Waiting lists question.

[ameliapond]

I am asking for a friend.

She moved back to the area and lives very close, less then 0.1 miles from her catchment school. This school was full so she had to put them in the nearest one to her that had places, a 20 minute walk away.

She has two children, one just gone into year 1, the other year 2.

She has phoned up the LEA about places at her catchment school, and was told there was no one above her eldest on the waiting list, but three people above her youngest.

Does this sound right? Wouldn't both her girls be at the top, seeing as her eldest is?

well no.. it depends how many other people were already on the list doesn't it? and how many have come out of each class?

Presumably there's a separate list for each year - a space in a year 5 class wouldn't be any use to a year 1 child. So they have 3 year 1s with a higher priority in the queue than hers, but no year 2s.

Although if her eldest is allocated a place, it's likely that her youngest will move up the waiting list if there is sibling priority as there is in most schools.

unless the other 3 already have a sibling there too!

It sounds ok to me. Even if the school gives priority to siblings, the younger child will not benefit from sibling priority until the older child has a place. And as thisisyesterday points out, it is possible (albeit unlikely) that the three children ahead of the younger child all live closer to the school and have siblings at the school already.

Thanks for the replies.

If the children above her youngest live further and don't have siblings, is it still right that she is below them? They do give priority for siblings there.

And will admissions tell her the distance of the children above her youngest?

if they are further away AND don't have a sibling it's likely she would jump to the top, yes.

i wouldn't have thought she would be told how close they were... i am not sure it's relevant is it? unless she is considering moving closer to the school?

where does the op say she knows the names?

Sorry, bit too precise. Just that the OP sounded like she knew who the other children on the waiting list were ie they live further and don't have siblings, and I wondered how she/her friend knew this info.

The waiting list should be ordered strictly in accordance with the admission criteria. Children who live further away and don't have siblings may be ahead on the waiting list if they are looked after children, have a special medical need (if the school has that as an admissions category) or if they are in a higher admissions category for any other reason. Children who are further away as the crow flies may also be ahead on the waiting list if distance for admission purposes is measured by the shortest walking route.

The younger child should not be at the back of the queue just because the parents applied late.

She doesn't know how close the other children are to the school, nor who the other children on the waiting list are. I just thought it was a bit odd that her youngest was fourth on the list, given that they are as close to the school as they are. If their house was facing the right direction, you would be able to see the school from it. It is a two minute walk (out of her road a few meters, and turn left, and then walk for a minute.)

Admissions told her to wait until year three to apply for her eldest, and then appeal as there is no class size limits, and put her off of putting them on the waiting list back in June/July time, and she only thought about the waiting lists when I mentioned it to her.

Admissions are right that an appeal for Y3 is more likely to succeed but that is no reason to wait. Your friend can appeal for Y2 and, if that fails, try again in Y3. And I can see no good reason for them putting your friend off going on the waiting list. She can't lose anything by having her children on the waiting list.

It is unusual to be only fourth on the waiting list when living that close to the school but by no means impossible. It could be, for example, that they all have older siblings who got places at the school when they moved into the area, giving them priority on the waiting list. Your friend could always ask the LA why her youngest is fourth. They shouldn't tell her who the other children are but may be willing to confirm whether they live closer to the school or are in a higher admissions category.

Sounds likely to me that they may not live closer but already have a sibling there. However if you do live closer then once your first child gets a place then your other should presumably leapfrog the others in the list as your child will have a sibling AND love closer

ALl that of course is on the basis that it is sibling priority that makes them higher at the moment, which might not be the case.

Thanks everyone for your help.

I am passing on what has been said, and see what happens.

There could be a set of triplets living opposite the school!

There could be a set of triplets living opposite the school!

That moved there after the allocations were sent out!

You never know!