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Secondary education

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

Original poster

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:
madmayday · 02/03/2013 12:32

DS got his first choice - yay! :-)

Enfield finally dropped me an email at 6pm, (an hour earlier than expected). He'll be the 4th generation on his dad's side to go there (St Ignatius), so I reckon they might be keeping a close eye on him! They must be gluttons for punishment! Grin

Congrats to all who got their own way and commiserations to those who didn't - I think the low birth year means that their might be more successful appeals this time, hopefully...

Not looking forward to going through all this with DD, who was born in a VERY high birth year!

PureQuintessence · 02/03/2013 12:41

Copthall, our third choice was neither of those, but the school which S RR got its head from.... So the choice now stands between Emanuel, Ibs and our allocated state school. (Many in ds class got s RR, so wonder if there is something politically in it, "you asked for it, you got it, so now go there!" We live quite far away though, in the next borough east of Ibs, which made it harder)

We will have some tough discussions, but leaning towards Emanuel, giving their ethos and sibling policy. ...

KingscoteStaff · 02/03/2013 12:46

Quint, we can share porridge and water recipes for the next 6 years...

PureQuintessence · 02/03/2013 12:50
Grin
springlamb · 02/03/2013 20:54

Postman finally dilly dallied his way along at 2.00ish. DS and I sneaked the letter away to check if we needed to be in 'make the best of a bad job' mode. We did not, so carefully resealed the envelope and presented it.
DD got first choice and is over the moon. In fact, she shouted so loudly DS promptly fell over and I thought we'd end up celebrate in A & E.
However, DD appears to be 1 of only 2 in her class to get their first choice. Very odd and not reflective of national news, or this thread, at all.
So glad I haven't got to go through this again!
Good luck to all.

julishka · 02/03/2013 21:10

My daughter has been allocated a place at a horrible school where NOBODY wants to go to... hence there are vacancies. We had SIX schools on our list but she obviously didn't get into any of them. And now??? Well I declined the offer immediately and I will put her on the waiting list of all of them. I'd love to know if anyone has appealed for a place. Is there a chance to appeal if the schools selected provides a subject in the curriculum that no other school offers and that is particularly suited to my daughter abilities. I am referring here to a language ...her mother tongue.

tiggytape · 02/03/2013 21:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ArbitraryUsername · 02/03/2013 21:49

I accepted DS1's place online (and got a confirmation email), but I also got a letter this morning with a response orm to sign. I don't really understand why (the LEA said I wouldn't get a letter at all as I'd opted for online applications). Do I need to fill it in and post it back, or will the online acceptance be OK?

JugglingFromHereToThere · 02/03/2013 22:04

Since they've sent it out Arbitrary personally I'd send it back completed, but I'm sure your on-line acceptance will be fine anyway. I've accepted on-line and got a slightly vague confirmation email in return (we will process your response Confused)
But if I look at our original application list of three schools on the web-page the one we've accepted does now say "Place accepted by parent" - so I think that's good enough for me.
I would quite like either an email or letter but nothing personal has arrived yet !
Anyway, I'm happy enough Smile

springlamb · 02/03/2013 22:29

Tiggytape - he's 18 actually and about to take A levels. He has cerebral palsy and is a bit wobbly on his feet!
In fact, this is my one and only time of secondary transfer. DS went to a 3-16 special school and as he said this morning - 'the only worry with me was whether I'd remember to turn left at the bottom of the ramp instead of going straight on to primary'.
I was very ill-equipped when this journey began with school visits last September, which is why I am so damn pleased it's done now.
Sending strength to those who need to continue the journey over the coming weeks.

Frikadellen · 02/03/2013 23:25

DS got 2nd choice it is a good school Dh is happy DS knew it would be 2nd choice as he had not scored high enough for 1st choice..

We will appeal but I supose at least we have a school we are happy with.

