Allocated third choice- appeal or waiting list?

[Mangomoonlight]

So we’ve been allocated the third choice for Reception. It’s just not ideal- quite difficult to get to and in the wrong direction and also quite small so limited facilities. Next to no after school clubs and the paid after school club finishes at 430 everyday so not great.

It’s a good school, but really doesn’t sit well with me now and I wish I hadn’t chosen it. We live quite rurally, close to a bigger town as village and I thought we had a really good chance with at least our second choice. It would appear not.

So how do I go onto a waiting list of other schools? Did I have to apply originally for them or can I get on them now?

I know I probably should’ve known this before applying but with covid restrictions, looking around has been impossible.

Any advice would be amazing. Thanks

It doesn’t sound like there’s been an error based on what you’ve said so an appeal is highly unlikely to be rejected.

Definitely get on the waiting list and maybe ask about which other schools have spaces to see if you’d prefer those?

I know some round us got into the usual undersubscribed school (without it being a named choice) and many others in their third place. Some of the ones who got in their third place choice are now trying to switch to the very undersubscribed school and if they manage there will be a good chunk of my son’s nursery ending up at a school that none of them initially put as a choice (ironically, mainly because no one else was putting it as it’s a lovely school!).

No There’s no error so I don’t think an appeal is worth the hassle.

Due to our location, we really only have one ‘designated’ school which I didn’t put down due to logistics of very windy narrow lanes. This was the best of ‘other’ options, particularly for my parents to collect, but it’s still miles for them.

So can I ring the Council and just ask to me put into an undersubscribed school
Or a waiting list of several others? It’s that easy?

It sounds like the undersubscribed school in your area has worked out well for some!

You need to contact the LA admission office. In effect if you are looking to now get in at an undersubscribed school you are in effect applying for the school but in reality you will be put on the waiting list for the school. You might be surprised by how many parents have the same thought as you, which will be why the LA will put you, at present, in admission criteria order not anything to do with when you asked for the school place until the LA have filled all available places.

In terms of going on the waiting list for a full school, you will get put on the waiting lists for any schools that you prefer again in admission criteria order at least for the first rework of available places at schools

@Mangomoonlight

No There’s no error so I don’t think an appeal is worth the hassle.

Due to our location, we really only have one ‘designated’ school which I didn’t put down due to logistics of very windy narrow lanes. This was the best of ‘other’ options, particularly for my parents to collect, but it’s still miles for them.

So can I ring the Council and just ask to me put into an undersubscribed school
Or a waiting list of several others? It’s that easy?

It sounds like the undersubscribed school in your area has worked out well for some!

If you ring up the council they should be able to tell you exactly what you need to do to be considered for different schools. As a previous poster says, this will all be done based upon the usual admission criteria, so it’s possible that even if a school is undersubscribed right now there may not be a space (again, council should be able to tell you how many spaces at present which would be an indicator of how likely it is that you will get a space, as there is always the late applications and other people looking to change for various reasons).

Some councils publish the admission statistics about applications and how places were allocated online, others unfortunately don’t and you will need to specifically ask.

Thank you. I’m going to get on the phone this morning. The issue here is that we live rurally but actually so close to town and also a larger village, with a choice of schools. However our ‘catchment’ really only has one school- which I didn’t apply for. We’re going to be so low down the waiting list of other schools, going on the assessment criteria. Ugh!

I teach reception in London. Get on a list now and you will likely get in before September. My school is oversubscribed with a less 0.8 mile acceptance and I still have about half a dozen changes between now and Autumn half term.