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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

Neighbour offered place, we’re closer!

47 replies

behindthescenes · 16/04/2018 22:46

Our DD hasn’t been offered a place at the junior school we applied to. Our neighbours who are one house further away from the school have. They are good friends and we’ve talked openly so we’re sure there aren’t any reasons for them to come above us on the admissions criteria (SEND, looked after, siblings come above distance and then it is simply done on ‘as the crow flies’). We are a bit mystified.

Is there any way of finding out if there’s been an administrative error? We don’t know anyone else nearby who has applied (there’s only one separate junior school and most go to other through infants-junior primaries) so can’t judge where we are in relation to the edge of the catchment although we knew from previous years we were likely to be on the edge or just beyond.

Does anyone have any advice on what we can do? I’m assuming that the council admissions people won’t be receptive to me ringing up and saying “but my neighbour says she got in...”

OP posts:

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drspouse · 18/04/2018 13:13

What will they do if they given offers to the wrong 90 children?!
I believe if they sort it out right now (as in, this week or next - within a "reasonable" length of time) they can re-offer.

Justanotherzombie · 18/04/2018 13:54

Oh, ok. I’m pretty sure it’s different here (NI) in that once you’re in the catchment you are the same as everyone else in the catchment and they lottery you all. I might be wrong but that’s what the admissions criteria seemed to indicate.

prh47bridge · 18/04/2018 17:52

It depends on the school. Some use a lottery. Most use distance as a tie breaker. So if they can't take all the children in catchment those living closest to the schools get places.

What will they do if they given offers to the wrong 90 children

That would be a very difficult situation.

The council could withdraw all offers and start again, making sure everyone gets the correct offer this time. However, they are rapidly running out of time to do that and, if they go down that road, they will inevitable face appeals from people who thought they'd got their first choice and now find they've got their third choice.

If they try to fix it only for those people who should have got a higher preference they will have to create bulge classes at some schools which may not be practical.

Or they could do nothing and leave it to an appeal panel to sort out. If that happens the appeal panel should look at how many additional pupils each school can handle and admit the most deserving appeals of those affected by the mistake. Whether the appeal panel would actually approach it like this is another matter. Sadly I have known cases where appeal panels have flunked it and admitted no-one when it was clear that a lot of people were affected by a mistake.

tryingtocatchthewind · 19/04/2018 14:59

I would definitely get your appeal in, don't wait around for the school and/or LA to investigate.

Original poster

behindthescenes · 19/04/2018 17:08

We’ve just had an email telling us we’re 9th on the waiting list (which is probably about where we’d have expected to be) but guess we will have to appeal as further away neighbour doesn’t seem to be the only one further than us who has got in. What a pain.

OP posts:

CrackingEggs · 19/04/2018 18:18

What's the PAN of the school? Just trying to work out if 9th gives you a good chance in a three form entry school, or a poor chance in a one form entry.

It does sound like you will have to appeal. I've done it and the worst part was getting my case together. It sounds as if yours is pretty clear case cut so hopefully some of the stress will be taken out of the situation?

I'd love to know which London Boriugh messed up but I won't ask! I think I'd have heard if it was one near me.

spacestranger · 19/04/2018 19:15

OP is the email from the school?

Are you still waiting to hear if the LA is sorting out the mess?

Original poster

behindthescenes · 19/04/2018 20:04

I spoke to our borough on Tuesday and they weren’t particularly helpful but said that we would need to appeal directly to the school (it is an academy if that affects anything?). We don’t actually live in the borough of the school and I didn’t manage to get through to that borough on the phone all day! they just left a message running saying that they were currently closed!! However, I will give them a call tomorrow when perhaps things will have calmed down a bit and see if I can get any guidance from them. Presumably they will be aware of the issues as it was them who apparently messed up.

