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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

Is it too soon for a September 2017 reception support thread?

355 replies

BellaGoth · 28/09/2016 20:08

Anybody about to embark on school applications and want to chat? I don't know about anyone else but I think I'll need a place to get advice / support over the next year!

DS will be 4 in January and I think will be very ready for school come September. Our catchment school is single form entry and very over-subscribed but we live quite close so fingers crossed we'll get in!

First school tours next week, quite looking forward to it!

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sarahj198 · 09/04/2017 09:08

Hey can I join in with the stressing ha x my boy will be starting in September super nervous as have not put my catchment school down x their results are rubbish, several friends took their kids oit due to bullying not being dealt with and they lost a four year old last summer hr managed to get out the nursery past the receptiinist and out the 'locked' gate onto the street before they realosedx he will be 5 on 1st of October though and

sarahj198 · 09/04/2017 09:09

Is totally ready for school x just hope we qualify for one of my first 3 presences. 4th preference wasn't practical but better than something from the leftovers x also pressed post too soon x

sarahj198 · 09/04/2017 09:10

Oh my goodness at my typos I do apologise x

CactusFred · 09/04/2017 20:09

I do love a group stress! Welcome

Have you any idea what the chances are for the schools you chose?

AV76 · 10/04/2017 11:37

My DD starts school in September so I thought I'd come and join in the group stressing as we wait for the 18th!

So nervous as there are a couple of good schools in the area but several really bad ones. I hope we get first or second choice. I don't really like our third choice but it was the best of a bad bunch and I put it down to hopefully stop her getting one of the really bad ones!

Good luck everyone!

HalfCarrot · 10/04/2017 12:58

We will definitely get our second choice and will go on the waiting list for our first choice. We're in london so there's a lot of movement. Hopefully.

BaxterStockboy · 10/04/2017 13:01

Only 8 days to go!

I suddenly had a moment of panic yesterday and thought 'what if I didn't submit the application?' Which is ridiculous since I actually received a letter from our local council stating my preferences!

Good luck everyone!

HalfCarrot · 10/04/2017 13:31

What if you submitted it but put the wrong address so you don't get any of your choices? I'm just trying not to think about all the things I've messed up.

vfoster · 10/04/2017 14:13

Can I please join in too? I'm stressing for the 18th!
My daughter isn't 4 until the very end of August so I was already slightly anxious about her being the 'baby'. We pretty much live on the catchment area line between two schools. One is outstanding and is always over subscribed and I've heard terrible things about the other. When I applied we are 0.7 miles from the outstanding school and 1 mile from the less appealing one. But the council catchment area website says we are just over the line into the one further away. Anyone know which will take priority?
We both work and the outstanding school's breakfast club opens at 7:30 while
No other local schools open until 8. We have to be gone by 7:30 to get to work so no idea what we will do if we don't get into our preference.
Sorry, but that get good to vent!

ginforall · 11/04/2017 07:33

Hi,

Joining the group stress too. We apply for four schools here and I'd be happy with any of the top three. The fourth one is our catchment one and is not great, doesn't have a great ofsted or reputation in the area. Felt like I had to put it down because I was worried about being placed miles away which would have been a real issue for work and before/after school care.

However as a teacher in a local secondary school I've seen great kids from all the local schools and not so great ones from a mixture of schools too. Doesn't stop me worrying though.

vfoster, from my understanding you'll get in your first choice if there is room after the catchment children who have put it first (or second if they don't get in their first choice) have been allocated. Just a numbers game and not much you can do to change it. Hope you get the one you want. I know what a stress it can be for before school club. I have a stepson who goes to school a 20 min drive from us (near his mums) and I too need to drop him off at 7.30 to allow me to get to work in time. We had to use a childminder to start with but now the before school opens earlier. If you do have to go to your second choice would suggest looking for a childminder asap.

vfoster · 11/04/2017 08:37

Fingers crossed we get it!
I'm a secondary teacher too so know exactly what you mean about it mostly being about the kids individually rather than the school.
I was looking at childminders up until last year when a 2 year old went missing from a local childminder. He was fine but it stressed me out a bit!
This time next week hopefully we will have got our first choice! Otherwise I guess we have waiting list/appeal processes if we need them (fingers crossed we don't!)

