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Secondary education

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

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Original poster

Please share your waiting list stories

23 replies

kla73 · 21/03/2015 14:12

On Monday I found out that my DS is 9th on the waiting list (240 intake). She was aware of at least 4 who had declined the school but she gave the impression that she was waiting to see if there was further information in from the LA over the weekend so there might be more. She said that no offers would go out this week but from next week there should be movement. I didn't call back this week, despite wanting to hound her on a daily basis! I will make contact early this week to check progress.

It is a very sort after school so I'm not sure there will be huge amount of movement but we are in a superselective grammar area so some kids may get places from the waiting list for grammars which may free the odd place. There are also a number of private schools.

The anticipation is driving me potty! I keep imagining swaths of boys moving in to the area and joining the list ahead of us! If any one could share there waiting list stories (good, bad or otherwise) it might help to keep me going and/or be realistic about our chances.

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toothlessoldhag · 21/03/2015 14:16

We were about 50th in a sought-after school and it took around a fortnight of agony and daily calls. Our area is on the London border (so lots of Londoners apply across the boundary) and it has a lot of private schools so many people make multiple applications.I didn't actually believe it when the sweet admissions officer rang me at work to give me the good news. I insisted she emailed me as well .

JugglingLife · 21/03/2015 14:17

Happy story here! DD was offered absolutely diddly squat from our preferences (along with lots of others) and then yesterday we got a phone call to say that our first choice school were putting a bulge class in so she's in! From 18th on the wait list. 30 very happy families in our area today. We're in a super selective grammar area too, it's a nightmare isn't it.

Original poster

kla73 · 21/03/2015 14:34

Great news toothless and juggling. You must have been so relieved.

Thats amazing getting a place from 50th only a couple of weeks after allocation. Did they put on a bulge class too? I don't think there are any unplaced children locally so I don't anticipate a bulge class.

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JugglingLife · 21/03/2015 14:41

She started at 39th. Everybody says to not give up hope, it's very difficult though, did you get your 2nd choice?

Original poster

kla73 · 21/03/2015 14:53

Yes and we are not unhappy with the 2nd choice - would just prefer the first choice. I realise that it is not a bad situation to be in (others far worse off) but I'm finding the uncertainty hard to deal with and the fact is that this could go on for months. I'm going to have to chill out.

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toothlessoldhag · 21/03/2015 15:02

No, no bulge class. Just lots of people triple applying or more and it all shaking out soon enough. And yes, very relieved. The news came the same morning I was enquiring where to send the appeal letter. Quite took the wind out of our sails!

ButterflyUpSoHigh · 21/03/2015 16:20

We were 5th on offer day my Dd eventually got a place at Christmas. I rang the admissions officer weekly from March - July. Loads applied after the deadline and bumped us down the list. It was very disheartening and I hardly slept for months.

Original poster

kla73 · 21/03/2015 17:43

That you for sharing your experience butterfly. I keep thinking we will get an offer next week (I'm an optimist!) but a dose of realism is also required. I don't think that many people are unhappy with their offers so hopefully won't be loads of late applicants.

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PastSellByDate · 22/03/2015 07:42

kla73:

I think you need 3 facts:

when you call the school you should ask what position you currently are on the waiting list. (even small movements can make his odds of getting in there higher).
you should find out how your LEA & school handle the waiting list. Here in Birmingham the LEA keeps you on waiting lists for your next highest choice up until Christmas. So if you want to remain on a waiting list as a parent you have to contact the school in December and confirm you'd like to remain on their waiting list.

in general if you're in 9th position right now the chances are good. Some of those parents will decline the offer to transfer later because their child is happy where they've started school.

Now for stories:

I know of 3 girls who have left DDs school for the local grammar school creating 3 places over the past few months (Sept - January).

I also know of a friend who's DD is very unhappy at the grammar and thinking of leaving as there are spaces at her local secondary and they've indicated they're happy to take her. So someone will take up her place at the grammar freeing yet another place somewhere.

Finally - I know of kids transferring in Year 8 - two friends have had children who didn't get their first choice but because people moved and they remained on the waitlist they were offered the first available place when it came up.

I hope it all works it. It may take a few months - but the odds are pretty good.

HTH

Original poster

kla73 · 22/03/2015 20:00

Thanks pastsellbydate. I haven't told him that he might get a waiting list place and he is very happy with the allocated school, all friends going there and was always his 1st choice. That said I think I can sell the preferred school to him but I think if we get past the point of induction days that I may struggle with my sales pitch and it will not be nearly as straight forward a decision as if we got a place before June time.

The school manage their own waiting list. I will call them again tomorrow and ask the following: current position; if any places already allocated; how many places allocated from the waiting list last year b June and also by the start of term.

