URGENT - Special case threatens to take my childs spot

[Mamabear12]

Okay, well the special case has already taken her spot! Basically, we are number 1 on waiting list and my friend just declined her sons spot. I called the school and now they have told me, they were already over suscribed due to a special case, which I am PISSED about. What constitutes as a special case? If they already allowed 1 spot over, cant they just squeeze my daughter in? I am beyond annoyed right now. Sorry for the rant, I am just really upset, as been stressing the last two months! Anything I can do?? I knew this would happen. I am so FRUSTRATED!!!! Any advice? I know people can fight these things.

OP said a couple of hours that she had calmed down.

Seriously, OP don't put yourself in this position when you're applying for reception next year. If you think nursery is stressful...

I know it must be upsetting/annoying for you but as others have said waiting lists are fluid and places change all time. Hopefully she will get a place.

When we moved area (back to the North East from Bucks) we appealed to get our daughter into the primary school of our choice. The classes were 'full' but when we were sent the documents from the LEA prior to the appeal we noticed that one class had 30 children, the other had 31. At the appeal we stated that our daughter's needs were greater than the need to keep the class number to 30. The LEA rep stated that the classroom with 31 in was bigger so the appeal panel halted the appeal to have both classrooms measured. It turned out they were the same size, which is what we were hoping. We won the appeal, possibly on a technicality, or I like to think we put a better case forward than the LEA.
Apparently this made us very unpopular with a few families whose children were on the waiting list. Having fought so hard to get my daughter in the school, it was difficult to have the time/energy to think about the knock on effect for other families.

So this is a nursery and not a school?
OP, if you are applying for reception next year you will need to apply to more than one school. If you find nursery stressful you haven't seen anything until primary.
Also, why let your child build their hopes up about a particular school when she probably won't get in, you are setting her up for a huge disappointment. She is only on a waiting list, what are you going to tell her? You can't go to Holy Cross as you didn't have a place anyway?

nursery? oh

OP, admissions are according to who meets the priority criteria, not who has been on the list longest.

See which other nurseries have places - I hope you get a place soon.

Nursery admissions are completely different to school admissions. Do read up about how to apply for schools and what criteria they use to determine who gets into the schools.

It is perfectly possible for a looked after child to arrive in the locality of the nursery and get preference. They would at school too! I think it is also wise not to "big up" where your child might go so they are not disappointed if things go wrong. It is a case of managing expectations and disappointments.

Durham did your DD have a particular reason why she needed to go to that school? I'm just asking out of interest as otherwise I'm not sure why you wouldn't just go to the end of the waiting list....?

It was quite an unexpected move and when we arrived in the North East she didn't have any school to go to. We went straight to the appeals process under the exceptional circumstances that she didn't have a school, the new term was already under way. The waiting list at the school we liked would be non-moving until the following term or a pupil left.
At the appeal our evidence was that due to circumstances we had to move hundreds of miles, our daughter needed a school to help get her through the difficult period of having to move. The appeal board were lovely, it was scary but they seemed to warm to us rather than the LEA rep straight away, we were v honest.
Of course I do think the LEA rep shot herself in the foot when questioned about the size of the actual classrooms, she said one was bigger than the other without actually knowing that was the fact. I think this was the clincher.

Also, just because you are in a specific school nursery, doesn't mean that you will be automatically offered a school place if you are out of catchment. I work in a school and two of our nursery children didn't get a reception place, one of whom has SEN. It's just the way the LEA works.

Why not just be grateful that your child isn't one of those whose needs are sufficient that the class numbers can be extended to accommodate them? Those children are going to face far greater challenges in life than just not being able to attend the school their parents like best.