Primary school places !!!

[Mrsmost]

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

Wouldn't worry about moving, Nora. Education in a school and OFSTED report can change dramatically in one year!

I've been logging on every half hour since midnight on the off chance! Saw our first choice in bold and got all excited till I read it was schools needing supplementary forms. Was very disappointed!

gaggyboots - I'm not far away in Somerset. All areas around here have a county council and then smaller district/parish councils with the exception of one or two larger towns/cities. Call Devon County Council in the first instance & they will be able to help.

gaggy - in a similar situation to you - DH just got a new job meaning we will relocate across the country, hopefully in time for DS to start reception (if we can sell our house in that time).

The way we tackled it was to narrow down on an area pretty quickly and we contacted the LEA to ask about likelihood of spaces for September in the areas we liked.

I personally could not face the whole waiting list/appeals route to getting into an oversubscribed school (I've got enough uncertainty with the whole relocation!), so we are targeting only those schools with places. We've been incredibly lucky in that we've stumbled across two adjacent 'good' schools, both with spaces for September, in villages that we would be very happy to live in.

Sunnyday is correct, you can apply now through your existing LEA but if you are offered and accept a place, you will immediately lose your local place. Depends on whether you have a house to sell, or whether you will move to the area 'no matter what'. I can't risk losing my local school place (if we don't sell our house, DH will do a weekly commute) so it's not something I can do, but both schools have assured me that they expect to still have spaces in September, so I will have to wait until we have exchanged contracts on a house before i can apply. Fortunately both schools are >5 below PAN, so I can do a fast-track application through the school.

I'm supposed to find out 20th April, but SIL said she found out early. Fingers crossed here...

Another Surrey mum here, waiting nervously to hear. Aaaargh, why is the day going so slowly!

4 hours!

New to Mumsnet
I am in the same boat but I don't find out till tomorrow or maybe Friday as I decided to apply by post.

Reading at all the reviews above I am getting very nervous now.

I've just spent the past hour researching how to appeal....

Well it turns out letters may have been posted here today as opposed to delivered Glad I comfort ate that remaining Easter Egg this morning before I realised. Be back tomorrow

Hope rest of the longest day eveeeeer goes well for everyone.

did you not get your preferred school peppermincreams?

Ummmm.
I have 5 dcs and no 4 is due to go to school in Sept.

Am I a very bad mummy for not having a clue when to expect to find out about his school place

How do I find out?

Ah Gaggy, I lived further down - Plymouth but worked in schools you see!! Sorry can't be of any help, good luck though, DH and I are desperate to move back!

should be on the Council website, mrsdevere

We find out on Friday. We live almost on top of local primary school and DS has a sibling, however was at hairdresser this morning and someone was saying that they know someone with 3 primary school children all at different schools

Should be on your local Gov website MrsD. My dd starts in Sept, should find out on the 23rd, I'll be happy with 1st or 2nd, the dinner-ladies were nicer at the 1st, so that swung it for me!.

I just checked. They are sending letters out today.

I have a lot riding on him getting the right place. I will have three in different settings and I really need him to be at a certain school.

If he doesnt get in I will not be able to get all of them to their places. DS2 goes to a special school and I have to wait at a pick up point for his bus, then take DS3 to the school I have applied for then get DS3 to nursery, then go to work.

Fingers crossed.

Due to separate Infants and Juniors round here, my two will be at different schools regardless.

My two youngest will be able to go to the same school in two years when DS4 is old enough. It will be easier then.

DS2 will not go to the same though.

Unfortuantly OH cant help with the school runs so I have been a leeetle stressed about it all.

sunnyday123 - I don't find out till 5pm. Just being prepared. And very pessimistic.

Ooh I hope it works out for you MrsDV and he gets the place you want/ need
Fingers crossed x

Thank you juggling.
I have just spent five weeks having interviews to get DC5 into nursery. He started this week.
So I just need to get DC4 into the right school and I can breath a small sigh of relief.

I hope everyone gets their first choices.

Ah, how is DC5 settling in at nursery, MrsDV ?
Hope he will be very happy there - I think the nursery years are so important but then that's the age group I've worked with more than any other

He didnt need any settling at all! I have been sat there like a lemon for two days whilst he ignores me

I have made lots of new friends, drawing princesses and reading books for all the other kids though.

He is only two and on a funded place (hence all the interviews and form filling). His older brother is there so he is used to the setting so that all helps.

I am hoping to leave him tomorrow but it will be so weird to have no child in the house for the first time in years!

Marking my spot rather late in the day.

We have a distant chance of getting into our #1 choice school and bugger all chance of 2 & 3 - put them down for a laugh really, or in case a meteorite fell on all the houses within 200yrds of these schools, or something... Both lovely schools but the catchment is BEYOND tiny.

Our back-up is a lovely wee Catholic prep school ten minutes walk away. I'd be happy if the girls went there, but our bank balance? Not so much. So this decision makes about £112ks worth of difference to our family finances. That's about half our mortgage...

I honestly don't know how I feel. If we don't get in to #1, 2 or 3, then we'll be offered the one on our doorstep. I have about as much intention of sending my daughters there as I do about sending them to to the front line in Afghanistan, so it'll be the private prep, and decision made.

If we DO get our #1 choice, then I have to think hard about whether to still go the private route (small class sizes, more intimate school as #1 is ha-uge, no NC, various other benefits) or save ourselves a small fortune and take the state place, use the money for additional tutoring, music lessons, horse-riding and paying off the mortgage as required...

I've never been so conflicted in my life!

Gah!!

We should find out by email tonight...

WWYD in my situation?

Pass the gin, I don't care that it's only two in the afternoon.

db
xx

wiggle - you are in NI, yes?

I rushed home at lunchtime, but there was no post!

So not even sure the postman had been

Right, if it's tomorrow then I'll just have to be patient.

Do you know why your local school is suddenly so popular?