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Original poster

kla73 · 23/03/2015 20:45

The latest is that the admissions lady said that we remain number 9. She is aware of 7 declines. She had not yet spoken to the LA who had approx 20 to follow up who had neither accepted or declined. What is frustrating me is that she said that she does not anticipate offering any waiting list places until after Easter. I know it doesn't affect us but I don't understand why she is not offering those 7 definite places. I am concerned that places may be offered according to the waiting list at the time - i.e. after Easter and not at the point that the places became available. Of course this is only a problem if anyone joins the list above us.

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Champagnecharleyismyname · 23/03/2015 20:46

DD is no 23 on the wait list for our first choice. She has only moved 3 spaces so I am not too hopeful.

ButterflyUpSoHigh · 23/03/2015 21:25

kla73

This is what happened to us. We were 5th on offer day. When all the late applications were accepted we moved to 10th. They then gave away 8 places. We stayed 2nd on the list until December. I believe they should offer the place as they receive a notice of a child declining it but they don't they wait over a month by which time more have applied.

Original poster

kla73 · 23/03/2015 21:52

Butterfly, that is my fear and they have not reassured me that places will be offered to the waiting list as it was at the time the place became available. It is very tricky because I believe they should be offering the places now but I don't want to rock the boat with a school that may (with any luck) become by son's school for the next 5-7 years. Its so Frustrating!

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2Girls2Souls · 23/03/2015 21:52

We are in the same sort of situation at the moment . DD got her 1st choice of school but "our" 2nd and 4th on the waiting list at the School we would love her to go .
No idea what our chances are and no idea whether we just should follow our Daughter's choice .

ButterflyUpSoHigh · 23/03/2015 22:18

kla73

It's fine for them to do that apparently. I brought it up at our appeal backed up with emails proving our position on each date. They said it was ok for them to offer the places on specific date to who was at the top of the list then. It seems very unfair to me.

cece · 24/03/2015 22:16

We are currently awaiting the post every morning this week (and next week I suppose). Currently number 19 on the list, as we were last week as well. Sigh.

Greenoes · 24/03/2015 22:37

DS didn't get either if his choices and was placed at our local school which is in special measures. We had gone for the sibling rule for our number 1 choice.
We submitted an appeal to school 1 and a late application to a completely different school which he was awarded a place straight away. We were more than happy with the school because the results were double that if our local school. However, I didn't give up on school number 1 and sent a letter of pure brilliance (penned by my amazing Dad) to the local education authority asking for answers to 9 questions regarding the admissions/appeal process and citing various acts and policies.
We never received a response to the letter, although the following week (one day after the responses closed) I received a phonecall offering a place at school 1. They said somebody had turned a place down and DS was next on the list - I don't really believe this as the school is very popular (top by far of all the league tables) and very oversubscribed, but I'm not going to argue!!
I feel so relieved - so glad we didn't need to go to appeal as I'm a cryer!!

Good luck with your wait - it's torturous

Original poster

kla73 · 24/03/2015 22:51

Did you get a place in December Butterfly or did you give up at this point? It is frustrating that they are holding onto places that I feel should now be offered. If someone joins the waiting list ahead of us and gets a place it will be difficult to establish if they joined before the place became available (in which case it would be rightfully theirs) or after in which case it should be my sons. I am possibly getting carried away with over-thinking all scenarios here!

It is hard 2girls because there will come a point where it will be a lot more traumatic to change as the school is not his first choice. It would be different if he really wanted the school too. I honestly can't see us moving him if he starts at the allocated school.

I don't understand why you didn't get in Greenoes if you met the sibling rule as there are normally enough places for all siblings unless they have an in catchment/out of catchment criteria so maybe they realized that a mistake had been made. Not that it really matters to you as he has a place - yay!

Good luck to all waiting for places. It is agony!

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Condemned · 25/03/2015 04:51

I'm confused, how can someone join the waiting last late and above those already on it??

ButterflyUpSoHigh · 25/03/2015 07:12

Yes we stayed on the waiting list. A child left just before Christmas and we were offered that place. We had to buy a whole new lot of uniform completely different to previous school.

The waiting list is held in the admissions criteria order not on how long you have been on it. So in our case we were the "wrong" religion. Any child with the "right" religion even living miles away immediately went ahead of us.

I know a child who moved into a house in mid-march who then applied and got a place straight away. We applied on time in September and didn't. The school told me the places were declined in early March but they were not reallocated until early April.

Original poster

kla73 · 25/03/2015 18:29

Condemned - waiting lists are kept in accordance with the admission criteria. In our case we meet the last criteria (distance) so if anyone joins the list who is a looked after child, a child with a sibling in the school or moves nearer to the school, they will join the list at a higher position. I'm fine with that. What I am not fine with is holding onto places for what will be approx 4 weeks if they don't make any offers until after the Easter holidays without the reassurance that they will be offered according to the waiting list at the time they became available.

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cece · 25/03/2015 21:46

Still no letter here

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