I don't have a reception place for September - HELP!

[flootshoot]

I've posted in chat but was advised to try here.

DS is 5 in Feb. We had planned to move from Brighton to Staines for months; at one point it looked like it wasn't going to happen and as such DS has a school
Place in Brighton. Surrey would not let me apply until I had proof of address in Staines which was fair enough. In the end our move happened quite suddenly about ten days ago. I've applied to Surrey but I've now been informed that he may not get allocated a school place at all for Sept. I do know what to do other than keep on at them.

Another Mnetter suggested approaching the neighbouring counties (Bucks/Berks) but I don't know if I am allowed to do that?

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

[flootshoot]

No I got what you meant rustybear. I'm aware any official stuff needs to go through Surrey but RBWM will be the first port of call for relevant info. I've been having a nosey at the website.

[RandomMess]

Surrey used to be a 3 tier system hence having had lots of infant and junior schools rather than primary ones. Was something they did to cope with the huge baby boom!

[RustyBear]

DS is now 25 so this was between 14 and 7 years ago.

But I wasn't really thinking about the actual admissions procedure in my first post to flootshoot, but stuff like queries about term dates, absence policies etc - also information about admissions criteria for different schools in RBWM will be found on their website, not Surrey's - which flootshoot may need to check as lots of the RBWM schools put catchment above siblings, which may be an issue for flootshoot's DD later on.

[RustyBear]

When did that change tiggy? My DS went to a school in another authority and I definitely had direct contact with that authority several times.

[flootshoot]

Is the three tier system relatively uncommon in the UK? I've never come across it before, except in private schools.

[RustyBear]

it's actually even more complicated in Windsor & Maidenhead, as Windsor itself still has the 3-tier system (so First Schools are 4-9, Middle Schools 9-13 and Upper Schools - 13+) and the rest of the borough is either straight-through Primary or Infant & Junior.

[RandomMess]

All I can is that I'm relieved my dds are now older, one is at local secondary so they have a straightforward pathway and are older than the boom years.

I do tell everyone with pre school age dc to use their preferences wisely and put down the schools they should get into!

[flootshoot]

Ah ok I see. I knew Berkshire was split but assumed (fatal mistake) they were borough/district councils as opposed to unitary authorities. It's certainly been an education in getting to know how the local area works!

It's far too complicated. I've decided DD can go to Malory Towers and have done with it.

[RustyBear]

"Surely doing it by borough as Berkshire do would allow them to be a bit more on the ball"

Just for clarification - Berkshire don't 'do it by borough,' because Berkshire doesn't exist as a local authority any more - it was split in 1998 into six unitary authorities - West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Reading and Slough. Berkshire only exists as a 'ceremonial & geographical' location, so some statistics are reported as 'Berkshire' but basically it doesn't have any powers. The six unitary authorities are the Education authorities.

So as your DS now has a place in a Windsor & Maidenhead School, that will be the education authority you will deal with now if you need to, not Berkshire.

[flootshoot]

It's crazy. Fingers crossed we don't have a problem with DD. and since its a primary we don't have to worry about the infant to junior leap.

Ironically we've just moved away from an area in Brighton with the opposite problem. There was a huge baby boom a few years ago which saw 10-12 new infant classes opened. The numbers dropped again and so several of the schools were taking in well under their capacity. Of course now the problem is at junior level!

[RandomMess]

Oh and the other issue that has compounded the problem. The catholic dioceses have changed their admissions policies so tbh if you are not baptised catholic you stand no chance of getting a place at a catholic school even if you have older siblings at said school...

[RandomMess]

mummytime - Runnymede DID NOT shut any schools - they fought Surrey tooth and nail to stop SURREY shutting them. They only reason why Surrey did not shut yet another school in Runnymede around the same time is because they made a mistake in the consultation process so it had to go independent adjudicator (as do all school closures now) who threw it out!!!

Surrey came out with classics such as:

"Families don't live in flats"
"350 new family houses will only increase primary school place demand by 2"
"The covenant that Runnymede put on the school land when it was given to Surrey can be overturned, it's no issue"
"The birth rate increase won't affect school places"

There are also in my areas fewer junior places than infant places so I have no idea what is going to happen in few years time because although they are now converting infant schools they previously tried to close to primaries they still haven't applied for planning permission to convert all infants to juniors or have juniors with an increased PAN - this nightmare is a lot of Surrey LEA making...

[flootshoot]

Ah, ok I didn't think of that .

Will call them later this week.

[mummytime]

People will be in the school soon, certainly for a few days before the children return. So I'd phone then.

[flootshoot]

Next question is how the jeff I find out when he starts! Have term dates from the website but no info on whether reception start at the same time or later!

[flootshoot]

Yes mummytime I suppose we're part of the influx! I dont envy them their job at all. It's an odd place actually, I see what you mean about ruralness. We're on the doorstep of Heathrow, right next to the M25 and yet DS appears to be going to go to a village school. It has a good Ofsted and isn't too big, I feel lucky to have secured a half decent place that isn't 10 miles away.

Now to buy uniform and sew in a million name labels. Nothing like leaving it til the last minute!!

[TerrysNo2]

I've just moved out of Surrey and emailed the CC yesterday to give up our place at Epsom Primary.

just in case that information helps anyone

[mummytime]

Surrey does organise a lot about education on a borough basis. The real issue Surrey is it is far more rural than somewhere like Berkshire. It has also had a massive increase in the school age population, it always has an influx (from London) but it has also attracted a lot of immigrants and both town centric ones and rural workers.
Also different boroughs saw the increase in children looming at different times, Runnymede was still shutting schools until quite recently. Actually in my town, their shutting of schools now seems quite crafty, as they have effectively moved places from where they weren't wanted to the South of the town where schools are now expanding.

[prh47bridge]

flootshoot - Pleased to hear they've come up with a place. I'm not surprised they are denying what they said before as it is so clearly a breach of the Admission Code. And as others have said, if it is more than 2 miles away by the shortest safe walking route your child is entitled to free transport.

[mam29]

I only asked as dd2due to start sept 2014 and has no sibling link to d1 school as out catchement but then 2015 dd3 due sto start.


we hate our 3 nearesr schools and hope to move,


but have read on here that bugger is people accept a school further away kjust to get a place then cant get sibling in which results 2schools miles apart which is nightmare-I dont drive too.

I walk 1.2 miles to d1 school each day.

[flootshoot]

DD is due to start in 2015. By then we'll have moved a bit nearer to whatever school DS is at. Plus there'll be the sibling link so fingers crossed it'll be ok although of course there are no guarantees.

I think the problem is that Surrey deal with such a huge area. Surely doing it by borough as Berkshire do would allow them to be a bit more on the ball, it must be a mammoth task.