Is there a nervously awaiting primary admissions thread?

[drspouse]

Or have I just started the first one?

[mogloveseggs]

Our first choice is two mins walk away. Second is the school that dd is at although she leaves this time. Third is a massive school and I don't want ds to go there. Really hoping for first choice.

[NotCitrus]

Tarah - lots of dads I know were the same! DP came with me and ds to look round school3 and his verdict on leaving was "it's a school, innit?" Though he had also been round our first two choices and agreed that school2 was a bit huge and riotous (open-plan 90-intake reception and Y1...). And had an ugly uniform (now changed).

In retrospect, we've been lucky - SIL moved to next door to an Outstanding school (landlord gave notice, she needed to rent somewhere, so why not) and it's been frankly inadequate - even with formal diagnosis of autism, the teachers have refused adjustments, rarely communicated effectively, not dealt with normal levels of winding up dn, and only done anything at all after we started legal action and got the LEA to kick them up the backside.

So much depends on the individual teachers and the kids that happen to be in your child's class. Luckily ds loves his teacher this year and says he quite likes everyone in his class. I am still in awe of how a 3-form entry school manages to be so well organised!

[Mner]

We (DH and I) have been equally involved in making choices for DS's education. We both picked the village for the school, we both went and viewed it together last year and we're both pleased that it should be a good fit for DS. I am probably a little more anxious about getting the actual school place but that's because DH is laid back and isn't often anxious about anything.

We've put down our village school so we should be ok. But I am wary of counting any chickens...

[Tarahbab84]

mogloveseggs If it's two mins walk away it must be like 50m Im confident you'll get in and be biting the uniform before you know it.
Notcitrus I actually howled with laughter at your "it's a school innit" comment. I'm so glad you've reiterated the point that it's not just about Ofsted it's about other factors like the other kids in the class, the teachers and our DD personality too. They have told me at her nursery that she will fit in anywhere and has loads of friends at nursery so I'm sure she will be fine wherever we get.
All the best to you and hope you get the school you want

[Tarahbab84]

Buying the uniform even

[Pengweng]

I'm pretty confident we will get in as it's our catchment school and I don't know anyone from the nursery who lives closer than we do so taking into account those with siblings we should be ok as it is a two form entry. I'm still a bit nervous though, i keep getting horrible visions of them accepting one twin and then me having to appeal to get the other one in. I did put 3 choices though on the off chance that something goes horribly wrong.

[smellyboot]

The tower hamlets story is shocking - how can people who turned down a school then jump the queue for popular school I'd have gone berserk if I lived there. It breaks all the rules.
In our area they do basic checks but only investigate if some one actually reports some one. Loads at our school bang in their application then promptly move to a cheaper area just out of normal distance cut off between Autmn when applications open and Autumn start date. Everyone by mid reception year knows who did it. Some move before April allocations knowing that no one will pick it up as their paperwork is correct at time of submitting the application.
They don't check that you are still there after Jan 16th deadline for applications.
I know several who would not have got in from where they were actually living the summer before their DC started reception.

[smellyboot]

I actually think DC will be happy at whatever school they go to as they adapt....but it's what parents want for them in reality. We chose a large creative school and swerved away from tiny schools as too small and one that was very strict and formal. We didn't pick the most pushy academic school as we wanted a broader education. Hope all goes well for everyone

[SpaghettiMeatballs]

I'm waiting to find out for DC1. We've put a school we might get as choice 1 (would have got a place 2 out of 3 previous years) and our catchment as choice 2 which is about 500 meters away. I'd be surprised if we didn't get school 2 but there is always that worry at the back of your mind isn't there?

School 1 has amazing wraparound care in addition to being a great school. Life would be easier for us there.

We really liked school 2 but it is 'good' rather than 'outstanding' so isn't as well thought of where we live. This doesn't worry me as we liked what we saw but I know the reactions of a few friends along the lines of 'what a pity / shame' if she goes there will add to my anxiety.

DH is in an international role and is away at the moment so I won't have his chilled out 'she will be fine' attitude to keep me calm.

[SpaghettiMeatballs]

Agree with miaowthecat that I want to know so I can talk to DD about it. Where we live siblings get priority so a number of her friends at pre-school already know where they are going so she keeps asking me where she is going.

[Tarahbab84]

Spaghettiwithmeatballs I want to start telling our DD where's she's going too. We didn't send her to a preschool just kept her at the nursery she was already at. She is adamant she wants to go to our 3rd choice and lots of her friends are going there. So I've just said we will see what they give us to her.

[zippyswife]

Can I join? I was here last year for dc1. I had put my local usually undersubscribed incredibly average local school as my first choice and was shocked when I didn't get it but got an outstanding faith school that I'm out of catchment for. This year I'm at it again for dc2 but I need to get the same school as I can't be doing a 2 school drop off- I'm very anxious as we're out of catchment and it's an excellent school. I'm scared to find out!!

