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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

What are the chances of waiting lists moving? Any past experiences please

16 replies

Dizzyingly · 22/04/2016 18:19

Hi I was not offered my 1st or 2nd choice for ds. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what my chances are with waiting lists moving. I am currently....
Number 1 on list for an outstanding school
Number 2 on list for 1st choice
Number 8 on list for 2nd choice

Can anyone who has any experience share your stories? Really hoping I get 1 of these before September.

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louisejxxx · 22/04/2016 18:21

Do you know what the year group size is for each school? That would make it easier to give you an answer.

Original poster

Dizzyingly · 22/04/2016 20:13

Yes they are all 60 place intakes.
2 are outstanding 1 is good according to ofsted.
1 of them says they have a lot of movement at different times of the year on the ofsted report. The other two are fairly steady once they start but apprentice number 4 and 6 on list got in last year.

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BananaDaiquiri · 22/04/2016 20:35

Depends on loads of things, like how transient the population is, what percentage end up going private, if it's a faith school that requires church attendance to meet faith place criteria (not many people will go to the effort to attend and then not want the place) etc etc.

2 years ago we were 16th on WL for the school we wanted (London, zone 2, community school with PAN of 60 and regarded as "sought after" locally). It's a very economically and socially diverse area so there is a mix of people moving in and out of the area and also people who are holding private places and undecided. After the deadline to accept or decline places we moved up to 8th on the WL. Then they processed late applicants and we went back down to 11th! I imagine we then may have moved up a bit again but I gave up phoning after that. Also I knew a child won an appeal in the June (placed in wrong admissions category) which would have meant two people having to decline to get one space from WL. We never got offered a space but are happy with school she is at.

Good luck! I would think the ones that you are at number 1 and number 2 for sound fairly hopeful.

EarthboundMisfit · 22/04/2016 21:17

I think it is so hard to predict. If I were number 1 on a list, I'd be very hopeful. Good luck.

ZigZagIntoTheBlue · 22/04/2016 21:27

Accept your allocated school, whether you hate it or not. You can always decline it later if you want to. There is always movement on waiting lists and therefore a knock on effect to other schools, it is however impossible to predict whether the movement will help you or not. It's also worth noting that generally waiting list positions can change when late applicants get added,some might be siblings or live closer. Not to be the harbinger of doom but basically you've got to wait and see, it looks good that you're currently first but don't be disheartened if that changes, there's ages til September :)

SanityAssassin · 22/04/2016 22:01

Completely down to chance, Even if you're first on the waiting list today you could be second or more tomorrow.

But if it makes you feel better I got my 3rd choice but by mid July had been offered my first choice (all schools Out standing)

Mamabear12 · 22/04/2016 22:14

I was first on waiting list for nursery (attached to primary school) and by July got a spot. But before that happened I was moved down to second on waiting,list bc of a special circumstance. The whole thing stressed me out and I was a little annoyed she didn't just get accepted to begin with to enjoy the whole thing! I ended up missing the summer meet the class before school year. She was offered a lace the day after it happened! But happy she got a place in the end. Wish everyone could just get a place at their first choice everywhere!

Original poster

Dizzyingly · 22/04/2016 22:40

Thanks for these. It gives me hope. July seems to be a crucial point then. Oh the waiting us horrible.

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CB2009 · 24/04/2016 16:57

Good school in popular part of London. Two years ago. We got 2nd choice on offer day. 2nd on wait list for top choice. Offered school place in June. Should be movement in summer. Places opened up after us too. People taking private and moving away. Fingers crossed

Crazyinlove123 · 24/04/2016 18:34

I didn't get any of my preferences. We were allocated an awful school I would have never chosen. After much crying I contacted the LA and was told I was 4th on the list for my third choice, 5th for my second and 37th for my first. However I would grab the chance at any other school apart from the one I have been allocated.

OhForFrigSake · 25/04/2016 18:58

We're second on the waiting list for a tiny primary with one reception class of 30. I've been told that there's not really any movement on the waiting list though so whilst I was initially hopeful, now I just feel 😟

Original poster

Dizzyingly · 25/04/2016 22:24

It's such a horrible feeling isn't it? I really feel for you all. The waiting lists do def move as we have now been offered a place at the school where we were number 1. (About an hour before being offered a place we had dropped down to number 2 though so I guess we must have both got in.)

Still hoping for an offer from 1st choice but finally feel relieved about our options for Sept. It's worth joining lists for schools you didn't apply for too as this one wasn't even one of my preferences.

Sending you all positive thoughts and hoping loads of people across the country decide to go private x

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NotCitrus · 25/04/2016 22:56

We were 4 on a waiting list for a London school, eligible for 30 places (also 30 church places). Got to number 2 and got hopes up - the secretary said bluntly that if two kids' families announced they didn't want places the day before a pair of local twins got taken into care, we'd get a place, if the hypothetical twins got taken into care a day earlier, we wouldn't. So about 50:50.

At the start of Sept, we were back down to number 10 and bought uniform for the school we'd been assigned. By the end of the first week we deceded to stay, but never got a place in Reception.

NynaevesSister · 26/04/2016 07:34

If you have been offered a place at a school that really doesn't work for you then look around and see if you can find a school that does.

My friend didn't get any of her preferences and was allocated a very unpopular school three bus journeys away.

She got onto all the local schools (more than one borough involved) and found a school that still had places, was only one bus ride away, and that has shown lots of year on year improvement since the new head took over three years ago. She is still on the waiting lists for other schools, and is lodging an appeal as well, but if her son goes to this school she won't be unhappy.

QuiteQuietly · 26/04/2016 08:56

Little point in fretting about your position on the waiting list, as you can be moved up and down the list.

We were 3rd on waiting list for nearest school (PAN of 60) after initial allocation. By September we had dropped to 6th place, rose to 4th by Christmas in Yr1. We were also 1st on list for another school with PAN of 30, by start of yr1 we had moved to 2nd on list. Our third choice had PAN of 120 and we never got in the top 30. These were our three nearest schools in order of nearness - we weren't being fussy. Our allocated school was an absolute hole 50 minutes away. Gave up by end of Yr1 and moved to a completely different bit of the country.

Stay on the waiting lists and cross your fingers, but best to make a plan B that doesn't involve the waiting lists.

Enkopkaffetak · 26/04/2016 10:49

My friend was 13th on waiting list and was offered a place in December
There had been only 1 child leaving but the 12 above her turned down the offer. So numbers are not always a indicator

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