Primary school application angst - support thread?

[Lozario]

So I'm lying here attempting to have an early night as can hardly sleep for worrying about our primary school application for DS1. But of course I can't sleep. Again

We live in a borough of south London where small children seem to outnumber adults about 20 to 1. Found out last year that we might no longer live close enough to our closest primary school - a 3 form entry approx 580 metres away. All other schools are a drive away. It's going on our list as number 1 but looking unlikely.

DH is one of those lucky people who can tell himself "you have no control over this, worrying won't achieve anything, so don't worry and see what happens". I am not one of those people; am self-confessed control freak and struggling with the basic concept of my PFB starting school in Sept at all, let alone which school it might be!

April seems a long way away, especially if I don't sleep between now and then, and so I wondered if there are any other insomniac mums out there with kids (supposedly) starting primary in Sept 2013 who might like to join me in a virtual or ??? DH is sick of my constant anxiety!!!

[Lozario]

That's a shame Iggity but the deposit probs would have been non-refundable and massive - ours would have been £1000! We just can't throw that kind of money away. In a way the waiting list is better if it gives you until beyond the primary school results day rather than having to make a decision now so it might all work in your favour; the "rejection" is horrible though and based on what - they're 3/4 years old!! Poor little mites!

We're staying on the list for reconsideration at 7+ admission though - figured if it goes tits up then surely the first couple of years doesn't really matter anyway!

[Iggity]

We have had a rejection from the one private school we applied to. Have been put on the waiting list but not too bothered....just more bothered about the actual rejection.

Well our number one choice school was in the local paper this week after they got an outstanding ofsted report. We just have to wait and hope that we get it as the private school was going to be our fallback. Not sure how much the fee deposit was going to be but given they have already had 50 quid from us, was not keen on giving them anymore! We are trying to plan a holiday and need to go before the results come out and before the school Easter hols! Last chance to get away before the school hols start impacting!

[Lozario]

Hello all. Nearly a month since we put our applications in - anyone getting any sleep?!

We got offered a place for the private school we had an assessment at but we said no. They only gave us 5 days to think about it, but we can't really afford it and didn't have a great time at the assessment day so I know it's the right decision, but it's painful saying no to a place all the same!

On the plus side, I have heard from 2 sources now that our first choice school might be having another bulge year; if it's true we might get in! But we did ask them when we went for the open day and they said no, so I think it's hearsay sadly.

Hope everyone else is ok

[Lozario]

itspardon I did laugh at headaches - how true!

[SE13Mummy]

DD2's application was submitted a couple of weeks ago but the SIF for our 2nd preference wasn't signed until yesterday evening. I've attached it to the eadmissions application (along with the birth certificate and council tax bill for this year), e-mailed it to the school 'just in case' (and was delighted to receive a reply from the bursar confirming that the SIF had arrived) and handed in the hard copy.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll get into the same school as DD1, not because that was the school we actually prefer but because

1. Lewisham is short of Reception places and it seems silly not to take advantage of the sibling priority and
   
2. DD1's Reception place saga was an awful experience thanks to fraudulent reception applications locally, and not something I want to go through again.
   

We've put the primary school opposite the secondary where DH teaches as the 6th choice... this time 4 years ago it was the only school DD1 got into in spite of it being approx. 5 miles from us (as opposed to the 800m of the school where she was at nursery/was our first choice). DD1 didn't end up going there but having a back-up saved what little sanity I had left at the time.

[Itspardonnotwhat]

Just reread my post. Headaches should be head teacher. (Though both may be interchangeable I suppose!)

[Approximately]

Thanks Hapless, I just double checked too and for me it is just a council tax number. Phew!

[Itspardonnotwhat]

Just checking back in. I went to a meeting last week run by the academy who plan to run the new primary near me. I know it was a sales pitch, but it worked! I was very impressed. Very ambitious yet likeable headaches. Great plans. Open to ideas. I'm hopeful it will come off in time for September. Fingers crossed!

I hope everyone feels a bit better now that applications are submitted. I keep on checking the confirmation email I received just to be sure that I did actually press submit!

[CallsTwoHippos]

Please don't stress about the additional information Londoners. I live on the boarder of two boroughs, so half of DDs friends apply through one, half through the other. Both boroughs access the on line forming the same way, but each required different info'. Our Borough wanted the child's medical certificate, but was very clear they could check everything else out via their own records; they will ask for more info later if things don't tally.

