the reception teachers is a lady i was friends with at school! What a small world! We can walk to #2 school too so all in all i think we have been very lucky after reading some of the nightmares some people are having. Disappointment faded now, i'm sure she will make new friends in no time. Good luck to everyone.

northernrock · 27/04/2011 11:41

"We also find out tomorrow in Cumbria. I am really worried now to be honest - our catchment school isn't actually our closest school and is poor school, so we didn't put that down as one of our preferences - which I know is a dangerous thing to do."

See, thats the same for me Bunnyjo, only I didn't know that I would be penalised for not putting the catchment school on the form.

Its actually an oversubscribed Outstanding school, unlike yours-but I didnt like the vibe there, and it is the opposite direction to my work, so I didn't put it.

Plenty of people do want places there though, so I dont get why we are being penalised really.

Why is it so damn complictated??? Or am I really thick?

MoChan · 27/04/2011 12:16

We don't find out here until 1 May. Not really nervous, I would be very surprised if we didn't get our first choice, as it's a small village school which looks like it will have a fairly low number of applications this year, is our catchment school, and is three minutes walk away from us. Can't imagine how edgy I'd be feeling if the situation were more difficult. I'd go spare.

GiddyPickle · 27/04/2011 12:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsFruitcake · 27/04/2011 12:36

What happens if you list only one school but its not your catchment one? I haven't done this - someone I know has though. Just being idly interested really.

Luckily, our first choice is the Primary-linked Junior school in our catchment area that happens to be only one of two Junior schools in the local area with an outstanding Ofsted, so I'd be surprised if we didn't get it - 2nd choice is another excellent school, just out of catchment but with strong links to the village we live in.

whichsideistherightside · 27/04/2011 13:00

my ds2 got his place in with ds1! thank god!

Panelmember · 27/04/2011 13:36

MrsFruitcake - Anyone doing that is taking a huge gamble. There seems to be a widely-held assumption that naming just one school will somehow force the LEA's hand, but it certainly does not. Listing just one school does not give any additional priority for that school, so anyone who lists only one school for which they are not in catchment could well find themselves being offered a place in a school which they would not have named if they had used all the preferences on the form.

Swaliswan · 27/04/2011 13:44

We don't find out until friday 6th may. I'm not sure that my nerves can take it. DH goes away that day for 16 days and I will not be able to contact him so goodness knows what I'll do if we don't get a preferred school.

Meglet · 27/04/2011 13:44

whatever We're in amazingstoke. All the schools I've applied for are just 'good' or 'satisfactory', nothing outstanding in my area. The one I want DS to go to is lovely and will make the mornings routine easier. The others will be a logistical nightmare, and there's a mum who I swear hates me at one of the other schools, her DP is friends with my nutjob XP so I want to steer clear of any school gate hassle.

Praline · 27/04/2011 13:51

We found out 31st March, got where we wanted.

Moog72 · 27/04/2011 14:15

Anyone else waiting in brighton? Should find out this afternoon but don't know what time so am checking email every 5 minutes!

Bunnyjo · 27/04/2011 14:16

Thanks easycomeeasygo, at this rate I'll be in premature labour by tomorrow... Or hormonally screeching, like some deranged idiot, at a poor admissions worker!

northernrock I was told, by a few people in the know, that it is always preferable to list your catchment school as one of your preferences. As your catchment school is always oversubscribed, I doubt it would make a difference to your application and you may well have still ended up on the waiting list for that school or with another of your preferences.

MrsFruitcake I completely agree with Panelmember, who is far more qualified to talk about school admissions and appeals than I ever will be - but there has been some docmented cases in our local papers of people who have done similar and failed. In our city they had 3 primary schools north of the river that bisects the city - two are oustanding schools and the third was in special measures. The council decided to close the school in special measures in 2006, but they didn't make any further places available at the other 2 schools (both are 60 intake). There were cases of parents who lived well within catchment (800metre away in one case) who only listed their catchment school as a preference (some listing the same school 3 times [cconfused]), but were unsuccessful and ended up being offered a place in a 'lesser performing' school anywhere between 2 and 4 miles away.

I really hope everyone, who is still waiting to hear, gets one of their preferences. I cannot believe how stressful the schools application process is nowadays!

Original poster

MindySimmons · 27/04/2011 14:42

I'm just amazed by the number who haven't got any preferences!

OP posts:

MrsMoppet · 27/04/2011 15:07

Panelmember Thank you ... I've checked with the school and a) we were assessed in the wrong category - they assessed us as living out of catchment when in fact we are in catchment ...

but b) there are 25 families in catchment who didn't get a place at the school who live closer than we do

For non-church, non-sibling catchment dwellers, the last one to get a place lives 0.55 miles away from the school. We live 1.7 miles away, so were never realistically going to get a place.

However, I am going to check whether we were assessed correctly for our 2nd and 3rd choice schools now.

How are you feeling about things today?

raiseaneyebrow · 27/04/2011 16:13

Moog72, I'm in Brighton and got email at about 3pm. No surprise for us as we have a sibling link but still nice to see it in black and white!

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