We really weren’t completely sure we wanted to move our daughter anyway, so all this seems like a lot more work than I’d hoped for something we’re not completely confident we want! It’s obviously a lovely school but practically, I’d have to send younger Dd to the infants and then face another anxious wait to see if she also got into the juniors (as older Dd would have left by then so no sibling priority).

And for pp who asked, it’s 3 form entry so 9th seems a good chance. It’s also the sort of school where local parents often apply but then go private if they’ve got into one locally instead, so I would think the waiting list is likely to move a bit. That’s my guess anyway.

OP posts:

Mary1935 · 20/04/2018 06:54

Hi is there any religious aspect to the school as don't some school offer priority places to other faiths.
My sons in a 3 form entry school in London so they had a lot of children leaving. He was lucky in that he only had 25 in his class for the first few years but now in year 4 it's 30.
Good luck

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 20/04/2018 09:21

It must be a very undersubscribed school if you're out of borough yet your neighbour still got in on distance? Are you sure it's not your neighbour who got the place in error?

Original poster

behindthescenes · 20/04/2018 09:51

we actually live fairly close - 800 metres - it’s just over the line between boroughs. And as it’s just on distance, it doesn’t matter which borough you’re in. But 800 metres isn’t close enough to be sure of getting in by any means. I knew we were on the edge of the normal range for offers. The question is why people further away than us do have offers and we don’t! There’s definitely no other criteria (faith etc) so it really is an administrative mistake and the school seemed to acknowledge that on Tuesday but are now telling me that we are on the waiting list so I am waiting to hear back from the school borough as to how we go through a complaint/appeal process.

OP posts:

prh47bridge · 20/04/2018 11:13

It must be a very undersubscribed school if you're out of borough yet your neighbour still got in on distance

No reason to draw that conclusion. If the school is close to the borough boundary people living just over the boundary will generally have no problem getting places if the school just uses distance.

Summertime45 · 20/04/2018 12:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

behindthescenes · 20/04/2018 12:55

Hi Summertime, yes that sounds right. Last I heard our neighbours hadn’t had their offer withdrawn (which sounds as if they should have done), but maybe they just haven't mentioned it to us yet.

We had a few reasons for being keen to move our Dd, but as you say, it could be complicated for next Dd and maybe just isn’t worth the hassle.

OP posts:

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 20/04/2018 13:35

Or maybe as you are so close your neighbour was within the top 90 and there were 19 children even further away than your neighbour who didn't get in. If you are 9th on the waiting list then that would imply that there might be 10 people living further away than you but who should also have been offered places. If DD isn't happy then move her and worry about your younger child in a few years. 4 years is a long time when you are 6/7 and not happy (assuming it isn't things which will resolve themselves).

Summertime45 · 20/04/2018 13:41

Ok. 9th is not too far so hopefully you will get a place. It is still early days and at least you have a place at another school at the moment.

Original poster

behindthescenes · 20/04/2018 19:56

Sorry to hear your offer was withdrawn Summertime. Do you think you’re likely to get in off the waiting list? It must be very stressful if you don’t have an alternative.

OP posts:

Summertime45 · 20/04/2018 20:32

No idea to be honest; yes, it is very stressful the whole thing and not having the Infant and junior linked causes lots of stress. It is a risk you always take when deciding to go to the Infant as there is not guaranteed place at the Junior. Catchment varies every year and you may end without a school.

Original poster

behindthescenes · 24/04/2018 12:40

Just an update to say that we were offered a place after all and it was a mistake. Hopefully the waiting list will move quickly and you will get a place too Summertime. I think the error has been fairly well handled but the fact it happened in the first place is dreadful. Thank you to all for advice.

OP posts:

drspouse · 24/04/2018 12:54

Hooray! Such a relief.

prh47bridge · 24/04/2018 13:49

Glad to hear it's been sorted. Especially glad that they haven't made you go through an appeal.

YippeeTipTap · 24/04/2018 14:25

That's great news OP. Mistakes happen but the main thing is that they handled it well.

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