Waiting lists

[SecondBabyMad]

Hi
How do the waiting lists work?
We have been given our third choice of infant school.
Do I accept this choice and just wait for the waiting lists? Or do I decline the place? Says you must accept within 2 weeks or risk losing your place.
Sorry confused and my first child !
Please help

Accept the place- otherwise you risk having no place.

Confirm whether you need to ask to be added to waiting lists, or whether it is automatic

Also has anyone had any successful experience of the waiting lists, and did you have to wait long ?
Thank you so much !

Their will be a lot of movement on the list, both up and down. Please do accept your current offer though like PP said, also check with the schools if you need to do anything for your child to be on the list.
We were on a waiting list and at one point went from 1st to 5th! We got offered a place 2 weeks before the new school start. A few in year transfers happened in the first half term, due to people moving out to other schools etc.
Try not to stress too much (which I know is incredibly hard!!)
Good luck!

Accept the place or your child won’t have anywhere firm to go to school! Then put them on the waiting list for the other schools. There is usually a lot of movement as already said, you might get lucky - or you might not. Good luck!

I was in your position last year! We got our 3rd choice and were so disappointed (I even posted on here looking for positive stories!)

In our area, you get automatically added to the waitlist if you don’t get your first choice and as others have said, it moves a lot
There are 2 runs of the interest list, one in May and June i think - you won’t know where you are on the list until the 2nd run

We didn’t get a place in the first or 2nd run but ended up getting a call in July offering us a place (when we’d given up all hope!!)

I just wanted to give you a positive story as that’s what i wanted to hear last year…. Good luck

Accept the place offered as others have said and proceed as though you are happy with the place, eg go to introduction days, talk about the school positively to your child etc and don’t discuss the waiting list possibility at all, with anyone or your child will pick up on it! Be aware that waiting lists are not run on age or application time order, they are run on exactly the same lines as initial applications, so even if you are number one on the list, if a child with higher priority eg lives closer to the school, applies to the waiting list they will take priority over your application.