His cousin was thrilled as He went there and loved it.

inthewildernessbuild · 02/03/2013 23:27

Dd got her first choice (RC convent) and ds2 (they are twin) got his second choice, which I think Quintessence is possibly the one you wanted and didn't get. Our school is so close, that everyone gets into it from here. As an ironic consequence of it being easy to get into it is usually not the top of the list (places like Oratory and Vaughan are).
So Quintessence if what you are worried about not getting a place at a school beginning with G, there will be places off waiting list, as places open up quite soon, when some people get into their first choice after all. Ds2 has his first choice at a Protestant school round corner, which he won't get into except off waiting list (his brother is at G already, but ds2 has some SNs so school round corner more suitable)

So it is a crazy rubric's cube!

inthewildernessbuild · 02/03/2013 23:29

So watch this space, if ds2 gets his first choice another place at G will open up for MiniQuintessence. PS we are v happy for him to go there, just first choice EVEN better for his needs.

JugglingFromHereToThere · 02/03/2013 23:32

Ah, that's a sweet comment from your DS springlamb about how it was easier for him Smile

Original poster
MsIngaFewmarbles · 03/03/2013 09:07

We had a bit of interesting news yesterday. We were working out that DDs first choice school has 5 ability bands and that she could be anywhere from 1-88th on waiting list for whatever band she's in. Sort of resigned ourselves to 2nd choice which is still a great school. Then we found out that the headteacher who has been there for 20 years who oversaw the change from indie to academy is leaving in the summer.

She was a big part of why we all liked the school so much happier with second choice now :)

OP posts:
PureQuintessence · 03/03/2013 09:44

inthewildernessbuild - thanks for the tip! Smile I had not considered anybody would turn down places at the Vaughn or the Oratory, thus freeing up places at G ....

Is it true that I have to hand deliver a letter of interest on Monday morning?

PureQuintessence · 03/03/2013 09:46

I should add, there is another pressure on the waiting lists as so many in our borough has been given the new st RR, even though it has been very low down on some preference lists. I imagine the waiting lists for G therefore is quite full of children who really want G!

tiggytape · 03/03/2013 09:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ChippyMinton · 03/03/2013 10:25

Quint, sorry it hasn't worked out for you in the first round. What's your experience of the RR effect? From my perspective (out past the other side of LBRuT), it has changed the usual admission pattern hugely, and we have been offered StM. This is the first time in many years, afaik, that offers have extended out so far in our direction.

Fingers crossed for you.

Copthallresident · 03/03/2013 13:49

Chippy Pure Has St RR really changed the admissions patterns for other Catholic Schools that much? Only 67 families made it first preference, and that includes out of borough applicants. At least 4 non Catholic families have been offered it even though they didn't include it in their preferences so it is clearly undersubscribed. Surely if Richmond Catholic families were continuing to make the out of borough schools like G and St Ms first preference, as presumably around 150 must have done then they would have the same chances of success as previous years, and the patterns wouldn't change that much. The Diocese wouldn't have a mechanism to implement you asked for it, you got it, so now go there! Grin or do they?

I am sure you can detect why I am especially interested

PureQuintessence · 03/03/2013 14:31

copthall Grin Many of littlequints friends live near RPA, and know what a nuisance rubbish dropping teens, who scratch the sides of cars and rip side mirrors off as they go along, is, so hopefully they will behave.

ChippyMinton · 03/03/2013 14:49

copthall - I should think that shift of 67 to RR has made just enough difference to give us a shot at StM. We are not in LBH or LBRuT, but live in one of the deanery that get a small % of places. Residents of the LBRuT parts of the deanery usually get those places, as they are nearer to the school than the Surrey parts.

PureQuintessence · 03/03/2013 14:54

Do you think many of the Richmond Catholic applicants have been given "no" from the popular out of borough secondaries, such as G, CVMS and the O, on the basis of us now having an in-borough Catholic secondary? (I am out of borough btw)

ChippyMinton · 03/03/2013 15:01

There's no way that could happen because of the equal preference system.
But the pressure on RC places must have been taken off a little because of the new school.

Copthallresident · 03/03/2013 15:47

Chippy Sounds like my torn off wing mirror Grin is your gain, glad it worked out for you.