In year application - Trafford/Sale - any feedback?

[magicmonkee]

Our flat is under offer and we are looking at moving to the Sale area from Manchester city centre, our son (nearly 5) has just started school.

I've heard Woodheys, Springfield and St Mary's all rated outstanding but will it be easy to make an application to them now term has started? Also I'm worried how another big change will affect him..

Hope you can help out there. Thanks!

anyone?

You will be an in-year application. Trafford will not consider your application until they have evidence of exchange of contracts on your new residence. If there are places available at any of these schools then if you request a place then it must be offered to you. However the probability is that the schools will be full, given they are all rated outstanding. You can appeal for a place if they are full but if the infant class ssize regulations apply (an admission number of 15,30,45,60 etc) then the chances of a successful appeal are very low.
I would as well as considering these schools look at other schools in the Sale area and see what you think of them. You could ask Trafford LA admission office which schools still have places in sale in reception year as a starting point.

thanks for your feedback admission, a friend of mine told me that you have a good chance of getting into those schools listed as an in year applicant, thought it was too good to be true.

I'll ring Trafford LA next week to see which reception places are available.

On another point I'm worried that he may not adapt well in new environment and become the outsider when starts a new school, anyone experience this too?

Thanks admission, sound advice.

The information on the Trafford LA site is not very helpful, so I have had to go delving into school websites for info on admission numbers. Springfield appears to be 60 and Woodhey is 45 but the school is being extended to what appears to be 60 admission number. These two school will definitely be subject to appeals that are infant class size appeals. St Marys appears to have a slightly wierd admission number of 35, so that is probably not subject to the infant class size regs but the admission criteria is strongly biaised towards faith applications. It is difficult to tell from the data how oversubscribed this school is.
Sorry but this info is not particularly encouraging to you but it is best to be forewarned than expect a school place at these schools to just materialise.
Kids at that kind of age tend to adapt very easily to a new situation, so I would be more concerned about getting a school place in a school local to where you want to live than what the effect would be on your son.

hiya,
i live in Sale- no chance with St Marys, CofE school where lots of people attend church just to get their kids into school- somthing lke 50% places go to siblings. not too sure about in year applications to the other. I actually went to woodheys (lots years ago!) and have friends who send their kids now and its a happy school. I think springfield faitly over subscribed. do you know which catchment you will be in as all these schools have different catchments?

Thanks for the advice both of you and thanks for checking out school information admission, doesn't seem very positive does it? I'm not sure how appeal system works admission but think I need to explore schools and catchment areas before I go down that route....

Hopingit - are most schools good in Sale? I'm looking on Ofsted and the only one that concerns me is Firs primary, worried about potential effect on ds as he is quite shy. I'll ring council tomorrow about places that are still available, but does anyone else know other good primary schools in Sale/ Trafford catchment area? Please?

Thanks all

Can anyone advise on how waiting lists work? How long are people on waiting list and how often do places become free?

I've seen a house in catchment area for Springfield (it's about 300m away) and when I spoke to school they said a place was available. However when I raised this with Trafford admissions, they said school had a long waiting list (18) and surprise surprise the school that does have places is Firs primary which got 3 on ofsted...

I might look at other areas but Sale is ideal for my work and travel.

If anyone can give me some hope about waiting lists, I'd be grateful!

Waiting lists are very difficult to second guess from one school to another. If the school has a fairly mobile population and has people moving regularly you will see considerable movement on the waiting list. However I have known schools where the school is full and there has been no movement in 3 years.

The situation you describe at Springfield should not happen. If a place comes available then it will be filled from the waiting list and if there are really 18 on it, they should have absolutely no problem filling the place. However where you are in the waiting list order is determined solely by the admission criteria order, so it would be generally siblings and then distance from the school. 300M is not an enormous distance so it could be that you would be near the top of the waiting list but until you request the place you will not know.

Not sure that gives you any hope or not.
Having looked at the Ofsted report on the Firs, this is a school that has been in notice to improve category but now with a new interim head they are now deemed satisfactory. A new head has been appointed and started and this could be exactly the right time to join the school as it gets better and better. I would go and visit the school and see what you think of it. PS the Ofsted inspector who removed the notice to improve is very experienced and would never have done so if he had the slightest doubt that the school was now on the up.

Hi admission, so grateful for your insight on this, thanks.

It's all a bit uncertain until we move, we'll have to have everything crossed we get a school we like. As you said, I'll only get a feel when I visit Firs and other schools, the Ofsted reports tell only part of the picture and friends only given me feedback on the outstanding schools, need to explore more why rest of schools have places still, can only guess why..

Thanks again admission.