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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Just found out dd hasn't got into ANY of the local schools - now what?

66 replies

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 08:58

We live about 4-500m from two schools both of which we are eligible for (the one I prefer is a church school) but have been accepted at neither of them nor at the two nearest after that. I'm feeling a bit bleak and angry.

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happystory · 20/03/2008 09:02

Have they offered you a place somewhere?

BandofMothers · 20/03/2008 09:04

Did they say why not?

TotalChaos · 20/03/2008 09:05

get on the waiting list for all the nearer schools, and consider putting in an appeal. Are the 2 nearest schools likely to have been massively oversubscribed? How far away is the one you have been allocated?

happystory · 20/03/2008 09:08

Try not to panic. For both ds's primary and secondary schols we didn't get what we wanted at first but hung on and inched up the waitinglists and finally (in the summer terms) got what we wanted. The waiting lists go through such a lot of change in the next few weeks.

But, accept what you've been given as you COULD end up with nothing....

Original poster

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 09:10

We haven't been allocated one at all - no reason given, but I assume they were oversubscribed. It is all done centrally through the council so we will have several weeks of waiting while they work out which people with offers are taking which places and then they can allocate us somewhere and we can join waiting lists. We live at one end of a large London borough so, in theory, we could be offered a place at the other end which would easily be a 90-120min round trip by car at rush hour.

Completely fed up and frustrated.

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TotalChaos · 20/03/2008 09:11

that's dismal and unusual not to at least be allocated any school at all.

MrsMattie · 20/03/2008 09:14

Which borough are you in lala? Have you looked up the appeal process on their website? It's worth starting that off now, putting yourself down on waiting lists and harassing the schools fairly regularly for progress reports. My nextdoor neighbour (we're in Barnet) had this problem, and was also eventually offered a place at their first choice school in the summer term, after lots of heartache.

happystory · 20/03/2008 09:19

lala, I've never heard of that....

I see you live in SW London. Is it possible that lots of children who have been offered places will ultimately go to private schools? Then all their places will be released...

Original poster

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 09:22

We're in Wandsworth and, because it is all done centrally, you have to wait for the LA to sort out final school lists before they can tell you where they can offer a place. Re: waiting lists - again, I suppose we can put our daughter's name on them but, until the council has sorted out exactly who is going to that school, we won't be allocated a place in the waiting list, iyswim.

I had been preparing myself for this but still feel wretched about it. There is nothing to appeal on - unless the church school lost our letter of recommendation from the priest which would mean we were automatically excluded from the admissions process. There are too many people fighting for too few numbers at these schools - our appeal would simply be: "But we really want her to go there..."

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Original poster

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 09:24

Thanks happystory. Until I know where we are on the waiting list, feel a bit despairing. Part of problem is that there is a mother with twins on my road living a few doors closer to the schools so, if her children don't get in, we are going to have to wait not one but at least two children ahead of us in the queue... Can't bear to go round and ask if they have got an offer or not.

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Original poster

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 09:34

happystory: yes there are lots of swanky little prep schools near us but the church school is very, very good so I think it is unlikely that anyone would drop out of that to send their child to one of the fee-paying ones. And because the LA administers all the admissions, each child just gets one offer from a state schools so it isn't like the old days when a child might qualify for a bunch of schools and take their pick from offers. We have to depend on people moving away...

Can't afford and don't want to send my daughter to any of the prep schools btw.

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mrsruffallo · 20/03/2008 10:14

Is it a nursery place, Lala?
If so theu usually have a couple of places for reception.
You have to keep ringing them, go and see the headteacher and generally make a nuisance of yourself imo.
It is not uncommon for people to accept places then not turn up on the first day of school, so maybe there is a glimmer of hope.
And of course you must appeal.

mrsruffallo · 20/03/2008 10:17

Are Catholic then?
Well, you would e def have grounds for an appeal and a chance of getting in imo

Original poster

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 13:34

It's to start in reception in September. Just found out we are fourth on the waiting list at the moment.