Trb17 · 11/04/2017 08:50

vfoster yes the 'equal preference system' that is used now means that if you qualify for a place and it's the highest on your preference list then that will be your offer. The trick is if distance is the category you fall in as that varies year to year. It's all down to the schools admission policy for the criteria.

Good luck to everyone waiting. Not long to go now.

Freddyfredfred · 11/04/2017 11:00

Can I join you? One week to go!

I'm hoping we'll be OK, but I've never done this before, so I'm a bit nervous. We got six choices, so I applied to six. Based on last year's distances, we're within the catchment areas of our top 4. One of those schools is brand new and only opened last year, so that had a knock on effect of making the catchment areas for the other schools bigger. So I'm hopeful we'll be fine. There are several very good schools very close together, but if you're more than about a mile away, you struggle to get in. We're about a mile from choice 4 but less than that for choices 1-3, so hopeful but nervous.

blamethecat · 11/04/2017 13:34

Joining in with the other stressed parents, our 1st choice is where he is at nursery/pre-school and has been since 9 months old, but we are miles out of catchment, it is CofE and over subscribed so highly unlikely to get in, the next one we are also out of catchment but has been under subscribed for years but a really lovely school nearer home. 1st choice was selected for ease of transition for him and wrap around that works for us, 2nd I have no idea how we will get back in time to get him after the wrap around ends. Plus Tuesday DP has his 3/12 oncology appointment to see how he is doing.

sarahj198 · 11/04/2017 13:47

Cactusfred based on last year's results he would have managed to get in at 1st and 3rd preference and would have just missed out on 2nd x

sarahj198 · 11/04/2017 13:49

2nd is by far the most popular school in our town but I preferred the smaller CofE school when I looked around x

tinypop4 · 12/04/2017 08:51

Joining in! DD was 4 in November and starting reception in September - she's very ready. I live in a city and have applied to our nearest infant school which is Outstanding in it's recent ofsted and simply lovely in every way. DD is at the nursery class there and really wants to go to reception there. Although we are in catchment of the school, we are on the outer edge of our catchment so if there are a lot of siblings this year, or just very oversubscribed we risk her not getting in. I didn't put our second nearest as our second choice as I really dont' want her to go there, so our 2nd and 3rd choices are further away and unlikely. With less than a week to go I am beginning to sweat!

tinypop4 · 12/04/2017 09:09

Well, bizarrely my authority have already released the allocation data before letting people know their particular allocations. Our 1st choice school has 116 1st choices for 90 places. The have offered 88 first choice places and 2 second choice places so that leaves 28 children who chose it as first choice and didn't get it ...I'm so so desperate that dd is not one of the 28. There's going to be some very disappointed parents at the pre school gates, it's never been anything like that oversubscribed before . Stress!!!

ginforall · 12/04/2017 09:47

Wow, I'm surprised you could find out all that info tinypop was it on the council website? Try not to stress, nothing we can do for a few days.

tinypop4 · 12/04/2017 09:49

Hi gin yeah it is all there already! Detailed data for allocations (pre appeals obviously!!) I'm surprised it's up already- I wish it wasn't. Only 87 1st choices last year so not sure where an entire extra class of applications have come from!

BaxterStockboy · 12/04/2017 09:49

Wow Tiny I didn't realise some authorities give out that info so soon! Fingers crossed you are not one of the 28.

6 days to go and I go from being confident we'll get our first preference to panicking we'll get none!

Wish the 18th would hurry up

HalfCarrot · 12/04/2017 15:30

Tiny where did you get the info? Our LA has to upload admissions data to a portal by today according to their timetable. No idea what portal though.

HalfCarrot · 12/04/2017 15:31

I've ordered school uniform in the sainsburys sale. 1st and 2nd preference schools have the same colours. Am I mad.

bettybyebye · 12/04/2017 15:48

Signing in nervously too...I have also been stressing that maybe I didn't submit the application?! Even though I have the email confirmation from the system...this whole process is sending me crazy!

We get 3 choices here, first we put an academy that is 0.3miles away and very popular. Apparently 16 siblings this year and an intake of 30 so who knows? As it's an academy there's no catchment area so calculated on distance only. Second choice is the local catholic school 1 mile away which we will definitely get a place at as dc is baptised. I still put a 3rd choice but hoping it won't be necessary. We are in a fortunate position as v happy with either school, but I just want to know now!!

tinypop4 · 12/04/2017 15:55

Carrot is just on the school admissions page for our local authority.

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