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Original poster

So nervous for primary school offer!

249 replies

Pinkgrass · 12/04/2023 19:08

Just wanting to feel less alone, I am losing sleep with worry about the primary school my DD will get a place at! We live 0.9 miles from our first choice school however they always have 2/3x the applicants than they offer places so I'm so worried we will just miss out by not living next door 😫

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babeemaybeee · 13/04/2023 11:58

@IsAGirlMumma There's a website called Locrating which has all the data but you have to pay.

Turtleoo · 13/04/2023 14:09

Jeshka07 · 13/04/2023 11:00

Google school admission summaries for your council area. We are somerset so should give you a list like this website .

https://www.somerset.gov.uk/children-families-and-education/applying-for-school/school-place-allocation-summaries/

Wow thanks for this. I'd been looking at the stats on the council website for each school but this report has so much more info. I'm reassured that although my school had over 2 applicants per place last year, there were fewer first place choice applicants than places, so that gives me hope that we should get it 🤞🏻

Pjmasksonrepeat · 13/04/2023 15:12

@babeemaybeee thanks I signed up and theres so much on there which will help occupy my mind until Monday!

viques · 13/04/2023 16:25

babeemaybeee · 12/04/2023 20:41

I thought siblings automatically got a place?

Show quote history

Not if the sibling will have left the school by the time the applicant child starts (eg sibling is currently in Y6)

And some schools split sibling applications into different categories:

siblings within catchment
siblings outside catchment.

mynameiscalypso · 13/04/2023 16:30

Another one waiting here too. I hope that we're okay for our #1 choice. It's at the end of our road and is a catholic school and luckily DH and DS are regular churchgoers. We've been told that a mix of low birth rate and lots of families with children going back to Europe post-Brexit should mean that we're okay but it's still an anxious wait. Our #2 school would be okay too but it's not as convenient for us and is much much bigger so don't think it would be so great for DS.

moleeye · 13/04/2023 16:47

Another one here too.

I only put one school down as my older child is in Y3. We are in the catchment (just) at 0.9 and I have to go past 2 other schools to get to the one I've chosen.

Was my first choice then and remains so - well my only choice!!

StackBlocks · 13/04/2023 17:01

Nervously waiting here as well! We are just on the edge of the catchment and the two closest schools to us are oversubscribed. The two closest schools are the only good schools around as well. I really hope she gets the top choice for us, or the second.

MiniEggsAllYear · 13/04/2023 19:39

Surprised it's a low birth year! I thought there was loads of kids the same age around, but obviously we'd take more notice of them being the same age. Hoping it works in our favour! We'll be fine for DC2 I hope, she's 2020 so fingers crossed we won't have these nerves for her as she'll go to the school her brother is already at.

niclw · 13/04/2023 21:17

I'm so glad that you have posted this. I've been anxious since this time last year but the anxiety about it is building. My first choice school only has 30 places but has 17 siblings applying according to the headteacher who will get priority over everyone in catchment. I know at least 3 other applicants on my road who are closer by a matter of metres. So there is a maximum of 10 places available. I keep getting the feeling that we will end up on the waiting list for this school. I really need it for a number of reasons but one is that wrap around care is the cheapest and I'm really struggling at the moment. Plus my neighbours offered to take my son on the morning school run. Im a secondary teacher so I'm in school by the time they leave and it would be so helpful. I'm a single parent. My 2nd choice is the primary school in the village where I work simply because of managing life. And I'm really hoping that we don't get given the other school we are in catchment for. It's an hours walk from our house, an awful school and there wraparound is only until 5pm and I have meeting some days until then. The only childminder in the area we used until 3 years ago so will not be going back.

Sorry for the essay. You really stressing about this.

Bunnycat101 · 13/04/2023 23:46

I remember the horrible wait with my eldest. There were 19/30 spaces taken up with siblings in her year. The school had warned it would be a high sibling year and I spent ages trying to work out where I thought we’d be in the distance order based on other children I was aware of in the village. I reckon I was about place 26/27 in the end and some people in catchment didn’t make it in that year including my daughter’s close friend. Sibling places haven’t been as high since then looking at the stats and I’ve heard people say this was a low birth year cohort elsewhere so hopefully more people get first choices this year.

