Did not get offered a place at any our our four preferred schools - what to do?

[Twine88]

We did not get offered a place at any of the primary schools we applied for (four choices). Including our first choice catchment school, When/who do I contact to find out why we missed out? Do I have to start an appeals process for that? I really just want to check that distance etc has been calculated correctly. I am not happy with what we have been offered, and I assume my only hope is waiting lists?

Before you do anything else, accept the place you have been offered, otherwise you may end up with nothing at all. Then contact all of your preferred schools (and any others that weren't on your initial application but you would prefer tho the one you have been offered) to get put on the waiting list. Waiting lists often move quite quickly and you might be near the top. Contact the admissions team to ask for reasons you have been refused and see if you could have any grounds for appeal. I would imagine you can contact them immediately.

Thanks Grace apparently I only need to contact if I want to refuse, and I do with all my heart, but I won't as I don't want to be worse off! Apparently I can from 24th contact them to find out where I am on various waiting lists. I think that's the LEA as none of the schools were voluntary aided??

It's normally the LA. By the time you can contact them, some will have declined places so waiting lists will start moving. Check your LA web site too - ours publishes the admission data the same day offers go out. I will be able to see the distance cut offs and then know if everyone on our road got in or not!

Thank you april sadly ours are not that efficient, I had to email them to get distance cut offs to decide where to apply to. apparently I should wait until the letter arrives to find out where we are at...don't know when they will be - want to be doing something now! There is one more school I didnt list but would like to go on waiting list for, so I guess I need to make some phone calls, although not sure they will be able to help so soon, as I need to wait till 24th to find where we are on waiting lists. Thanks for the advice so far recieved, i was really hoping today would bring the end of waiting and stress!

Try and remain focused and positive. Follow the advice of the experts on here as its excellent. Most people I know got a positive outcome in the end when we did it. Even one who was very disappointed is now happy and her school rapidly improving

I cannot thank you all enough for the advice and support! It is helping me keep a clear head and reminding me that all is not lost. All local class sizes are at 30 and my only chance of appeal is I think error - which is unlikley. I am 99% sure we missed out on our first choice because the new housing development built in catchment, which makes me absolutely disgusted! So angry with the constant building of houses with no provision of schools..and breathe. Hopefully my letter will arrive today. Thank you for your help.

Some relief, I had been in touch before the application deadline with admissions to try and work out our best chances of success (that failed!) and on the off chance this morning I emailed them and got a reply! They are goi g to come back to me with why I didnt get my choices, and add me to the list on the other school. Quick question, if I get offered a place from a waiting list, say at the new school I just asked to be added to to, do I still stay on the waiting lists for the other (higher preference schools?) i have asked admissions this question.

Thanks tiggy that is a relief at least. Fingers crossed for an against all odds waiting list offer!

Go and visit the school that you have been offered. Go when the school is open and look at the whole school not just Reception. Talk to the Head Teacher about your concerns- be honest and see what they say.

Twine places do shift a lot in the next few months. DC was given out third choice school (catchment but furthest) which we accepted but eventually got a place off the waiting list for our first choice in the August - which of course we accepted.

Thanks hellrunner. I am hoping for that, however, our first choice (catchment school) is quite sort after, and although I can see we just missed out based on last distance offered. I expect we will fall quite far down the waiting list as we live edge of catchment and therefore people who move in nearer will bump ahead of us - as its sought after the rental turnover is high..but, I am clinging to hope!

Didn't get our first choice our village school. Last distance cut off this year 0.199m vs 2m last year. We are 0.461m and 5 on the waiting list with an intake of 25. Offered school is 2.9m with no afterschool provision for receptin, also in special measures so not ideal. We shall be appealing and keeping our fingers crossed, but not very hopeful.

Good Luck just its an enormous stress isnt it? The school we have been offered is 'requires improvement'. We can at least walk to it, although it is in the opposite direction as my daughters nursery..we have to apply for her next year..dreading that already.

I called our LEA today and they confirmed I am currently number 1 on the waiting list for our first choice (catchment school), its a popular school, so don't expect there will much movemet, although there are a fair few privates schools close by, so guess some people might opt for that. My question is, if on allocation people rejected a place, would they have filled those spaces already? Just wondering if I am top of the list because I always was, or because others have been allocated already? They did confirm today waiting list places are offered via letter. ..but i wonder how efficient things move..Also, (the guy on the phone was vague on this) am i right to assume that anyone moving in closer to me and making a late application would bump me down the list? We are close to the catchment boundary..

It's possible that others were further up the list and have got spaces already, leaving you first, equally it's entirely possible you were always first!

And yes you can move down the waiting list is people who fit the criteria better (by living nearer) ask to be added to it.

In our area people will still be decking and accepting etc - so no new offers are likely to have gone yet

I'm pleased to currently be top of the list, although its going to be a worrying wait, especially as I don't think places will be in high supply, and it is just a matter of time before someone bumps us down the list - the roads surrounding the school are notorious for being rented short term to get into the school.. It really doesnt seem fair that someone can move in closer outside the applications process and bump us down . I almost wished i had not checked our place, as I was just begining to except the school we had been offered was where DS would go.