Any positive stories of moving up the primary school waiting list?

[MammaC21]

Hello, just wanting to hear some positive stories. My daughters on the waiting list for first choice primary and is currently 5th. School has a PAN of 90, were literally just out the catchment a path between catchment and us. LA have made mistake of accepting 94 on a pan of 90. I’ve appealed she’s been at nursery 18 months I understand doesn’t always mean they get a place but both me and her are devestated.

They won’t go to waiting list til down to 90

I’m about to reject our first choice as DD got into a top selective private primary, it happens. We had state as a back up as hadn’t heard from private at the time of the application

So you would need 9 out of 90 children to give up their place. I would say that’s unlikely inless you live in sn area where lots of kids go private from reception age.

If the basis for your appeal is that she attended the nursery then your appeal will unfortunately fail.

Appeals for infant class size can only be successful if a mistake has been made such as they were placed in the wrong category.

As for waiting lists it's honestly impossible to say. Someone could suddenly move but it's not guaranteed and you'd be wise to make plans for your child to attend the school you've been given as this is the most likely outcome.

Yeah I’d say if it’s an oversubscribed school then it is for good reason and most would keep the place unless going private

I don’t understand how the LA have made a mistake in accepting 94. We’re a new build estate that’s getting bigger and bigger but no other school other than 2. Houses always up for sale etc just trying to remain hopeful. The school we got is the one that people want but we do not😂

Why do you think they made a mistake? There are several reasons those 4 children additional children could have been admitted.

This is my first child so I assumed 90 was what was to be accepted, headteacher even confirmed it to be an error

Admission can go above the PAN number for a few reasons, none of them mistakes.

But them accepting an additional 4 doesn’t make a difference to you does it? If they hadn’t you’d have just been further down the waiting list. Or am I not understanding correctly.

Well no but it made me think of that was an error have they made others🤔

I wanted positive stories guys!! 😂

Do you think you weren’t offered a place by mistake? What distance are you from the school and why distance do they usually take? Or are you out of catchment?

We did end up getting a place when we were on the waiting list, but we were I think 2nd on the list. This was a few years ago though. Good luck.

The headteacher confirmed it was an error? In what way?

We are 0.4 miles from the school. 0 children have been accepted under distance this year

I'm a little confused can you post the admission criteria. It's usually fairly similar for most schools such as LAC, siblings and then catchment. I find it very difficult to understand how no children were admitted under distance especially with a pan of 90?

@Roads I emailed to confirmed her spot on the list and his words were ‘due to LA error we have already been allocated 94 pupils for our 90 places’

thats exactly what it is LAC, catchment, siblings, distance

Reading the form of admissions it said 79 were catchment, 9 siblings and 1 staff child. That’s it

Are you out of catchment then?

A stones throw away

Ah, you mean when all the other categories have been exhausted, distance is a tie breaker.

Most of the schools round here didn't get a where near their lower categories either.

Is attending the nursery in the admission criteria?

It doesn't sound like you are likely to get a place frrom waiting list, especially if they are already over PAN and you are in the 'all others' category.

That's not 94 children though?

If all the others were given places via siblings and catchment and you are out of catchment then there doesn't seem to have been an error in not admitting you so any appeal will fail.

I'm a little confused about the staff child there isn't normally a category for children of staff?

No sadly not :(