Reception waiting lists not available until 19th May- is this normal?

[ParakeetsInTheGarden]

As the title- we didn't get the school we were expecting because of a high number of siblings. I'd really like to know where we are on the waiting list, to have some idea whether we might get in, or if I should just start preparing on the basis DS is going to the other school we were given. We've been told waiting list positions won't be available until 19th May- is this normal? Does anyone know what takes all the time? I'd assumed it was all pretty computerised by this point. Thanks.

sounds normal.
parents had until 30 april to reject places (at least in my lea) so I guess a bit of shuffling/re-assigning goes on after that before they have the list ready.

good luck

Thanks, yes I think it was until 30th April here too. I guess I had assumed they would need to have done the waiting lists before they could do the reshuffling. So in my mind, I could find out the waiting position now, knowing I might move up a place or two if there is any movement (or of course down a place or two if a new family move nearer). But if this sounds normal, then I will just wait a little longer.

I think it all depends upon what deadline the school sets for acceptance and rejections. So the 19th May sounds reasonable.

Yes sounds reasonable. They'll get the replies back and then rejig the lists. No point talking you before as it could massively change etc etc.

Thanks - that's what I thought tiggytape . I might give them a call and see if they will tell me, absolutely accepting that this is the starting point, but I would still like to know.

The school may not have this info from the county yet. If they don't they will still know how many first preferences there were and how many places have been declined so far, which will give you a bit of a sense of how hard/promising things could be when comparing this to the PAN. If it is a popular school first preference numbers are often a good indicator.

Sorry for the delay in returning. I was very patient and held off calling my local admissions people, until I caved at the end of last week, when they reconfirmed that the lists weren't available until the 19th May (even with me saying that I just wanted an initial indication which I knew could go either way). And they advised me that I probably wouldn't get through on the 19th. I was on hold for a while today but did get through eventually. And now they are saying the information won't be available until the beginning of June. I again said that I realised I could go up or down on the waiting list, but please could I have the current position, but she wouldn't tell me, tried to say they just didn't have the information yet. I did ask what would happen if a space became available at my preferred school in the mean time, and she said they'd allocate it using all the information they have available... I am a bit fed up to be honest, would just like to have at least a little idea whether there was still some chance of our preferred school.

That sounds very poor given they said you'd know today. There should be no issue giving you your position albeit it could be subject to change. What are the LEA actually doing if a place comes available? Offering it to the person who is top of the waiting list at the time it comes available or waiting until their arbitrary deadline and then allocating it to the top person? What if that is a different person to the one top of the list when place became available?

Indeed, I was told last Thursday that it would be available today. If it's going to be another fortnight, surely they should've had some indication then.

In their defence, the lady I spoke to today said their original leaflet had said waiting list information wouldn't be available until the beginning of June. I confess I checked... They had two versions of the admissions leaflet, one of which implies May, although the other does say June. So that was sort of true.

Yes, I am considering calling back to confirm my DS is on the waiting list, even if they won't tell me exactly where. I am sure they are doing their best, but it is at least possible that a mistake could be made, and if they won't give parents this information, then how are we to know if something has gone wrong?

I know how frustrating this can be. We were on a waiting lugs made year and the LA refused to tell us our position at all. It was very annoying! Sorry you are having to go through this.

I would definitely call back and ask for confirmation by email that you are on the waiting list,a definitive date when you will know where you are on the waiting list and clarity about what happens if a place is available now.

It is important that you do check this because the admission authority is issuing places now and therefore there is a waiting list and you are on it and therefore can be told where you are on it or they are not allocating places as they should do when places do become available. The rules say places must be filled and if you were 1st in the list and there was a space then you should get that space. However if they are holding off giving out the spaces somebody could apply who has a higher priority than you and therefore jumps to number 1 and then gets the place when the admission authority finally get around to allocating the space place.

Sorry for typos in my post;
Should read *waiting list last year

Thank-you both. I hope it all worked alright for you in the end Jellyandjam ?

And admission thanks very much. You've put into words the situation that has been worrying me. I am guessing/hoping that it's the first of the two scenarios you have described (there is a waiting list and they are allocating places), but that for whatever reason they're not giving people waiting list information, but yes, I can't really know at the moment.

For my own understanding... When we accepted the place, we had to positively indicate if we wanted to stay on the waiting list. Am I right in thinking that before they received our acceptance, they should have been assuming we were on the waiting list anyway, or is it the case that the sooner you return your acceptance form, the sooner you are on the waiting list?

Hi thanks. We won our appeal in the end so the waiting list situation didn't matter. Hope it all works out for you too.

That's rubbish OP. Admissions here also said 19th May but frankly I've been calling from around 9th and they've always told me over the phone the waiting list positions which currently stand at 1st and 8th place. I'd just keep calling every few days if I were you

I have spoken to the admissions team again (they only answer the phones after 2pm). The lady was able to look up and confirm DS is on the waiting list, but not where. However, she would not commit that waiting list positions would definitely be available by 2nd June, she said things might still be ongoing then. I pointed out that things would presumably still be ongoing until September (and indeed beyond then though I didn't say that). I am a bit concerned that she was talking about 'rounds' of admission. I tried to clarify that if a place became available today, and DS were top of the list, he would get that place. She thought that was correct, but was not sure, and couldn't pass me over to the senior team who actually make these "decisions". I have suggested that I email and that would hopefully get passed on to the right people. She didn't commit entirely that it would, but was vaguely encouraging so I am going to try that.

Oh, and Tea1Sugar , you're first on one of your waiting lists? That sounds promising - I hope it goes well for you.