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Original poster

Primary school places !!!

500 replies

Mrsmost · 12/04/2012 21:10

Is anyone getting nervous for the primary school places next week? It's all I can thunk about now , the 18th simply can't get here soon enough , I would be happy if my DS got any of his 3 choices but does anyone have any idea of his chances if getting in one of them if they are all within a radius if one and a half miles from our home. My ideal choice would his first choice which is a catholic school which is 0.6 miles from home but is always oversubscribed, we attend mass every week and had all forms signed by the priest etc but don't know how much of a chance he has if getting it , any advice would be great as am worrying alot now the date is getting nearer.

Thanks for reading and sorry for rambling xxx

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chouilla · 19/04/2012 23:28

nlondondad- that is what happened to my friend last year and she got finally got her first choice. she had lost all hope and there it was

kipperandtiger · 19/04/2012 23:51

It is indeed a stressful time - mums and dads here, try to relax and stay as positive as possible!! September isn't even here yet. This is a worldwide phenomenon, if it's any consolation. I am told of this happening in other cities and towns by friends who live abroad.

whomovedmychocolate · 20/04/2012 07:17

Hurrah, DS got in to our first and only choice!

Ladies who are stressing and waiting, can I tell you the tale of DD who got in last year. We got none of our choices (we thinking of moving at the time) and were VERY stressed. We were trying to buy a new house which had a fantastic school within a mile (though not the nearest) but were told it was VERY oversubscribed, so we were sort of resigned to the school they had offered. But on the suggestion of a school admissions officer who said 'you can try, we can say no but we will do our best' DID apply to the school which we liked where we were going to move. It was 27 miles away and we did not meet ANY of the criteria for admission so we were not hopeful. And we applied in June.

We got in. We had to commute for six weeks but once we moved it was a mile away and great. Since then six new children have started and one has left in DD's year. So places do come up. And very late in the decision making process.

People apply for great schools, are offered places and turn them down (often because they have moved etc). Remember your first choice will be someone else's worst nightmare and places do pop up where you wouldn't expect so remain optimistic and be nice to those poor buggers at admissions at this time of year especially. They are actually quite overworked, underpaid and do their best, and round here they do it cheerfully too!

roadkillbunny · 20/04/2012 07:47

No email yet but checked the admissions site and was able to view the offer (Oxfordshire if that helps anyone), as expected ds has been offered our first and only preference, phew! As I have said before, it was always going to be with having dd already at the school and living in the village but until I had the offer I didn't want to get over confident even though with the nature of this area it means that I know exactly how many children live closer to the school then we do, just didn't want to jinx it!
I have accepted the offer but interestingly it says they wont process the responses to the offers until the 7th May and you can change your response until that date. I guess it means they can compile the waiting lists all on one date rather then having places come available one at a time over the next two weeks. I imagine for people who haven't got their first preference it could be frustrating having no information until the 7th.
Just got to wait for the letter that should arrive next week now as they are normally posted out second class so I have it in writing!
Good luck to all who are finding out today, hope you get what you want/need be it first or second preference!

BranchingOut · 20/04/2012 08:09

Marking my place on this thread, interested in any update on Islington and Haringey schools.

ApuskiMcClusky · 20/04/2012 08:25

South Gloucestershire places are up on their website if you applied online.

First choice here thank goodness. Big relief.

shelley72 · 20/04/2012 08:27

why do i live in an authority that wants you to apply online and yet STILL posts results by letter?!

Vickles · 20/04/2012 08:28

Gloucestershire....First choice..but we had a daughter already in the school. Good luck everyone!

ubwlondon · 20/04/2012 10:04

Indeed, Oxfordshire up on the admissions website. And they managed to surprise us, sadly not in a good way - none of our three choices, not even the official catchment area school (which we would not have chosen anyway), but a middling school in outer Marston which is nowhere near where we live. Independent schooling it is then, ho hum.

roadkillbunny · 20/04/2012 10:10

Just seen a post on a friends facebook page that makes me want to bang my head against a brick wall and wonder why so many people seem to not understand the admissions procedure! A friend of my friends (so somebody I don't know) posted that she didn't get her first choice school and then went on to say (he exact words - I only put one choice down so she would get in. I'm appealing against it.
arghhhhh!! why????

NinjaChipmunk · 20/04/2012 10:17

roadkill some people are just a little bit no so intelligent?

