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Original poster

Primary admissions 2018

314 replies

Allosaurusroar · 09/04/2018 14:13

Is there an anxiously awaiting primary school places thread yet?
One week to go and it’s all I can think about. We are on Easter holidays from pre school and it’s going so so slow waiting.
Does anyone know what time we find out?

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JZ1987 · 16/04/2018 09:23

Warwickshire log in is working!

Got our first choice out of catchment outstanding faith school yay!!!!!!! In the top 1000 of all 16,000 primary schools woooohooooo

drspouse · 16/04/2018 09:25

@Soph88 we got our 2nd choice for our DS but really wanted our first choice. We went on the waiting list and following movement (as in, people moving house, rather than changing their minds when the offers came out - it was June) we got a place at our 1st choice.
Hang in there - we were ready to appeal and had our MP on the case but then got a place via waiting list. We were so relieved!

It depends what kind of area you live in. We live in a very mobile area (lots of new families moving in and lots moving out, the school has a fair few children coming with no English etc.) so I'm pretty sure someone accepted a place just in case and then had their move away confirmed.

So London and big cities and university towns tend to be mobile, middle of the countryside less so. Also areas with a large group going to private schools (we don't have any of those here so that's not a factor).

BonjourMinou · 16/04/2018 09:26

Thanks Queen

WhoAteMyCandy · 16/04/2018 09:27

I am so confused! So you only get given one school and that's the one you should accept ? My son was offered 2/3 of his nursery places and I then got to pick what one he went to.

Hersetta427 · 16/04/2018 09:28

Getting no offer is more common than you would think. Try not to panic as things will move and change. It happened where I live 2 years ago with a bumper size year and lots of people got no offer. However it was becasuse they were going to put in a bulge class at one of the local schools which meant that everyone got a school place at least. In my county they seem to not allocated you a school that might case more worry (it might be 10 miles away) but just wait for things to settle down and the lists to start moving.

I know its hard but keep calm, get on any waiting list you can and you will ultimately get an offer (although it still may not be at one of your preferences).

Katescurios · 16/04/2018 09:30

We got 1at choice which wasn't a surprise as it's on our road so I would have been very miffed if we hadn't gone in. Check your spam folder of you haven't had an email, ours went straight to junk at midnight.

Hersetta427 · 16/04/2018 09:33

WhoatemyCandy

Yes reception places are different from Nursery. You get one school allocated. If you actually qualify for more than one school they will allocate you the school you ranked highest.

You school always accept the offered school unless you intend to go private or home educate and get on the waiting list for any school you ranked higher than your allocated school (although with some authorities this is automatic).

Hersetta427 · 16/04/2018 09:34

'should always'

MrKaplansGlasses · 16/04/2018 09:35

First choice for us. So relieved! Had a massive amount of stress with DD1s reception place so have been worrying about this for months.

Nousernameforme · 16/04/2018 09:36

Just to say I did have to accept our offer it wasn't evidently apparent there was a link to click to take you to the portal where if you scroll down you see a table with all 3 schools in saying offer or no offer and a drop box next to it as to your choice.

You have till 1st of may to accept but I wouldn't risk thinking its automatic without checking

MinniesAndMickeysNeedCounting · 16/04/2018 09:38

Has anyone found out from Norfolk?
Website wouldn't let me log in until after 9am, and now it just shows me my application, no result.

MadeOfPaper · 16/04/2018 09:47

Do all emails get sent at the same time from a particular LEA? I saw upthread that a pp received their email from Birmingham in the early hours but I haven't had anything yet. My email a couple of years ago from them for DC1 was sent at 6.44am so I'm panicking!

Schmoop · 16/04/2018 09:47

I applied through one council and moved areas after the closing date so sent them proof of change of address in march. I haven't had an email through at all yet. Very anxious! Everybody else in my area has received theirs

WhoAteMyCandy · 16/04/2018 09:48

Thank you so much for the info Hersetta427 :) My area have to wait until late afternoon to find out what school we are offered.

hotchips · 16/04/2018 09:55

So I rang to find out where we are on the waiting list for our first choice and apparently we’re not on it at all. Confused

The contact centre advisor didn’t know why, but asked me to email.

Hersetta427 · 16/04/2018 09:59

yes mine too - outs come out after 3pm.

QuilliamCakespeare · 16/04/2018 10:36

Does anyone know how the waiting lists work? Presume I should accept the place we've been offered as well as emailing about the waiting list for our first choice school?

ISeeTheLight · 16/04/2018 10:37

Got email from the council last night at 2 minutes past midnight. The website was overloaded though and it took me 25min of agonising waiting to find out, but DD has a place in our 1st choice school!! Yayyy.

She's already attending nursery there. We're very relieved, I was particularly worried as it's the best school in the area, it's oversubscribed, and we don't live that close. She does get priority as attending nursery, but after siblings. I can breath again now.
Good luck to everyone.

Hersetta427 · 16/04/2018 10:43

QuilliamCakespeare

Some authorities add you to waiting lists for schools higher up your list than your allocated school automatically - others you need to request that you be added.

The waiting list is then ranked in the same order as the main admission criteria (usually by now based on distance alone) and so the nearer you are to a school the higher up the waiting list you will be. If someone turns down a place at your preferred school, it will be offered to the person who is ranked number 1 on the waiting list, who may in turn then free up a place at the school they had been allocated, so the waiting list for that school will move as well.

drspouse · 16/04/2018 10:46

Made I think they vary, and some authorities are of course a lot bigger than others, so they may have to stagger the emails to avoid overwhelming their IT systems.

Our email says "If you are happy with the offer you don't need to confirm the place with us. You may, however, need to confirm the place with the school or academy. Please respond if they contact you direct. "

But this doesn't mean that all LEAs work the same.

Quilliam yes exactly.
Accept the first place if you have to do anything to actively accept.
Follow the LEA's instructions about going on a waiting list.
If you want to appeal, then follow the directions for that too.

drspouse · 16/04/2018 10:47

Oh yes good point re the order of waiting lists.
So if you are no 1 on the waiting list and a place comes up, you'll be offered it.
But if you are no 1 on the waiting list and someone asks to join the list who has a higher priority, you'll move to no 2.

Hersetta427 · 16/04/2018 11:57

Soph88, no-one can answer that for you really as it will depend for school to school. In a highly populated area there may be lots of people waiting for places, in other areas, less so. Just register for waiting lists if you need to do this and wait and see.

amyacq84 · 16/04/2018 12:00

If you are offered a place from the waiting list and you accept it, they can't then kick you out again if someone else moves in and applies right?

We didn't get first choice, the catchment area for the school goes half way up our road then juts in just before our block of flats. I was hopeful as our next door neighbor sent her son to this school about 2/3 years ago when she was living here. I'm completely gutted we didn't get it as the second choice has so few facilities by comparison and as I work full time I was hopeful that my son would be getting the very best at this school.

Fingers crossed the waiting list works!!!

MagnaWiles · 16/04/2018 12:03

Has anyone in Camden heard anything? I'm anxiously awaiting a communication (slightly worried because I got a call from one of the schools we'd applied for asking if we'd withdrawn our application! Camden admissions team swear it's ok but it still made me anxious...)

SheSellSeaShells · 16/04/2018 12:08

I'm here waiting in surrey - I only applied for one school - was feeling pretty confident when I did it - now I'm a bit shakey and keep logging in to see if anything has come up yet - nothing yet.... eeek

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