[mrsmortis]

We're currently in Germany while I'm on secondment for a year. Our regs allow us to apply for DD2's place form our UK home address (as long as we are back there before term starts). I checked that the paragraph in question applies to us and I have this in writing from the admissions team.

We've put our catchment school first but DD1 didn't get in there initially because we are right on the edge of catchment. She got a place from the waiting list in mid June. Then two other outstanding schools (in the OFSTED sense) which we haven't much hope of getting into but the border to their catchments is about 50 yards away. Finally a good school in an outlying village which would mean drop off by car but it's been slightly under subscribed every year (think an entry of 60 but only 58 places allocated) since I've been tracking it.

A lot hangs on this for us because when we move back to the UK we intend to apply for an in year admission place for DD1 at the school DD2 is at. We really want her to go back to her old school and her old friendship group. But a 2 school drop off just isn't feasible.

[SpaghettiMeatballs]

Same here tarah. I say pre-school but it's the pre-school class of our private nursery. They are all going off to different primary schools and DD is so desperate to know who she is going with.

I know she will make friends wherever she goes but she is friendlier with the kids going to choice 1 so naturally she wants to go there.

[SomedayMyPrinceWillCome]

Does anyone know what time on Monday we will hear? Am I right in thinking it varies throughout the country? I'm in London, I bet we'll be last

[CommanderShepard]

Joining in too. Almost guaranteed our catchment school but I'm not a great fan. We were hoping to move but haven't managed and although our preferred school isn't far away and is now 90 PAN under last year's data we wouldn't have got in (though the year before we would have). Don't know anyone going to our catchment school much less people who've applied for it.

Lots of people very complacent round here; expect there will be shocks on Monday as we are in a ludicrously oversubscribed area.

[cece]

I am waiting for news of a junior school place next week. TBH I am not bothered which of the 3 schools I get given. Any of them will be fine although DS2 is keen to go to the one we put 1st. I liked our 2nd preference one better but logistically the 1st choice one works better.

He does have siblings but they are both at secondary school so no sibling priority for us.

I am feeling surprisingly chilled about it all.

None of my 3 preferences are schools near to me. They are the 6th, 5th and 8th nearest schools. LOL. However, his infant school has a link to our 1st preference so he should get into that one.

[cece]

In my experience you can log in to the website quite a bit before the email arrives in your inbox.

[Tarahbab84]

Zippyswife doesn't your dc2 get in because of sibling priority? I haven't looked at faith schools so have no Idea what the criteria is. These school places are such a lottery aren't they. If Id have been looking last year I'd have put down a localish school (1.6 miles away) as one of my choices thinking I'd get in as they'd been undersubscribed for previous 3 years but when I got my booklet from the council it was suddenly oversubscribed with a small catchment and a school that usually has a 850m catchment for 3 forms went 1,700m last year so I wouldn't have put it thinking I wouldn't have got in but actually I would have easily got in!!! I have no idea why one school suddenly got popular and the other went much further as their Ofsteds haven't changed. It really does seem like a lottery these school places.
Hurry up next Monday. My friends and I keep texting each other in anticipation and the moms at the nursery are all on tender hooks. Some are staying up till after midnight on Sunday just to keep refreshing their emails waiting for it to come through!!

[alien11]

Joining in!
I'm nervous as our area is notorious for not having enough school places in good schools. We live 0.2 miles from our first choice school and they have one form intake and 11 siblings this year...
If our daughter gets any of our three choices she's very lucky!!

[alien11]

drspouse same here re no set catchment area

[MissesBloom]

I'm new here too. Dreading Monday. Ds seems to have no chance of getting into the school attached to his current nursery. Thought of having to move him schools is awful too.
Everyone here seems to know so much about the process. I found a distinct lack of info from the local authority here in regard to catchments etc. don't really get how likely he is to get in anywhere. Seems like a lottery.
Hoping to get any of the schools on our list. Just don't want our catchment school as it's rubbish.

[alien11]

misses have you had a look on your LA
Website as I found all the information for previous years on there. It shows the furthest distance the school accepted a child.
Fingers crossed for us all. Our poor little children- we ve chosen schools that we feel will suit, support and encourage them to enjoy school and do well but sadly they may not be lucky to get a place at that school. It's all so wrong
My daughter loves to learn and is such a sensitive little soul, in the wrong school this could all change. Having taught we prior to having her I know what she's going to be like in the classroom and what environment will make her thrive. Here's hoping life throws us some luck

[Tarahbab84]

//www.schoolcatchment.co.uk

Type in your catchment and you'll see what schools you would have got into last year