Your experience...waiting lists....!

[VioletD]

DS has started primary school and I really feel we made the wrong choice of school for him for a number of reasons. Eldest DS went to the same school but it has since changed.

I have now applied for an in year transfer at few other schools for DS and we are likely to be placed on waiting lists (oversubscribed and out of catchment). I know it depends on movement in the area etc as to if/when we get a place but interested in hearing about your experiences of in year transfers at over subscribed schools? How long did it take for a place to become available?

How long is really the how long the piece of string question.

I've 3 dc who have been through the same schools:
Infant:
dd1 spaces on arrival
dd2 around 6 children moved away in year R and spaces filled from waiting list, similar number in year 1 and 2.
Ds no one moved away until end of year 1 and the child who took the space had only just moved into the area:

Juniors:
Dd1 #1 on the waiting list got in the first week, don't know after that.
Dd2 spaces on arrival
Ds lots of appeals won before term started and not a single new child was able to start in 4 years without an appeal.

The thing with waiting lists is time doesn't count- just the entrance criteria. When we moved last year, DD was originally 9th on the WL. Jumped to 1st as her sister got a place in different year. Was then admitted by Appeal board. Another child has been admitted by the Appeal board since then (so there are two classes of 31). The child who was number 1 when we moved is still No.1... and has been for several years (the class is Yr5 now). 3 children have to leave for them to be offered a place.

There are spaces in other year groups though.

Thanks. Good to know that time doesn’t count. It feels a bit like we are in limbo and I won’t be telling DS that we have applied to other schools. As you say, we may never be offered a place and I’m not sure what grounds we would have to appeal...I just have a gut feeling (for a few reasons) that DS current school isn’t right for him.