Being Catholic is not grounds enough for appeal - basically everyone who applies to this school is Catholic and it goes on (a) are you Catholic - yes (b) are you regularly attending mass in this parish - yes (c) siblings - no (d) SEN - no (e) distance from school - about 500m if that.

Everyone who gets into this school is highly motivated to attend because it is a really lovely school so I can't see four of them just turning it down. No idea where we are on the waiting list of the other school - have left message but no one has replied yet - but there were only seven free places because they had 23 siblings joining this year... The other two schools have catchment areas of about 300-400m and we live about 800m from them so very unlikely even to figure on their radar. Have tried to ring number on council letter but just get a message informing me that during March and April they receive a high number of calls . Wonder why?

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GrapefruitMoon · 20/03/2008 13:45

lala, don't despair. Every year at our school we have parents turning up even as late as the induction day in July and then not turning up on the first day of term (and it's an oversubscribed school so this is frustrating for the staff as well as the parents).

I would maybe call to the school in person to check that all your forms are in order, etc, get your face known by the office staff, etc. They will have to follow procedures but it won't hurt for them to have met you and to know that you really want a place there...

CountessDracula · 20/03/2008 13:47

lala you might be surprised

The schools around us are considered very good and I know for a fact that several people dropped out of each of them as I know children that got last minute places. People do sometimes move suddenly or accept private school places

Summerfruit · 20/03/2008 13:53

Message withdrawn

Original poster

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 14:01

I just don't think I have any grounds for appeal - they have definitely received all the relevant paperwork so I can't blame admin cock-up and can't think of any special needs or circs that would sway it. Read yesterday that the divorce rate in Andalucia shot up this year because apparently, on the points system schools there operate, you get extra points if you are from single-parent family. Wish it was the same over here - dh would be on the streets by now .

Which school Summerfruit (if I'm not being too nosy) - I'm at Clapham end of Wandsworth so was hoping for Holy Ghost or Alderbrook.

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happystory · 20/03/2008 14:18

I thunk 4th is quite promising, lala. As I said earlier, there'll be a lot of toing and froing now.

Summerfruit · 20/03/2008 14:22

Message withdrawn

Original poster

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 14:31

Stop Press. I have just spoken to the council - and they say that we should phone around all the schools in the borough to find if there is one that will accept our daughter and, if we can't find a place by September, only then they will allocate her somewhere . I did get him to repeat this several times in case I had misunderstood but, no, that's the way it works. (Also told us we were 47th and 63rd on waiting lists of schools 800m from us ).

4th sounds a long way down the list to me Happy - I was banking on being first or second to get in by September. It's single intake so that would mean more than 10% of pupils not accepting there... But thanks for encouragement.

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lucykate · 20/03/2008 14:32

4th on the waiting list is good, we moved house when dd was due to start in reception and had to go on the waiting list in the new area using our old address (130 miles away!), dd was 9th, and during the time we were waiting to exchange contracts 5 places came and went, and once we'd moved, 2 more after that, so out of 40 places, 7 came available.

Summerfruit · 20/03/2008 14:35

Message withdrawn

Original poster

lalalonglegs · 20/03/2008 14:41

OK, maybe I'm being a bit pessimistic (am 37 weeks pregnant so hormones may be playing a part) - have to wait until 4 April to see if any of the people offered a place have decided to turn it down. Then...

Did ask man at council about Wix as I had thought about applying, SF, but he said it was full. Might as well put myself down for the waiting list there as well.

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newtolondon · 20/03/2008 17:38

We did not get any offers . I'm in Merton and my nearest primary is also heavily over suscribed. My younger dd is in the nursery there, so I went into the office today to ask where we are on the waiting list. They told me admissions was too busy, so now I know nothing! She just told me that I should call the independent schools. I have neither applied to any, nor is it financially an option. I'm very angry with the siutation as well!

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