Well DD's got in - what next re primary school place?

[BeauNash]

Well we've got our first choice, woo! I've sent off the form accepting - after retrieving it from the recycling (whoops) so what now? Do they send us confirmation? Do we get to visit the school? Is there an open day? Can't find anything on the school or LA websites and am assuming they are tangled up with appeals etc so don't want to ring up and ask. Does anyone know what the format is; what normally happens? I am excited!

With us the school sent about two weeks later forms to be completed in quintriplicate. We then had to wait until mid June for a parents' meeting where we found out classes and then the children had two or three drop in sessions. If you look on school website there may be a school fair coming up and you can go and have a sneaky look around again and invest some pennies in the PTA.

Depends on the school. To be honest, it was a long time before we heard anything further when my children started school and I was a bit disappointed. So try and keep a lid on your excitement for a bit!

At some point, there will probably be some sort of induction session for new parents, where they will tell you all the stuff you need to know and bombard you with forms that need filling in. Most schools also have some sessions during the summer term where the children can visit - anything from a storytime session to a full day in the Reception classroom.

I would second the idea of having a look at the website and seeing whether there's a school fair or similar coming up. But be careful about how you involve your DD. A fair can be a busy and crowded event and might not be the best introduction to school life as far as she's concerned. (I vividly remember my first day at primary school. They crowded all 100 of us into the hall before allocating us to classes - I thought the hall was my classroom and got very scared indeed! Most schools are much more careful about giving Reception children a nice, gentle introduction these days!)

The fair was good fun for dd at that stage, but it was a nice sunny day and was all on the field, so lots of space, probably not good if raining and crammed into the school hall. Lets hope for sunny weather soon.

We got sent a letter inviting us to an open evening. Can't remember how long it was after the school place offer though.

At the open evening we got a pack full of information and they went through it with us briefly. We got to taste the school meals (small samples) and look round the classroom/outdoor area (though dd1 was at the attached nursery so we knew most of that anyway). We got to meet the teachers. They also had personalised letters in each pack detailing to settling in dates/times for the start of the year. They went through the uniform list and let us know we didn't need to get book bags or water bottles as they were being issued with one free.

If your child was at the attached nursery (as mine was) the nursery sorted out a session at the reception. If they weren't at that nursery then the details for settling in sessions were in the pack afaik (I don't know if they only got one session or more). I was quite pleased to find out the nursery TA was moving up to reception with the children so they'd get some continuity and they share a playground with nursery so they'd see their old teachers too.

That all sounds great - thanks for your replies. Am stalking the school website like mad!

We got our offer last Wednesday and got information from the school through the post on Saturday! There is a parents open evening in June and three stay and play sessions in May/June. Then in July we find out what class DS will be in and go for another visit and both stay for a school lunch. I'm really impressed with all they do to settle the new children in.

Totally depends on the school.

We received 4 weeks after the admission letter a letter from school, addressed to DD who nearly exploded with pride. A lot of forms, uniform standard and an invitation to an open evening for the parents in June and three "Get to know your school" afternoons for DD (2 - 3.30pm).

BeauNash:

I think most everything people have said ring true. What I would suggest is that if you know neighbours' DCs go to the school, I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you asked them what happens next.

If you don't know anyone who's already going there or are new to the area, try timing a walk around the going to or coming home from school time so that you could ask a parent a bit about the school. I'm sure they won't mind. Odds are they'll probably ask if your DC will be starting school next year and that will start the conversation rolling.

Everyone else who goes to the school is religious, rung up today to check that the LEA hadn't made an error accepting DD, but they haven't. Woo! So I feel a trip to the church toddler group coming on.

It varies. At ours you'd probably not hear anything until June. Children are usually invited to spend a few hours in the classroom with some of the other new starters and the teacher. Parents are also invited to a meeting to talk about general arrangements for school, eg uniform, where to drop off/collect children, when children will be attending full-time etc. You'll fill in lots of forms, including ones asking about your child's interests. There will also be home visits from the teacher.