This time round we will have a sibling place but I still want that confirmation email. I’m now more nervous for my daughter’s friends from nursery as a few are on the edge distance wise and aren’t siblings as I remember how hard it was for the ones who didn’t get in with their friends.

ivfbabymomma1 · 13/04/2023 23:51

I just logged into the portal thing and it says offers published on the 16th! Does that mean we'll know a day early before the emails go out?

elliesmummy19 · 14/04/2023 11:40

Hi everyone! Can I join you? We’re waiting for an offer for primary school on Monday too. Our daughter loves the school she’s currently at for nursery and we’ve been happy with it so far too. It’s our first choice, not too impressed with the other schools nearby really so really hoping she can go back next year! Good luck!

It’s also bonkers that we’re doing this already. She was just born yesterday surely?! I’ve blinked and found myself waiting for a school place! Where did that time go?

elliesmummy19 · 14/04/2023 11:41

Oh and I didn’t realise they can come through at midnight! I had 10am in mind for some reason (think that was when nursery places came through). Gah! No sleep for me then!

Goodoccasionallypoor · 14/04/2023 11:45

ivfbabymomma1 · 13/04/2023 23:51

I just logged into the portal thing and it says offers published on the 16th! Does that mean we'll know a day early before the emails go out?

I've heard that it's often on the portal before the emails are sent but I assumed the difference would be a few hours, not a day.

I assume it varies a lot between areas.

My LA are saying offer emails will be sent from 8am on 17th and there's no information on the portal about timings.

Pjmasksonrepeat · 14/04/2023 11:49

Our portal says it gets updated at 12.30am on the 17th. I'm going to be staying up- no way would I be able to sleep.

elliesmummy19 · 14/04/2023 11:53

I’ve just checked the admission booklet for our area and it says after 10am.

Cyclingforcake · 14/04/2023 11:55

OP - if you’re in Bradford the emails usually go out minutes after midnight.

Fairybobbin · 15/04/2023 08:20

I came on here looking for a thread about this, so I don't feel alone too! So I'm so glad you posted.

It's practically all I can think about. We've chosen 4, all out of catchment options! (We don't want our catchment school). But all the ones we went for are over subscribed and we don't fall into any higher categories (no siblings already atending etc). It just feels such a big deal for our family, because it will be where we will be looking to move to in the next few years and likely where my youngest will go. Its such a big decision for their next 7 years.

We're very comfortable with our top 2 choices, if we were some how lucky enough to get in. But our 3rd option is probably the most likely... But its in the other direction (so hard to get to and from) and my daughter won't know anyone going there, and I will have to look to pull my little one from nursery to go somewhere closer. So my husband and I now wish we had put it 4th.

I feel like I've tried to contingency plan to 'Plan Z' for every possible eventuality, but it won't be the same until we see it. On the count down!

Twizbe · 15/04/2023 10:50

I'm getting nervous now.

We're in London and all boroughs post the results at the same time. Officially it's 5pm, but it's on the portal from about 4pm. We're a cross borough application as well which is fun.

We've only applied to 1 school. Her older brother attends and she's in the nursery so she 'should' get in. Mostly I really don't want her to be allocated to the next door school or the nearest school in our borough.

HappyJellyBaby · 15/04/2023 11:27

@Fairybobbin

We also have plans A, B, C, D, E and Z . . . Plan Z is move house! (We really can't afford it though so may just have to cope on Plan F, Operation Waiting List!)

Also a concern is that if we aren't allocated a decent school on Monday and have to go in via waiting list, all of the after school club places will go.

Jeshka07 · 15/04/2023 11:39

I keep checking the portal just incase they publish them accidently 2 days early! I know they won't haha but just hate the waiting! Our plan z is move too !!

Fairybobbin · 15/04/2023 14:17

@HappyJellyBaby That's a really good point on after school care 😳. We will really need that as we don't have family near us...
Yeah I think our bottom of the list plans are that if we can't have our chosen 4, and they give us the local catchment school (as its always under subscribed), I'm going to ring and ask to have the list of all the under subscribed schools near us and maybe reapply to two I have in mind that I like but are further out and we haven't seen yet.

I've been trying to prepare and plan so much I think it could even be anticlimactic if we got top two choices 😅 (But I would be happy of course)

Heckythump1 · 15/04/2023 19:51

Not waiting this year, but I know in my area (Devon) emails go out at 9am on Monday. Seems to vary quite a bit by area!
Good luck to all :)

Percypiglover · 15/04/2023 20:09

We didn't get ours through till after lunchtime so I wouldn't bank on knowing at midnight sorry