No reception place for DD

[skandi1]

So the email verdict is in and they were unable to offer a place to my DD who is due to start reception in September.

What does this mean and what should I do next?? Any experiences please as I am desperate and so sad as this isn't the start I had hoped for, for my pfb. Also any useful advice. I am in London and have 6 primaries each with 90 place reception intake all less than half a mile from me. How can this be??

I should add that we listed the 6 closest schools as your choices and all are half a mile away or less. I am in bromley if that helps. Please?

It means that (assuming all 6 were on your list of preferences) all 90 places at each school have been filled by looked after children/siblings/kids who live closer to the school than your DD does. I'm also in London and this has happened to a few people I know.

You will be on waiting lists for the schools you listed on your form, there is a fair amount of movement in the next month or so - but if there are ANY other local schools you would be happy for her to attend, get in touch with admissions and ask to be put on their waiting list too.

Tiggy. Thanks. Our six closest schools should have yielded some sort of place as they are so close to us. And we deliberately listed a couple which were close but not so great just to get a space.

I am panicking and freaking out. DH is away on business which isn't helping.

Do I phone the individual schools for waiting lists or do I phone bromley council.

Please tell me this will all turn out ok.

Rue. Ok. Will get on the net to see which other schools are close that we can get wait listed for.

This is a nightmare. I thought with so many schools so close with such large intakes we would get a place even if it wasn't the best of the schools. I am trying not to panic.

Sadly, this is becoming more common as the demand on school places is so high. If you weren't offered a place, it means that the six schools near to you were filled by people who were a higher prioritythan you. Either they had siblings there, were looked after children, lived closer than you or had some other reason based on the school's published criteria.

It also means that there is no other school with spaces that is within a 'reasonable' distance.

You should now:

1. Make sure your DC's name is on the waiting list for all the schools on your preference list. Some boroughs do this automatically, some need you to do it, so phone and check tomorrow.

2. Add your DC's name to the waiting list of any other school you can reasonably get to. Are there any schools further away but on a commute into work? At this stage, any place is better than none, and even if you end up accepting an offer you don't really want, you can change at any point when a better place becomes available.

Once people start accepting or declining offers there will be some movement on the lists, so you may yet get a place that you're happy with. More knowledgeable people than me will have more advice as well- good luck.

oh you poor thing, I can only imagine how stressed you must be feeling but it will all get sorted out. I agree you must get on as many waiting lists as you can. the only thing I would add to what has been said is to speak to the preschool your daughter is at and make sure they are aware of the situation and check if they would have a place for her to stay there if she had to for the initial few weeks if it takes a bit longer than we hope to sort it all out.

Honestly, don't panic. I know it's easier said than done, but even more importantly don't let on to your DD how stressful it is. And when you do get allocated a place, accept it (no matter where it is) and stay on waiting lists for schools you prefer.

X-posted, I took too long to type!

Thanks everyone. I am eating left over Easter eggs and trying to remain calm.
Now I have read the email from bromley it says we are on waiting lists and to do nothing. Still I will phone some of the schools tomorrow just to make sure.

I still don't get it. Our first a choice school is 400 yards from our front door. How does this happen?

Ask council where you are on all thje lists.. You may find you near the top. Then chase the schools cos the council can be slow to coordinate

if it is that close and has a 90 intake I can only assume a very large number of siblings and are there any blocks of flats between you and the school.

Skandi, I live in Bromley and it gets worse each year. Three years ago our school had 45 siblings in a 60 pupil intake. So catchment moved down to 0.2 miles.

Last year thanks to a bulge class we went up to over 1 mile and now we are back to quite short distances again. From DD's class alone there are 5 siblings coming this year.

Def. phone the council. They will be able to tell you on which place on the waiting list your DD is. Often parents do an admission form for a state school but also apply for public and places will be free again.

according to our stats that have been sent out one of the schools near us only got as far as 0.14mile for non siblings.

Brilliant Stella. Thanks. I am still shocked at no offer given our proximity. May be required!

Nora. Yikes! It really is that bad! I suppose I was silly enough to assume there was some sort of mistake. Oh dear. I guess I will be busy on the phone tomorrow.

Periwinkle. No flats at all. Just houses but all family houses (proper suburbia here). I think it's siblings. Or perhaps lots of twins. Who knows.

I sort of feel better to know I have not been overlooked and no mistake has been made. But again horrified as there are simply not enough places for everyone.

I am so sorry to hear about your situation. I found myself in the same awful place last year. Keep ringing the council and getting updates on where you are on the waiting lists of all 6 schools. These waiting lists can move up and down. It is a horrible waiting game, but you will get a place somewhere at some stage...hang in there.

I'm quite shocked for you, I live in Bexley, and have plenty of friends in Bromley. Didn't think our corner of London was this oversubscribed. Sending

Sorry to hear this skandi, we don't apply till next year and I know we will be in the same boat.

I'm told that the waiting lists are managed by the schools themselves so get to know the admissions people in each school. Let them know that you are the kind of parent/child they want in their school (by caring about your child's education!) and they might be able to bump you up the list (I doubt whether any will admit to doing this, but I have heard that it goes on). It certainly can't do you any harm!

Whereabouts in Bromley are you btw?

Oh goodness - how worrying for you. I'm also in Bromley. I didn't know there were so many 3 form entries - am guessing that you're H/WW? Though prob wrong, and now I think it could jut as easily be orp.

The lea will have to get you a place. This is when they start discussing bulge classes I suppose. My local school had a bulge class a couple of years ago which actually has worked really well. Only 75/80 ish kids but a whole extra teacher, so the adult child ratio was and is good. All depends which schools either have a spare classroom or room for temporary classroom.

It's entirely likely that the waiting list will come up trumps - some kids will be going private and so on.

My nearest school is 350m away and we were 20th on waiting list several years ago. That school now has a catchment less than 300m. Luckily, there are other good options nearby.

Fingers crossed that all comes good as soon as possible.

Hello
Just poking our heads round the door here to advise you of our
primary admissions webchat
HTH and good luck with it all