Very interested to hear about the Tower Hamlet mner. We moved from TH a couple of years ago but the flat we were in has since had about 500 flats built around it! No new schools ( or gps) obviously ;). I did wonder how children in our block would fair, but it seems TH is aware of the problems the new builds could cause and have taken action. Not like the TH I remember at all.

[Iggity]

Lozario, I think the schools have to make the decison by sometime in Feb as that is the latest you can submit a change of address if you move plus our Priest said that he goes into the schools to review the forms again to ensure that people just weren't attending mass to get the reference and then disappear once the application is submitted. Given that it's all computerised, I have wondered why it takes from Feb to April to let us know.

[SunflowersSmile]

Lordy me.
No council tax number or anything here.
Did have to do birth certificate and proof of address for nursery though.
Seems bit slack here for Reception...unless I have messed up.
Don't think so though....

[HaplessHousewife]

Approximately I just had a quick look at the Surrey booklet and it just says you give your council tax reference or if you haven't got one, utility bill as proof of address so don't panic!

Also saw that you can only list three schools ? we can put down six (mind you there's only three that I have a chance of getting into that we would consider, the others that we would get into are ones that all applicants are offered as no one really wants to go there)

[Approximately]

literary, whereabouts online did it ask you for the ID?

[Lozario]

iggity yes I thought all the London ones were the same too, that iadmissions thing or whatever it's called. I'm slightly panicked... Going to text my NCT bunch now to see if they did the same as me!

[Lozario]

notcitrus we're in London too (Lambeth) and didn't have to upload anything either, just had to put in council tax number. I was panicked too when I read all the things others had to do! We did have to supply some extra docs for some of the Supplementary Info Forms for the individual schools who required it though.

I'm no paranoid that I've forgotten to do something and also about our order. I didn't change it in the end. We're so far from all but one of our schools that it's in the hands of the gods whatever we do!

WHY DOES IT TAKE THEM UNTIL APRIL???!!! How are we going to get through these months.... I need to get into some box sets to distract me - just finished Killing 2, next up, Breaking Bad series 3...

[Iggity]

I hope all the London boroughs are different! I thought however that we were using the same system. I provided council tax ref and was then panicking when I couldn't see anywhere to attach documents but it then came up after I had submitted the application. I received two confirmatory emails...one for the application and then another for the attached document.
For my two faith schools, I had to provide council tax bill. Recent utility, birth cert, baptismal cert, reference from Priest and supplementary form! I am wondering if I should just attach a photo of my DC being born as proof of residence :)

[Approximately]

Am panicked now....did anyone have to submit Birth cert, council tax bill, utility bill, child benefit letter for Surrey?

[HaplessHousewife]

Obviously all boroughs just do things differently then. I was wondering if it was different in London because so many schools are massively oversubscribed they have to triple check those that are eligible.

Maybe we're just a dishonest bunch in our borough

[SunflowersSmile]

I'm not in London.

[notcitrus]

I'm in London and on eAdmissions only had to provide council tax number, and no way to upload any docs. It was only the Academy schools that wanted Supplementary Info Forms where one wanted birth cert and council tax bill, and the other a 'council tax bill less than 6 months old', which is a laugh seeing as the bills are sent out in April... The other SIF I did didn't need any extra proof, just asked if I was applying for a church or non-church place (proof of churchgoing needed for church places).

[HaplessHousewife]

We have to provide Birth Certificate (full version), this year's Council Tax Bill, Utility Bill (last six months) and the Child Benefit letter (dated within a year) .
For us there was a link to Attach Documents but it didn't jump out at you.

Are those of you that don't have to provide all of these things out of London?

[Ostrich78]

We have to provide a birth certificate, recent council tax bill and a recent CB letter.
I could only add documents only after I submitted the spplication but I guess it must be different in all boroughs.

[PickledApples]

Ooo that's reassuring - thank you! Will try and double check it all later - I am hoping it would have been obvious if I had missed something important...

[speculationisrife]

Hi everyone. Another one with a DD starting school in September

Just thought I'd hop on and say re supporting docs, for those of you waiting to get a copy of your CB letter, that our LA also accepts birth certificate as proof of parental responsibility. No idea why it doesn't say so on the admissions site/form, but there you go. Hope that helps those of you who are nervous about letter arriving in time. And good luck, everyone.