Want to swap my 1st and 2nd preferences of schools for Year R. Have I a hope in hell?!!

[wrongdecision]

I submitted the application form for DD's Year R place last week, the closing date was Fri. Since Monday I've realised I've cocked up and really wished I'd put the 2nd pref school as my 1st choice . FWIW, the school I now want is our catchment school and the one I originally put down was out of catchment and generally oversubscribed. So even though we'll quite likely end up with the catchment one, there's no guarantees! Has anyone else made this silly mistake? ...probably not... Do you think it would be worth writing a letter or something and asking them to attach it to the form or phoning the powers that be?

You could send a letter, but I doubt it will be officially recognised. I know it wouldn't be in our area.
How many children applied for the school that you now want last year? How many are in the Rception class this year? With falling birth rates you may find that you will be ok and that you will get the school that you now want.
I hope things work out for you, schooling is such a difficult decision. I rememeber agonising over the decisions I made for DS.
Good luck xx

No I realise the letter wouldn't be officially recognised but the school I put down will inevitably have a waiting list after the places are doled out. This school is always full and they didn't take anyone out of catchment this past year. So maybe I will be helping them out!! The one I want has got 5 spare places free in Year R this year but who knows what will happen with numbers this year...

I guess the letter will mean that if the school you now wnat has spaces then you will be allocate a place immediately at that school. Schools always want to fill their numbers for funding. Might be worth a chat or letter to the headteacher of the school you now want so when the allocate their spare places they are aware you want a place.

Did the forms go to the first preference school or the the local authority? If the latter, I'd get on the phone to them ASAP and try and chat up the person who can physically get hold of your form and change the order. It'll probably all be entered into a computer to decide allocation, and it's unlikely they've actually got around to this yet. Use your powers of persuasion.

All the forms get sent off to the local authority here so I don't think the school has control over it.
Liberal- I was thinking of phoning them. Methinks I will very likely get a jobsworth which I kind of realise they have to be. Maybe I will get an understanding person though!

Just as an update- I phoned them today. They were very pleasant and empathised but said nothing could be done. Even if I wrote a letter, they could not consider it as part of their decision. I will still write anyway and hope the head honchos take pity. In the meantime I will have to wait it out until January...feel very stupid over my decision at the moment

which LEA are you talking about? In Surrey you are considered for each school & awarded a place by their criteria and then given the one you are successful at that is the highest up the list. So you would probably end up with your local school under the Surrey system IYSWIM the school are not allowed to take into account whether you but them 1st or 3rd.

Nextdoor to you in Hampshire. In all likelihood, we won't get into the school I put down as 1st as we're out of catchment and it's popular (they took no-one out of catchment in the '08 Yr R intake). However I am taking nothing for granted and should have put the schools the other way around. Never mind!

wrongdecision it is worth doing something about this. Where I live you can fill a form in to 'change schools'. From your post it would appear that the LEA are saying that once the application is in that is it. However what you need to do is get your daughters name on the waiting list because if the school ends up being full she will be as close to the top of the list as possible and then if someone doesn't start, moves etc she may be able to attend. I would call the LEA again and tell them that you want your DD to go on their waiting list. Good luck.

wrongdecision - in many areas (maybe yours?) responsibility for the waiting list returns to the school's admissions secretary on the first day of the reception year.
It is amazing just how helpful this fact can be.
Go in and talk to preferred school's secretary and explain to her what has happened.
He/she won't break any rules (well, I hope they wouldn't) but is likely to be in a position to really help if aware of your situation and should the opportunity arise.
Which it probably will because many, many schools experience the weird phenomena of children failing to turn up on the first day.

dougal- they told me today that if I was unsuccessful in January, I could contact my catchment school direct to apply, or go onto their waiting list. So will certainly be contacting them as soon as the letter comes. Amazing how different all the LEA's are and that they wouldn't even take a letter into consideration, especially when people are clambering to get their children into the school I now don't want .

wrong decision - It might be an idea to go before the letter. They can be really, really, really helpful. As an ancient parent, I've heard so many stories ... .
Having said that, I think it sounds as though it's going to be O. K. anyway.
Isn't it weird how intransigent your LEA is being? I know they have deadlines but it takes a special kind of organisation/people not to be a weeny bit flexible when it's a genuine slip-up and will be important for your family?
Most nation-states would be more flexible about visas.
Weirdness.

i think you will just have to wait until the places come out and go on a waiting list

good luck x