My girls are 8th and 9th on waiting list for first choice - do I still go ahead with appeal process?

[sandyballs]

Council finally told me this today after ringing for days. I'm now reasonably hopeful they'll get in but would you still go ahead with the appeal just in case?

This has reminded me of the best bit of advice I got.

On allocation day, upon seeing e-mail informing us we had got none of our choices, I rang my friend in tears, being relatively hysterical and ranty.

She gave me a verbal slap and told me to pull myself together before ds got home and to never let him see that we were upset about this.

So for the next 2 months, we were upbeat and jolly about the (awful) school he'd been allocated and he had no idea about the behind the scenes drama! We never told him we were appealing either - just gave him the good news out of the blue!

SchoolsNightmare - I feel for you.

My ds would have witnessed full blown paddy from me had he been in the room with me and had I not had 3 hours or so to compose myself. Then I had to go and stand in the playground with his class where every child had got one of their choices, 98% got their 1st choice too. My rictus smile worked overtime that day.

I wish you lots and lots of luck.

SchoolsNightmare, just a thought, but would it help your ds at all to get political about this, for example by writing to his local councillors and MP, explaining how the system can fail individual children, look at any other ways to engage with those with political power? I know it won't help you get him a place, but he might just feel he is doing something to help children following him, and also if he highlights how the system has failed (perhaps circles on a map?) to others, it might reinforce the fact that it is not his failure. Righteous anger can be a good thing I think sometimes!

Go, SchoolsNightmare, go. Not sad at all - that's how change happens.