Support thread for those on waiting list - reception year

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yoshiblue · 17/04/2023 04:59

A few years ago this happened to us. We got the good second choice rather than outstanding first choice with his nursery friends.

I wish you the best with waiting list, but the second choice has worked out amazingly well. Friendships also change so much too. 💐

PuttingDownRoots · 17/04/2023 05:15

A few years we got our first choice.
My husbands job then relocated... we heard the day before the first settling in session. Apparently someone got a very happy phone call that day!

Waiting lists can move, even at popular schools. Good luck.

Oysterbabe · 17/04/2023 07:14

Good luck!There will be some movement so you have a chance if there aren't too many on the list ahead of you.
A little boy in my son's class got in off the waiting list 2 days before school started.

Takeachance18 · 17/04/2023 07:29

Flake123 · 17/04/2023 04:28

Thought I would start a thread for others who are/will be going on the waiting list for reception year.

We got our 2nd preferred option. Gutted as we absolutely fell in love with our first choice and all their nursery friends will be at this school and so have asked to be placed on the waiting list already.

Will be calling the school admissions team in the morning to ensure we are on the list and when we will be updated about where we sit in the waiting list.

Fingers crossed for everyone else!

Please don't phone admissions today - they will be inundated with calls from parents today and unlikely they will look at waiting list for a few days/this week as they start dealing with late applications/waiting list. Today will be dealing with issues around IT system not working, errors and forms not submitted etc. Call in a weeks time.

careerandfam · 17/04/2023 07:37

Good luck! Just wanted to add our story from last year. We got our third choice. A few weeks later we were able to find out our wait list positions - 16 and 9. The 9 didn't move at all but the day before school started we got a place in the school where we had been 16th place originally. Both 1 form entry schools. So hard to predict what will happen but best of luck, I know how disappointing it is to not get your first choice xx

Charmatt · 17/04/2023 07:44

Normally, it's a couple of weeks before you can be told accurately where you are on the waiting list. Your place can also move on the waiting list depending on who applies after you and how the over subscription criteria applies to them.

usernother · 17/04/2023 08:04

Waiting lists where I live won't be announced to parents until the 2nd May. Your child will be placed on the waiting list and if a place becomes available before then they will contact you. No point in phoning admissions. Send an email.

Wnikat · 17/04/2023 08:06

You will be automatically put on the waiting list. I really wouldn’t try to contact them tomorrow. They’ll be inundated. Leave it a couple of weeks, it won’t affect anything.

Original poster

Flake123 · 17/04/2023 08:10

Thanks everyone re the don’t call advice but I won’t automatically be put into a waiting list in our region and their instructions are contradictory as to how to get onto said waiting list. I’ll be calling today to gain clarity to ensure we have followed the correct instructions to get onto the waiting list.

OP posts:

pinkorchid1 · 17/04/2023 08:18

2 years ago we moved house so had to apply for YR late. It was a nightmare - we didn't get 1st 2nd or 3rd choice but a place at the worst school in the area. 2 weeks before term started we got offered a place at the 3rd choice which we took. Then at the start of the first half term we got offered a place at our 1st choice! I'm lucky it all worked out in the end. Our 1st choice is very close to us so we would have been high on the wait list.
Don't give up hope- people move around and lists change a lot.

usernother · 17/04/2023 08:23

Flake123 · 17/04/2023 08:10

Thanks everyone re the don’t call advice but I won’t automatically be put into a waiting list in our region and their instructions are contradictory as to how to get onto said waiting list. I’ll be calling today to gain clarity to ensure we have followed the correct instructions to get onto the waiting list.

Just email and ask to be put on the waiting list.

TedLife · 17/04/2023 13:39

I called Admissions and the school this morning to check and double check that we were on the waiting list for our 1st choice. We're in catchment so i'm really hoping that we might be in with a chance so I am not waiting around. Got through to Admissions immediately and they were very friendly (Hampshire County Council) and the school were also very supportive.

TulipsAndDaisiesAndBlossom · 17/04/2023 17:11

TA here. Don’t worry about the friendships - they are so young they change friendship groups constantly.

punjama · 17/04/2023 17:18

happy with 2nd choice but what is the process exactly? are we on waiting list even if we accept our given school and can still switch after accepting?

DarlingClementine85 · 25/04/2023 23:22

Good luck!! We got our third choice, not a great school either 😩 I've got my fingers crossed so hard for the waiting lists. I also reinstated our fourth school just in case!

Fried3ggs · 27/04/2023 23:26

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Charmatt · 28/04/2023 00:42

No one will be offered a place until after the late applications are processed. We have to have ranked our late applications by the end of 5 May for offering the following. From there you may see some movement. In my experience, there is a little bit of movement at that point and then a few changes up to the end of half term. All our schools are ICS or FICS and we have not had any movement from appeals either for us or other schools, locally. We sometimes see a bit of movement towards the end of term as families who are relocating tend to do so then.

Fried3ggs · 28/04/2023 06:09

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Charmatt · 28/04/2023 07:50

Most schools won't start registration of children until after late offers have been made in early May - this point is considered to be our best indication of our final list.

Fried3ggs · 28/04/2023 08:31

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DarlingClementine85 · 28/04/2023 15:59

@Fried3ggs Yes I've also heard that there won't be any movement until after next week. In my LA I won't even be able to see my place on the waiting lists until the end of May. Having checked the last distance offered by the schools (your LA will tell you if you ask) I'm not holding my breath 😔 One school is 0.2 miles and one is 0.4 miles, I'm 0.7 and 0.5 miles away respectively.

Fried3ggs · 28/04/2023 16:10

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DarlingClementine85 · 29/04/2023 00:00

@Fried3ggs perhaps! I live in a pretty densely populated area so there could be 50 kids in that 0.1 mile lol.

EliflurtleTripanInfinite · 29/04/2023 03:19

TulipsAndDaisiesAndBlossom · 17/04/2023 17:11

TA here. Don’t worry about the friendships - they are so young they change friendship groups constantly.

This has been my experience too, even if they go to the same school. My DCs school has 3-4 classes for each year level and all of my DC have regularly changed friendship groups each year, they seem to end up friends with people that share a class with. I was quite surprised how much movement there can be in primary school friendships.

sim19 · 29/04/2023 09:40

Glad to have found this thread. We didn’t get an offer in any of our preferred schools but been offered a place in a school that we haven’t heard of before. Very disappointing.

Apparently we are number 5 and 8 in the 2 preferred schools, keeping my fingers crossed for movement in the lists.