Anyone received an offer for a preferred Reception place during the summer?

[TTCMumof1]

We have been really lucky to be able to move to a bigger home in this climate, but it has come at a time when school places for Reception have already been allocated. We have now been offered a place at our 5th preferred school, which we have begrudgingly accepted.
I have since learnt that we are in 1st place on the waiting list at a lovely church school. My main concerns are:

1. It's already the summer, has anyone got any experience of being offered a place in the summer (for reference, we are in Barnet).


2. It is a faith school with one form entry, and we are not followers of the faith. The application lists my DC under 'any other children' - afraid someone will come and knock us off the waiting list


3. I CLEARLY JUST WANT REASSURANCE! Ha!

Wise ones, please share your experience... It's already July and I am PANICKING!

We gave up a reception place in July (7years ago) when DHs job unexpectedly relocated to the other side of Europe

Both my DC got places in an out of catchment school (so were lowest priority) from the waiting list in the past few years. 2 form entry school.

My friend relocated over the summer before reception, but didn't give up her reception place until her DD had been allocated a place in the new area (they would have stayed with friends in the old area for DD to start school if no place was found). As it happens, the new county found a place for her the day before term started - at which point she gave up the other place and someone would have got a phone call the day before term started, so it does happen. That was 1FE as well

Thanks @Aroundtheworldin80moves @Celeryfavour @NothingIsWrong
pleased to hear it does happen... and I guess the area I'm in is relatively transient! It's just been such a hassle to even get to this point. LAs not communicating with each other and least of all responding to me!

If it doesn't happen this summer, I'll have to move her whenever a space becomes free and hope she's resilient enough to get through (though she can be very shy!)

I should also say that sometimes people just don't turn up at the start of term. I am a governor at a primary school and we will attempt to make contact and hold the place for 3 weeks - at that point, if no contact has been made (and it has happened, believe it or not!), the child is taken off roll and the place is offered out, so you may even get a space after term has started. Sometimes people then don't want it any more as the child has settled well at the place they are at, sometimes they move the child.

If you're at the top if the list that's a good place to be. Unfortunately it's just a waiting game and awkward for ordering school uniform. We have children on our list who accepted a place but are awaiting appeal for another school - some have dates for the appeal this month and some still don't have dates. Then it's up to another 5 days until parents are told. So a place may become available but it will be very short notice.

I'm a reception teacher. The list I'm handed in July usually has 4 different names by September. If you're at the top of the list it's likely you will get a place. We often get children who accept a place and never turn up as well.

I once traced someone to Australia who had been offered a school place but not made any attempt to reply to communication. We offered out the place to another child just before the start of term once I had found where the first child had gone to.

@inthewest you have the patience of a saint! Thanks for your insight :-)

@Charmatt Oh wow! I mean they DEFO could have let you know!

You'd be amazed at how much some parents bombard us when they want a place, but then don't inform us when they don't. In our area, to get an offer retracted and then re-offered to another child, it's not enough for a child not to turn up. We have to get the parent to formally refuse it, stating what arrangements they have in place instead and, if not electively home educating, what school that child will be attending instead.

In the case of this family, they disappeared off the face of the earth and I had to go knocking on doors to find out what had happened to them. I then had to send a formal letter explaining that we were takin back the offer and had to provide a statement from a relative to the county admissions team that they had gone to Australia.

Parents waiting for a space are usually unaware of the work going on in the back ground to ensure all child are going to attend, and if not, getting them to provide the information to allow other children to be offered a place.

The amount that goes into admissions is astounding! I had a child leave at half term and they're still on my register as they haven't enrolled somewhere else yet. Fortunately they aren't taking anyone's place as we are already over capacity. (I have a looked after child who came mid year and brought us to 31 as they are given automatic admission, so we would just go back down to 30 when the child is removed)

As reception year lead I do quite a bit with the office team and I have so much respect for the work they do with induction.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I guess it is a waiting game and all i can do is hope!

Just to update... We got an email from the school today and a place was offered and accepted!

That's great news - it's hard waiting for movement, but I'm so pleased it's worked out. Have a fabulous summer, preparing for the start of term.

Thank you so much @Charmatt. We are delighted!

Wow I was just reading through your post as I’m in a similar situation (1st on the waiting list) and looking for hope! Congratulations- you must be so delighted!

@Sunshine1984 Hope it works out for you and your LO. Good luck :-)

We have the last school appeals on July 29 and then a week for the letters to go out and then admissions are on holiday until the start of September here.
There is often movement in the first two weeks of September

Thank you 🙏🏼 😊

We had similar, a child and family disappeared, literally disappeared, police involved, the lot. We had a seriously difficult job getting the child removed from our register as , we believe, they fled the country and couldn't be contacted to confirm they didn't want to return to the school! We have already ' lost' two Reception children who have at least had the curtesy to say they aren't coming, others may do the same!

For contrast my DS has finished year 6 in our fifth choice primary. It went from needs improvement to good in his second year, he's had an amazing time and did really well in his Sats. Plus the longer commute has kept us all fitter (25 min walk)! So it can all work out.

Wow that's both annoying and scary!

That's so good to hear!!! Ours is 25 min walk too, goodbye mum-bod! haha