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Secondary education

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

Original poster

No school place AT ALL in my county. I have to apply to neighboring county

295 replies

gaba · 02/09/2013 02:46

We moved into Hertfordshire, and applied to the county council for places for the two DCs, only to be told, nothing is available, please try Essex?

Their last school is over 30 miles away so it isn't an option, but I have four schools within walking distance from my new home. I had no idea things were this bad, I thought I would be given a choice!

I have spent weeks reading through miles of legislation and can find nothing that defines what a reasonable distance should be, or what exact rights to an education there actually are. (It is all very vague, there is little or no detail in the laws on this that I can find).

If anyone has experience with this sort of problem, I would really appreciate any help.

OP posts:
SanityClause · 19/10/2013 11:02

Perhaps if you told people of the reasons you had for moving which were so compelling that you didn't even rate your DS's GCSEs as an issue when you made the decision, people would have more sympathy for you.

Any reason that left you with so little choice in other areas must have been hugely traumatic for you and your family.

I wonder if you are displacing the anger about this other situation, onto the council workers?

TheDoctrineOfSpike · 19/10/2013 11:24

Some of the people working in your LA helped pull together the information you were sent prior to your appeals, in response to your questions.

HTH.

FannyMcNally · 19/10/2013 12:15

I notice that Presdales in Ware had a year 10 place available as at 25th September. I know this is a single sex school but can't remember which sex it is! Have you looked into that? Good school afaik.

FannyMcNally · 19/10/2013 12:18

And Birchwood had a year 8 place! Did you not follow that up?
Sorry if you've already done this, I've forgotten what happened at the start of the thread!

bruffin · 19/10/2013 12:24

Presdales is a girls school, although it does take boys in 6th form, but not many take it up. The point i made above is that schools like Presdales, and any others in Hertford or Ware are actually a worse journey despite being a mile or so closer because they would involve a change in trains. There is a bus but it take an hour or over

FannyMcNally · 19/10/2013 12:30

Agree, but because it has a better rep than Sheredes I thought it might be more agreeable to the op!

Original poster
gaba · 19/10/2013 13:21

JakeBullet

I do appreciate someone getting some help from this. I have not yet accepted this school place so it doesn't apply, I just noted that the 'threat' of no transport help had already been stated.

Clearly PRH knows their stuff. Freddie Frog thanked PRH, so great, if you want i'll send a box o chocs, just tell me the room number of the council office and Ill pop them in the mail.

My point was the council shouldn't be making life as hard as possible for people in the first place.

OP posts:
Original poster
gaba · 19/10/2013 13:26

Bruffin.

Yes the 27 schools probably did include the Essex ones, I just got it out of a site that does school searches.

The bottom line is that the school they offered is a WAY past plenty of other schools, surely something better could be done

OP posts:
misdee · 19/10/2013 13:27

is it hard? you nominate which schools you want, they say yes or no, if no to all you look at others, or home ed and go on CI list if that's the one you really want, and appeal as well if needed.

i will say CC have been very slow off the mark since the start of term, it took 4 weeks from a place being available to being offered and dd3 starting on her school as soon as i could get her in (received the letter on the Thursday, she started the following Monday). there seems to be a lot of paperwork involved. have you called county to chase up anything? as the vacancy list should be updated every 2 weeks on the site, but often isn't (been in this situation since jan). we are still waiting for a place at #1 school for dd3 (10months since we went on the waiting list) , but accepted a place at #2 school in the meantime.

misdee · 19/10/2013 13:28

have you updated county with any schools you will consider?

Original poster
gaba · 19/10/2013 13:29

Thanks Fanny

There WAS a year 8 place according to someone on the council but then it was taken apparently. Sometimes its difficult to understand what is going on.

OP posts:
Original poster
gaba · 19/10/2013 13:35

TheDoctrineOfSpite

Well I am not being paid for my time, while using the office computer in 'work' time to chat to my mates on forums and argue the case for their own jobs like some on here. So yes it is a little harder to find time to make posts, but in the evenings sometimes I can find the time to respond to those who have took the time to make a comment or two in the daytime!

OP posts:
meditrina · 19/10/2013 13:36

That's why it is important that you are on the Continuing Interest list for the schools you prefer. For when a vacancy occurs, it will go to the pupil at the top of the list (which is ranked according to how well the pupil fits the entrance criteria).

How many lists are your DC on, and do you know what place they are on those lists?

FannyMcNally · 19/10/2013 14:05

I've just read on the Herts web page that the CI is wiped out at e end of the summer term and you have to re register if you want to stay on it. I didn't know that. That explains why an in-year primary place that came up once wasn't offered to me as it was 18 months after I'd gone on the waiting list!

JakeBullet · 19/10/2013 14:13

...and another spiteful comment regarding council workers. You just can't help yourself can you?

Did you vote for the govt that has introduced the huge cuts to council budgets?

Do you realise that the office worker might be in an office with a third less employees than before?

Our local council have shed masses of office type jobs....no department was left unscathed including schools.

I doubt the staff have time to think ....but you obviously KNOW that those on here defending their jobs are doing so from their places of work.

Do go on....Hmm

JakeBullet · 19/10/2013 14:14

Actually am going to hide this thread as the OP is an irritating......

Original poster
gaba · 19/10/2013 14:19

Look everybody, I am feeling like an Aunt Sally here.

I have been looking into things and am preparing to accept un-schooling as inevitable alternative to school.

It is a shame as both my children did very well while they were at their previous school. I will not give up and will continue to appeal to get my children into a mainstream school. But its been so long now, it may be too late.

I believe my children will cope with this, but I am deeply concerned for others in this situation, and for the future generation as this situation of school shortage worsens in future.

OP posts:
SanityClause · 19/10/2013 14:30

Well, instead of slagging off council workers, why don't you start campaigning for more school places, or, alternatively, look at setting up a free school.

You have come across on this read as being deeply unpleasant. Ats why people are less than sympathetic to you.

And to move house without considering the effect your sons' schooling? I am just amazed that anyone would be so cavalier in their attitude to their children's education.

TheDoctrineOfSpike · 19/10/2013 14:32

It's Spike, not Spite.

How many schools are you officially on the waiting lists for?

meditrina · 19/10/2013 14:43

'continue to appeal'

So how many schools have you launched appeals with? Have any been heard? Do you have a date for any others?

misdee · 19/10/2013 14:48

Put your children's name on any CI lists.

Be prepared they may not be at the same schools. (Dd3 is in a different school to her siblings)

Be prepared to travel.

Appeal.

See what schools are on the local train route. Dd1 cycles to the station here and gets the train to the next town for her school.

Caoimhe · 19/10/2013 15:50

I am beginning to wonder if the OP actually understands what other posters mean when they refer to appealing for a school place.

KatyPutTheCuttleOn · 19/10/2013 16:01

I'm shocked that you would move house without sorting this out first. We had to move house and the new place was just a little too far to commute to school. Before we moved we went to visit schools and found two that we liked which were not full, we applied and got the acceptance before we moved. It took a couple of weeks. We would have gone for a different house in a different area if there were not school places - better a longer commute to work than a school run that was impossible.

LondonMother · 19/10/2013 17:05

Based on the OP's responses here I am wondering how the Home Educating will go. Not an easy thing to do for any age but at GCSE level in several subjects? Hmmmm.

Xoanon · 19/10/2013 18:08

Caoimhe several of us have explained. But she takes no notice. It seems likely she hasn't made any formal appeals.