Well I have found out we are 16th, 23rd and 16th on the waiting lists for our 3 which we applied for so not too bad I guess. Just more waiting now to see if we get offered any of them on 21 May! At least we have a place somewhere even if its not built yet. I really really feel so sorry for those who haven't been offered anywhere. It must be so stressful.

whomovedmychocolate · 20/04/2012 10:29

Oxfordshire is where I am and no-one has had an email yet apparently. I have accepted online though.

roadkillbunny · 20/04/2012 10:33

I haven't had an email in Oxfordshire either but I logged onto the site before 8 and results were up, haven't heard of any one having the email either but did get the email confirming I had accepted the place.

blueberryboybait · 20/04/2012 10:52

Shelley - our are being posted today and we have been told to expect them by next Friday Confused We applied online and the online login has now been disabled. We have to reply by tear off slip on the offer letter.

extremepie · 20/04/2012 10:56

-I know it's sensible to accept it but I don't want to accept a school that I have no intention of sending her to, event if it means she has to defer entry. I'm going to visit to show willing it but it looks like a right dump. Which is the reason why it's undersubscribed-

Scoops, I could have written your post!

We are in exactly the same situation - I turned down a place at the school DS1 was offered because I knew for certain that I could not would not send him to that school. It is 1.926 miles from us so effectively 2 miles but since it is just under we don't qualify for free transport and we don't have a car.

There are actually 9 other schools closer to us but that was the only one that still had places as 2 of the nearby school are 'outstanding' and extremely oversubscribed, not to mention they have just built a MASSIVE new housing estate next to one of them!

The school we've been allocated is widely known to be pretty awful, the reason it's the only school in the area with places is because no one wants to send their kids there (my mom used to work in schools, so she knows!)

To date, DS1 still is not in school but is 3rd on the waiting list for our first choice :(

Tfor3 · 20/04/2012 11:42

Oxfordshire schools offer details went live online at midnight...

We missed our first choice but got our second. Bit gutted though as thought we had a very good chance for top choice. Well we now have a 4 or 5 mile trip to school rather than the 1.3 miles we'd hoped for.

shelley72 · 20/04/2012 12:17

blueberryboybait next friday Shock !!! there is no way my nerves will stand that. besides we are away next week so that should be interesting...
how come every other county can manage to do the online thing but not us?

Waspie · 20/04/2012 12:33

I'm really upset. We didn't get any of our 4 choices, despite them being our catchment school and the other three closest to our house Sad

My son has been allocated a place at a failing school miles away. Our best chance is that hopefully we're only a couple down on the waiting list of the catchment school but no way to know until after 3rd May (according to the local authority) when all the acceptances have been returned and processed.

I'm now looking at independant schools (and increasing the mortgage to pay for it!) in the hope that maybe a space will become available in a year or so.

Rosebud05 · 20/04/2012 12:35

chouilla, whilst I hope that you get one of your choices, in the meantime, I think you think about visiting Risley Avenue.

I don't understand your comments about its poor performance table results - they're the same as Lancasterian, although Risley Avenue does better on progress.

You might feel less stressed about being on waiting lists for your preferred school if you know that you have an acceptable one in the bag.

4goingon14 · 20/04/2012 12:40

I know admissions staff are overworked at this time of year but it would be really nice if they would return one of my 5 messages so that I can get on waiting lists for my higher preference schools.....or at the very least answer the phone during their very limited 9-12 hours...Biscuit

whomovedmychocolate · 20/04/2012 12:44

Oxfordshire parents: do not despair. One in 20 places are offered in the second round here. People just change their plans or move. Get on the waiting lists. And remember there will be others after YOUR offered place so when you get what you want, someone else will too.

goldene · 20/04/2012 12:50

In City of London, have been offered our second choice school. Actually we received no letter and there is nothing on the portal - my husband emailed the council and received an email in reply. Wonder when we'll see the letter, if ever. It's OK - would have preferred 1st choice as really like it and my daughter is in nursery there, but this is closer to us.

For the poster interested in Islington/Haringey, both our choices were schools in the southern part of Islington.

passivehoovering · 20/04/2012 12:57

BUMBERLINA

I think Torriano Infant and Juniors, Camden are linked like this.

Also Rise Park Junior and Infants, London Borough of Havering.

They are run as seperate schools but are feeders and have sibling policy.

EmmieMac · 20/04/2012 13:12

Another Oxfordshire one here. We didn't get any of our 3 choices and have been given New Marston - 3 miles from where we live without even a direct bus route. I am beside myself. :(

I rang our first choice school (where DD is currently in the foundation stage) and blubbed down the phone at the poor woman in the office. She said they'll increase their class sizes to keep DD if they have to! That made me feel a lot better.

Still no email, though, so I don't know the reasons we didn't get in.

Tikkabillajive · 20/04/2012 13:24

Phew, email arrived and DS will be joining DD at her school in September - putting an end to 3 years of obsessing on my part! It's such a huge relief, especially after going through such a horrible time trying to find a school place for DD.

Good luck to those of you who are still waiting to hear and commiserations to everyone who has had bad news - I have been in your situation and know how grim it feels.

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