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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

decision on 1st March? Anyone want to sit and sweat it out with me?

417 replies

MsIngaFewmarbles · 17/02/2013 17:27

Urgh I am starting to feel queasy. I just want to know now. PFB (dd1) doesn't care which school she gets into and dh is being irritatingly pragmatic.

Is anyone else twitching nervously?

OP posts:
LucyLight · 01/03/2013 18:43

Got our first choice, and so have most of our friends. Many people happily surprised. Feel for those that didn't and hope it works out for you.

crunchbag · 01/03/2013 18:51

We are happy with second choice. We always knew our first choice was very unlikely as we aren't religious but there wasn't any harm in trying Smile

Schmedz · 01/03/2013 20:46

Got NO choices. Not one. Offered school where vast majority fail to pass their GCSEs. Thank goodness we have an indie place!

EllenJaneisstillnotmyname · 01/03/2013 20:48

Schmedz, can you go on waiting lists? Things can move quite a lot in the next few months. Unless you have your heart set on the private school.

Schmedz · 01/03/2013 20:50

Definitely on the waiting lists, but without accepting the offer at the private school place by Monday, that's gone!

EllenJaneisstillnotmyname · 01/03/2013 21:07

Oo, could be expensive. Good luck. Smile

JugglingFromHereToThere · 01/03/2013 21:24

Schmedz We had friends who paid a deposit to secure an offered place at Indie, but then place at DD's school came up for her (was on waiting list), and she ended up starting there with DD. HTH
I guess in the scheme of things losing a modest deposit is not a biggie if you're considering private school.

rachel19784 · 01/03/2013 21:47

Many Parents will have woke up this morning with extreme anxiety, I was no exception I felt sick with worry as I would find out what school my son has been given.
I was worried that my youngest son would end up in a school where he knew no one and would be deeply unhappy.

I suppose I was one of the lucky ones, we were given his first choice, but it wasn't in an ideal world my first choice.
Ideally we would live in a leafy picaresque village with a small school that was filled with the best teachers and in the Ofsted report was achieving excellent in every subject and school criteria.

We do not unfortunately live in a place of my dreams where all children get along, bullying doesn't exist and my son comes home each day so happy and loves the idea of going to school.

So this morning no school in my area would live up to what I believe my son deserves , so I wasn't deliriously happy when I opened up the email telling me the fate of my son for the rest of his school years.

I know some parents will have moved areas, lied on there applications, and practically drawn blood to try and get there children into there first of even second choice schools.I really feel for those parents who will have woke up this morning happy enough to be left disheartened and distraught by simply opening an email or a letter in the post.
The sheer thought of the fight to appeal against an organisation that sees your child as a reference number rather than a scared and disappointed child, do they care that your child will be the only one from his or her school year at the school they gave you and expect you to be happy with that?

I think my fear is for selfish reasons I just don't want my baby going to the big bad world of High school.
No more primary school life, weekly assemblies, pumps,instead carrying bags all round a vast school getting lost and been alone unchaperoned by a teacher with 16 year old boys and girls, well young men and women really sharing the same routes as my young naive 10 year old.

In my ideal world he would study from home staying safe from harm and cruel words, would this make him happy?
Maybe at first he would lavish the idea of no school and been content in his own home, It wouldn't be too long before he missed the interaction with other youngsters his own age.

It is down to me to learn the skills and coping mechanisms to have my primary school child take the giant leap into secondary school and help support and guide him with whatever comes his way.

I will just have to put a big brave smile on my face the first time I see him in his uniform on his first day and keep that smile there until at least 8.50 am when the melt down will begin.

If this wasn't hard enough I have to get my children through Stats and GCSE exams and support My eldest son as he leaves high school to start a very adult life at college.

On September 5th the tissues better be ready!

I hope any parents reading this will have breathed a sigh of relief when they opened there placements today and if unfortunately this was not the case just don't give up and fight for the School you deserve.

jennybeadle · 02/03/2013 00:07

DDs BFF has got her no 1 choice. We have to wait till Monday to get ours, because we had to do a paper one, and we're not at home today. Really please for DDs friend though, from last year's catchment, she was marginal, we should be fine.

mankyscotslass · 02/03/2013 08:22

He online allocation notification system does not seem to have any further information on it, other than the fact we have been allocated first choice - nothing about how to accept the place or anything. We should get the snail mail letter today apparently, so will see what that says.

I'm now frightened to death that we need to do something to accept it and I don't know what, and they will give the place to someone else. I need a chill pill!

MissMogwi · 02/03/2013 09:19

I thought the same yesterday Manky, so I called the department. Poor woman sounded on her last nerve!

Apparently we will get a letter from the school in the next week, which tells us how to confirm or decline the place.

That's with our LA, Tameside. Others could do it differently of course.

slug · 02/03/2013 09:28

To be fair DD was very happy with the school even though it was our third choice. I think we are fairly laid back about schools and DD picked up in this. There was no choice where I grew up so I simply went to the closest one.

