Reception Waiting Lists...

[Pyrrah]

Does anyone want to join me in obsessing and fretting over the waiting list for the school they didn't get?

LA just told me that we are no. 47 on the list for ours.

Given that I'm nearly 1200 metres outside the last distance offered for last year and this is central London I'm a bit shocked.

At this point every child who had the school as a higher preference than the one they were allocated is automatically on the waiting list whether is was 1st, 2nd, 3rd or whatever choice, and today is before many people will have accepted places so I'm really shocked that I'm not 150th.

LA were also lovely and told me I could ring anytime to check DD's position on the list.

(How often a week is too often? )

Thanks nlondondad that's really encouraging

I am in Norfolk, but no idea what a mini admissions round is that is mentioned on their website - we dont reply to say we want a place here, so doesnt make much sense

Rang up yesterday and we are now 18 for our second choice, down from second and even further still for 1 and 3. Apparently these are late applications and include siblings and higher distance criterior than us.

So it looks like we are now stuck with our fourth choice. Didn't help that today I ran into someone who used to be a governor there and she said the reservations I have about the academic side are justified and I will need to do a fair bit of topping up if I want DS to reach the standards I expect.

I feel I've got to try and find a more positive spin on it. At the moment I feel I'll just be sending him for basic education and free childcare!

Please tell me it'll be better than I think!

Still 5th here. Seems like zero movement happening for us.

sporting sorry you've gone down so much - there must have been so many late applications. The lady at Lambeth told me this morning that they are still processing the late ones too. But also wanted to way that if your friend used to be a governor, it doesn't necessarily mean that the allocated school is still that way now - do you know anyone there at the moment to ask for their opinion?

Lozario - sorry there still is no movement for you, I know London is far more difficult than most places round the country. Still at least you've not moved down.

No, I don't know anyone there at the moment and I never am around when people are dropping off or picking up and I think I'd find it a bit daunting asking a complete stranger (also there's always the lottery of whether they speak English round our way!).

No-one even our nursery seems to know much as they don't do pick up or drop off to there. I can't even find internet reviews as I doubt most parents from there would even think to review the school.

It doesn't help as we've received nothing from the allocated school either and I have a strong feeling that open days will be whilst we are on holiday!

Has anyone got in off the waiting list recently? I am starting to lose hope :(

I think the next hope of movement is when people start meeting their teachers etc in June/July, it may emerge then that places aren't being taken up. I am with you though queen I am very frustrated at being at a stand-still :(

Now at 43rd (down from 42nd last week)...

Not expecting much movement till the Autumn now - plus although the area is high mobility in general, it is certainly not high mobility in terms of parents opting for private schools.

Sorry you're down a place Pyrrah.

I spoke to 1st choice school yesterday and she said she didn't even know what the final list was from Lambeth yet as a few have still yet to reply to their offer, so I'm hoping that means those people are less likely to accept and we'll go up a few places! She said it was slower this year than most years.

Up slightly to 5th. But they did say that the only movement now will be unlikely to be in our favour, appeals will likely bump us down the list.
Oh we'll, I feel happier about buying the uniform for our allocated place now

Well we have now moved back to our house and my daughter is attending the school. The LA will still not tell me anything about the waiting list though! So basically I have no idea about anything!

jelly have you spoken to the school recently too or just the LEA? The school might be a bit more forthcoming?

nina at least you're one up now; also they can have no idea how much movement there is from year to year so will continue to keep fingers crossed for all of us. I have heard that some people drop out in July around the "meet your teacher" time as they clarify then that they have made other plans.

Hiya, I haven't spoken to the school yet but have been trying to catch the head this week. Will try tomorrow morning when I drop them off.

Hi Pyrah just thought you might like to know the Judith Kerr admissions rounds are still going on (keep getting emails about not getting a place) so there may be a few people who get that and drop off other Southwark waiting lists. I am one of the lucky ones who did get a place at our first choice school 3 weeks after being told we were 1st on the waiting list. Hang on in there everybody!

I got a place at Judith Kerr a couple of weeks ago but had to decline it as we're just too far away from the site to make it feasible.

I knew from the start that I wouldn't get my first choice before September so I'm not too stressed about it - will be interested to see what the school does when they take the lists over. For example, will they ring round and see who wants to remain on the list, or just ring when a place turns up.

Annoyingly we used to live well within catchment for first choice, then moved 1km further away and rented the old one out. Vaguely thought about convincing DH to do a house-swap with our tenants!

We were very tempted by the Judith Kerr school. Would love to live on one of those big houses off HM Lane and send kids there with them learning a second language into the bargain! Might have prompted me too take up German again!

Hello everyone - anyone seen any movement?

We have - but in the wrong direction. We are now down one to number 6 :-(

On the plus side we are more taken with the school we have now. So far the induction process and information distribution have been great. It will be a more difficult decision than I anticipated if we get offered our first choice but that is looking increasingly unlikely anyway!

I went down to 52 a week ago, but when I called yesterday I was back at 43... all a bit odd.

I've always known we're in for the long haul, so will be more interested in what the list looks like in September when the school has rung round to see who does/doesn't want to stay on the list. Fingers crossed that the other 42 all LOVE the schools they've been allocated!

Glad you're happy with the one you've been given!

The problem we have is locally it's common to hang on to your allocated school until you get offered the "golden" school (R). So more than likely all the other 5 on the list have the same idea as me - I know our neighbour does, who is one place ahead of us!

We started at 4 went to 5 and then got offered a place last week! I was really pleased as we didn't get offered any of our preferred schools and now we have a place at our first choice!

I didn't think we had much hope as there really isn't much movement around here. But I called to check on the morning that we were due to go for the parents evening at our allocated school and they told me they had just posted the letter with our offer of a place.

Hopefully if we can go from 5 to getting a place you can too Lozario.

That's great news mrsmortis . We are still in the dark although pretty sure from talking to people and from the info we received for our appeal that we are probably the only ones on the list and almost certainly first if not but I'm not convinced there will be any movement now.

Remember that it doesn't have to be movement from the class that you want to get into. I think we got a place in one of those mega shuffles where a place becomes free at one school, a child that has accepted a place a lower choice takes that one, another child moves into the place vacated by child 2, and on and on ad infinitum... I wasn't expecting any movement either but I was pleasantly surprised. Here's hoping that you will be too.

mrsmortis that is great news well done! It's so hard waiting and we've just met the teacher for our allocated school and DS is now really excited about it. Just want to do what is best for him and the family - so hard to know what to do. Although currently it's out of my hands anyway!

jelly it's been so hard for you to get any info hasn't it! Have you been trying LEA and the school?

Fingers crossed for everyone x

Hi, yes it is really hard not knowing anything that is going on. The school I think are trying not to be involved at this point (maybe because we have an appeal and they don't want it to look like they are helping me- I don't really know). The head keeps talking about how there is always a lot of shuffling around in the next few months and so you never know.
The LA just completely refuse to answer anything about the waiting list. It's quite frustrating. I do know that 32 put this school as there first choice and I found the other one the other one of the two not getting a place the other day whilst chatting at pre school. She has now decided not to appeal and is just sending her daughter to the allocated school as it is a good school and she doesn't have the sibling link like we do.

Anyone else had any luck?

We have slipped from first down to third, so doubt we will get in now as there has been no movement so far.

Totally gutted :(