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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

Anyone else anxiously waiting to see if DC's got their first choice of primary school.

72 replies

TheSweetLittleBunny · 25/03/2008 11:14

Or indeed - any of their choices?
I am so anxious about this. I had to stop myself ringing my first choice school to see if they could offer me a glimmer of hope -surley they must know by now. The letters don't go out to parents until 4th April. I don't know how I will be able to contain myself for that long - keep thinking about the what if's ....

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Original poster

TheSweetLittleBunny · 01/04/2008 09:38

TotalChaos you are so right - but I am finding it hard to distract myself which is why I came on here. In the past few weeks I seem to be hearing nothing but disappointing stories from friends who have just heard about secondary school allocations and this does not help. I always get wound up when I feel a situation is unjust. Choice should mean just that - choice. If LEA's are simply going to allocate people in an ad hoc fashion then they should not make you fill out a form. Maybe that way schools will have a more balanced demographic and there will be no need for all this angst about good/bad schools in the first place.

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TotalChaos · 01/04/2008 09:39

if worst comes to worst and you get allocated a school you don't want, then get on waiting list for your preferences, and phone round yourself to see if there is a place at a nearish school you would be happier with.

Original poster

TheSweetLittleBunny · 01/04/2008 09:46

TC the irony here is that ALL my preferences are within a mile of my house. It's just that the two that are closest to my house, ie less than half a mile are the ones I don't want. I know I am could be worrying over nothing, but I think that given that I HAVE chosen schools close to my house it would be terribly unfair if I did not get any of my three choices.

I don't want DS to have to start a school one term then go to another school the next.

mmmmchocolate - congratulations.

We are in Northamptonshire and letters get sent out 4th April. Whatever will I do with myself until then eh?

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mmmmchocolate · 01/04/2008 09:50

Hopefully you will be fine too! 3 of my friends so far have there first choice. Where abouts are you sweetbunny?

bozza · 01/04/2008 09:53

TBH I have no idea when I will hear that DD has got in but I am fairly sure she will have, given that she is a sibling and I think it is unlikely that the school (village one) will be full. The last class that was full was DS's (currently year 2). Also we live 2 mins walk from school so the factors together are rather in our favour.

Original poster

TheSweetLittleBunny · 01/04/2008 10:14

mmmmchocolate we are in Northamptonshire.
We had an online application system - but the Head at one of our choices of school told us to avoid-avoid-avoid because it was crap the previous year.
I must say though that even though I love our 1st choice school I would be OK with any of our choices - my anxiety is about being allocated a school I didn't choose.
I have made so many choices for DS (my only child) since he was born and I hate to think that my choices as his mother are invalid and in the hands of other people who don't even know him or care about him. To them he's just a name on a printout - to us he's our very happy, outgoing, intelligent little boy.

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mmmmchocolate · 01/04/2008 10:59

the online system seems to have worked down here.. And i agree with you, there future is basically in someone elses hands. Everyone so far here has got at least one of their choices. I think you would have to be very un lucky to not get any. Though i do go to church and only applied for church schools not sure if that made a difference.

Ags · 01/04/2008 13:27

Ds got first choice school. Feel very lucky.

Sorry to all who are now starting the road to appeal and all who are disappointed. My bs did not get any of her choices last year and I know how disappointing and frustrating this can be.

Ags · 01/04/2008 13:28

I meant best friend not bs.

Heated · 01/04/2008 13:30

Bugger, am in Northants and applied online. Now wondering if ds will have a school to go to on Friday

Original poster

TheSweetLittleBunny · 01/04/2008 13:53

Don't worry Heated. That was the opinion of a Head teacher at one school. Because I am hyper-anxious about DH's school I chose to apply using the form and hand it in at first choice school - dodn't want to take any chances.

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TigerFeet · 01/04/2008 14:01

We found out a couple of weeks ago that dd won't be going to our first choice school. We are in the process of putting our appeal together. We live on the other side of a drain from the school and the LEA hasn't taken the footbridge into account when they calculated our distance

So I am now having to drive dd to school because we are too far away from the local. So that works how exactly???

BTW we applied online and it worked fine - we are in Lincs

Franniban · 02/04/2008 20:01

Bunny,

I totaly agree with you about the choice thing, there is no such thing as choice. As you say, you trapse around all these schools, only to be given the one nearest to you anyway, they might as well just leave it at that, rather than making people jump through hoops.

We've talked to lots of people in the Kent area, and it seems that this year is really bad for people not even getting one of their 3 choices.

I;ve called all three schools and one of them has asked us to come and see the head on Friday and they said that they will do everything they can to help. What does that mean???? They have got spaces? They're being nice, but giving us a false sense of hope? So many people have said that appealing is useless. It just feels so out of our hands, and it;s the biggest decision I've ever had to make

pinkteddy · 02/04/2008 20:04

Hopefully they know from experience that there is likely to be some movement between now and September and that they will keep you on a waiting list. Its horrible isn't it - I thought we would hear today, but still waiting to hear about dd's place.

Original poster

TheSweetLittleBunny · 03/04/2008 10:02

We should know by Saturday - assuming the post is OK. I'm a bit less anxious about it now though. I can see why people who can afford it opt for private education for their children - you pay you money and make your choice. I found myself looking at private school websites recently - although we can't really afford it right now iwth just DH working.

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2littlemonkeys · 03/04/2008 15:35

We are in preston and we found out 10th of march , my dd did not get in the school of our choice the appeal is in july, and she is on the waiting list for 2 other schools, rang the council last week and got told we may not find out till sept.
Quite a few people i no have also not got in the school of there choice, what makes it worse for us is that only 2 children where turned down from the school and my little sister also goes to the school, sorry rambling it still upsets me xxx

2littlemonkeys · 03/04/2008 15:37

Forgot to add we only had one choice xx

Original poster

TheSweetLittleBunny · 04/04/2008 13:45

Good luck with your appeal 2littlemonkeys.

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Heated · 04/04/2008 15:04

Did you hear Sweetlittlebunny?

moonmother · 04/04/2008 15:10

Had the confirmation letter from the council about 2 weeks ago...and yes we got 1st choice

Original poster

TheSweetLittleBunny · 05/04/2008 10:21

We got our frist choice!

Congratulations Eddas, serenity and lazylou.

Sorry starnanis - hope you find a school you like.

Jingleyjen, you need to look at your LA website under the Education section to see what date the letters go out.

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Original poster

TheSweetLittleBunny · 05/04/2008 10:23

And congrats moonmother.

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