DD is a bright bunny and I'm a qualified teacher so we feel she will probably do well wherever she goes. We were far more anxious about our neighbour who got into her first choice and will be able to take advantage of the fantastic dyslexia support offers.

mankyscotslass · 02/03/2013 09:38

MissMogwi thank goodness for that, Tameside is my LA.

MsIngaFewmarbles · 02/03/2013 09:48

It's a really odd way to do things isn't it? Apply online, get offer through via email/logging into their system, accept/appeal by snail mail. Really really strange, surely do it all online or all on paper?

OP posts:
gazzalw · 02/03/2013 10:04

Congratulations to everyone who got their first choice and just hang on in there to everyone who didn't and wants a higher positioned school than they've been allocated. There is a lot of movement for all the waiting lists even for highly sought after selective schools.

Yes, I agree about the communication aspects of it all - we are somewhere between a rock and a hard place at this time in technology development. It's okay to submit the form online, find the result out online but you still have to submit a paper form of acceptance. I remember DW being paranoid last year - almost to the point of not trusting the post and hand-delivering it....

The other thing that's not entirely reassuring is that the online application results do not change from the original outcome, even if/when you do get offered and accept a waiting list place somewhere down the line....

CheesyPeasForTea · 02/03/2013 10:42

Hello! New member (and lurker since this time last year when I went through the same process with my DD) Smile

In my LEA (Lancashire) don't actually need to accept your offer. Quoted from website:

"Offer letters will be issued to all Lancashire resident applicants by second class post on 28 February 2013.

If you applied online, you can view your offer now. If the initial offer is not for your preferred secondary school please wait for your letter to arrive which outlines what to do next.

The majority of Lancashire parents will receive an offer for their preferred secondary school. However, if the initial offer is not for your preferred secondary school please remember that this is the start of the process and that often things change between initial offers and school start dates in September 2013.

The offer letter will contain a form which allows you to request reserve list and appeal information for alternative schools.

There is no requirement for parents to confirm acceptance of an offer with the Local Authority."

Hope this helps!

PureQuintessence · 02/03/2013 10:49

Realistically speaking, ds is nr 41 on the waiting list, there is no chance is there? Sad

Apparently we have to hand deliver a letter expressing our wishes for the school on Monday morning, to speed the waiting list up .... Hmm

tiggytape · 02/03/2013 11:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PureQuintessence · 02/03/2013 11:15

They had nearly 700 applications! Good idea asking them about last years waiting list. As it is for us, we will take up an independent offer if we cannot get either of our top 2 choices. But it will have financial implications as we are by no means rich. We are ok, but not rich.

springlamb · 02/03/2013 11:15

Still nothing for DD but we accept that we may not know till Monday as we've applied 60 miles away in a 'proper' county.
However, here in South London, I've not heard of anyone getting their first choice yet. Even DD's brightest pal who was dragged from pillar to post all last term taking entrance exams has ended up with her 4th choice, the local Harris.
Schools are such a mess here, with so many primarys carrying a 'bulge' class, and the local Council just putting up plans for building a new 5-form entry secondary due to the pupil forecasts (after they closed two secondaries a few years back).
Hoping that as we've applied elsewhere, the '71% got their first choice' headlines will favour us!

mankyscotslass · 02/03/2013 11:16

We just got the snail mail confirming his allocated place, and that the head teacher of the school allocated will be in touch soon to give more information.

Whew. It does look like they assume you will accept it as there was no other information on it about confirming the place, unless that comes from the school.

EllenJaneisstillnotmyname · 02/03/2013 11:45

In my LA if you got your first preference, you could accept it online and wouldn't get a letter. But if you wanted to do anything complicated Hmm if you didn't get your first preference, like ask for reconsideration at any of your other preferences, you would get a letter in snail mail which you had to return. Luckily for us my DS3 got his first choice. Somehow I've managed to get all 3 boys into the same out of catchment comp with no sibling criteria. Confused Grin

tiggytape · 02/03/2013 11:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Copthallresident · 02/03/2013 11:57

Quint Might I ask if your 3rd choice was St RR? or RPA? I know you said you were putting them down the preferences. Interested to hear how the LBRUT preferances panned out?

You will find plenty of the other parents at all private schools around here are not rich, certainly our experience. Just found themselves in the same position as you.

5madthings · 02/03/2013 12:04

We got our letter this morning and ds2 has a place at our first choice school that ds1 already attends.

Fingers crossed for everyone on waiting lists xxx

And for those who their pfb going off to high school, yes its a bit worrying but not that bad. Ds1 is in yr 9 now and just done gcse options and yes its a worrying time and they are growing up its also an amazing time in their childhood as well and watching the transformation from child to teen to young adult is amazing as a parent.