Anyone else nervously awaiting primary school offer day

[ThatsGoingToHurt]

Is anyone else nervously awaiting primary school offer day? My nearest school we are not in catchment for. Unfortunately, the catchment boundary is my back and side fence due to a wiggly catchment boundary.

The school we are in catchment for is 5 mins further walk away but doesn’t have a great reputation. I feel like my life is on hold until 19th April as I hope my DD gets into my preferred school. I’ve applied for DS to go to the nursery next to the school I would like to go to as I don’t want to be doing two different pick ups and drop offs in completely different locations each day!

We are a SE London Borough

Good luck to everyone

@Rewritethestars1 info on distance offered usually on the primary school allocations page of the relevant local authority/council website.

Still waiting in Hertfordshire!

@Mumwithapub

Still waiting in Hertfordshire!

Have you logged on to the website to check? Emails seem to come through a lot later, even though the offer is up.

@Eelicks how do you check the last distance offered? I can't see anything on our LA website. It must be low birth rate locally (appreciate the ONS info is on a National scale) as we applied for three schools that we definitely wouldn't have ordinarily been accepted for and have been offered our second choice. Just trying to figure out how we get on the waiting list for our first choice as the information online is quite confusing.

@Someaddedsugar Your LA should have added you to the waiting list for your first choice automatically but it is worth contacting their admissions team to make sure.

I would also like to know how to check last distance offered? I can’t see anything on the LA website?

Thanks @prh47bridge - I'll check with them today just to make sure. I've emailed the school however we're still in Easter holidays here so I'm guessing there won't be anyone on site responding just yet.

Checking last distance offered - some LAs have the information on their primary admissions pages. e.g. leeds if you search the school it has the info for the last few years and 2022 has already been updated. Think it depends on the LA though

I applied first choice closest school (hate driving) but a couple of neighbours applied for further away "better" schools that usually our estate wouldnt stand much chance of getting in and everyone got first choice

Looks like the different councils publish the distance data at different times @Arianya . The Surrey website says they will publish it after 4th May after the deadline to accept/decline offers.

I can’t even find any info for my council in past years 🤷‍♀️

@Arianya which LA is it? Or PM me, I'll take a look.

I find the English system fascinating to watch. Like car crash tv. Just a batshit crazy way of doing this 😆

We're 12th on the waiting list for our first choice. I was absolutely fine with our second choice but it broke my heart when I picked DS up from nursery and was in tears that he won't be at school with his best friend. Clinging on to the unlikely possibility that he gets a place.

Silly question, @AreWeNearlyHairnet , but how do you find out if your child was born in a low birth year or not? Mine were born in 2020 and 2022 and I have no idea whether these were high or low years. Am also looking at a tricky catchment area situation in a couple of years! Thanks

Update to my own question: it seems the birth rate has got a bit lower every year since it peaked in 2012 - so 2020, 2021 and 2022 are progressively lower each year - so hopefully more and more people will be getting their first choice of schools - but ultimately this trend means school closures over the longer term.

It isnt just a low birth year that is having an impact
Immigration has slowed due to Brexit and CV19. It has been very hard to be an economic migrant over the past 2 years due to travel restrictions.

Immigration from Hong Kong has has a significant impact on population levels in some areas of the country. Residents of Hong Kong are very likely to qualify for a BNO visa.

Common but soon forgotten. Just focus on positives

@Charmatt our LA is undersubscribed across the city but next door LA had had massive influx of families from HK !