Has anybody rejected their school place for this reception year and why ?

[Cratos]

I am trying to understand how many people have already rejected their reception school offer for 2012 and why.
We made a late application but we feel that our chances are very low at this stage. Is there any hope ? Do people really reject places two three weeks after they recieve confirmation without knowing whether or not they may get a place in another school. Your thougths please.

Cuddler, I presume that you are at least on the waiting list of every school that you WOULD accept?? What has your desired school said about movement on the waiting list over past years? Don't forget that by turning down the place you have been offered, you have now become solely responsible for finding a school place for your child - no-one else is looking for one, so you do now need to get VERY pro-active! Are there near neighbours who attend other schools who help with lifts, are you near a bus route, can you find a child-minder who might pick up from you on the way to another school? Think laterally and creatively - the system has given you a school place, you said that you didn't want it...so now you have to make a school place happen for your child if you want to guarantee them a place in school before Year 3 [the point at which infant class size regulations are relaxed].

It does seem very odd that there is this cascading series of people holding places they don't necessarily want - seems like it will take an age to hold, keep, drop, reallocate, hold, keep, drop all these places and families etc.

And not to mention those holding places whilst on waiting lists, and others not having places at all.... it's a wierd old system!

We've just rejected our place at an oversubscribed primary in favour of an independent school. Hope someone on the waiting list will be happy and hope the same will happen for you, op.

teacher-the plan was always to home educate,however my son has said he would like to try school and i also find it hard sometimes with all 3/4 of them at home with me 24/7.If he doesnt get in its not a problem,that is the only school suitable for us though at the moment so i havnt applied for any others,its not really an urgent situation..

Cratos I see what you're saying about the process, but nearly everyone has a place they're reasonable happy with, and you can't change the fact that some people genuinely won't know what might happen, so they hold onto places. It seems to me to be a reasonably fair system where the rules are transparent and followed, and if a mistake is made you have a right of redress that is genuinely upheld. In comparison with many countries where such things would be decided by bribary and corruption I think we have a good system.

I'm being a bit Pollyanna ish, I know.

Yes I agree a lot of people are happy and the system seems fair. But at the same time there are a lot of people who are not happy. In fact some very unhappy. There are people living just across the school within the catchment and they cant get a school place for their children in that school etc. mumsnet is full of stories like this. I don't blame anybody for holding places at all since everybody seems to be worried that they may miss out if they don't and of course some don't know what might happen. The recommendation is to accept the offer even if you are not happy or even if you are very unlikely to use it. I wonder what would happen if people received a different advice instead. I don't claim that I can solve the problem. I am sure it is very very very complicated.

Cuddler I'm in awe of your plan to Home Educate your eldest with 3 younger siblings at home. I can't begin to think how I would manage that!? I've got 3 and when the youngest 2 were a baby and a toddler I barely managed to get through DD1's school reading book once a day.

I meant her reading it to me obv, not me reading it to myself although there were times when I probably would have struggled to do that

we held out last year and what a disaster it turned out, we were so sure that one of our preferred schools all local, one being our catchment would come up with a place before september, no place came up, we even held out till the january keeping dd in nurery and basically all we have achieved is dd is now a whole term behind the rest of her class and we really regret not sending her to the allocated school straight away, there was nothing wrong with the school just a bit of a logistic nightmare getting her there, but we managed, i would never home school my dd, mainly as we live in a rural area and have no families with children close by. i belive they do so much better in the school environment than at home .

I can confirm that, unfortunately, every school has the experience of a "no show" issue on the day school starts. I would not want to exaggerate its extent, but it does happen.

Its a flaming nuisance all around when it happens.

I think at least if there were an 'opt-in' to go on waiting lists rather than automatic entry for any higher ranked schools (as in my and the OP's LEA) then that would be a start. That would get me off a waiting list and enable parents on the list to make a more realistic assessment of success. It was a toss-up between first and second choice school, I was allocated second choice and am thrilled, I have told my DS that this is the school he will be going to, and he'll be attending with X,Y,Z friends, so I won't be taking up an offer of a place at first choice school if it is made. I reckon I must be quite near the top, as a child a few houses closer than me was allocated. But the poor parents who I know are on the waiting list for this school because they have been allocated a school 4 miles away, are probably underestimating their chances of success and may be considering private schooling etc.

In fact, does anyone know if I can ask my LEA to remove me from the waiting list of my second choice school?

Thanks! I'll do that tomorrow and hope it gives someone on the waiting list a bit of succour for the rest of their wait.

And Cratos, I really hope you get a place soon x

Thank you all for your good wishes. It was good to share and talk.

Lancashire LEA are not asking people to accept offers at all - just to get in touch if rejecting - therefore more offers could free up as people are less likely to get in touch to reject a place compared to accepting a place?

Well I didn't so much reject our allocation but I failed to take my forms in on time so have probably lost the place now

DS2 has a place at a private school but I fully intended on keeping the space open at the state school just in case (I'm not sure why really but its scary that we wouldn't have a fall back). I feel awful as what if I had actually needed it - I am struggling a bit at the moment but no excuse really.

Oh well, I know there are some people on the waiting list (who failed to put their application in at all) so its fine really.

OP I rejected my dds' school and kept her on at nursery. I was no. 10 on the waiting list, number 3 in the September. I did get her into another school but stayed on the waiting list - it took THREE years to get a place!! There wasn't much movement in the class - and people kept leapfrogging us on the waiting list.

I wouldn't advise anyone to do what we did, though it worked out well in th end. There's even more pressure on school places than a few years ago, and the economic situation means people aren't moving as much.

We will be rejecting my sons offered school but haven't done so yet. we're waiting for publication of the waiting lists today before deciding.

If we don't get him into one of our preferred schools before September we are going to commit to a prep school, remove him from LEA waiting lists, and try again at year 3 application. I doubt we will move any way other than down on our lists after September due to all the new houses being built in catchment that are closer to the school

I haven't had any reminders but deep down I know he won't be going there so I will call them tomorrow and reject the place.

Basically there is an element of uncertainty in both our jobs next year but we won't know in September for definite anyway so I think we will be biting the bullet re the private school. We have a few years savings just in case and if we don't take up his place we may end up having to wait a while like we have for DS1 (he can't start till Y3 and we have been waiting since YR for a space).

I really did feel bad about taking a space away from someone on the waiting list but my friend pointed out that I did have a right to a LA school place so just to hold onto it for a bit longer just in case.