Waiting list....

[Tiasmummy]

I was just wondering how often I can phone / email to check on a school waiting list ...without seeming neurotic...which I am about schools as every parent is! lol! But I don't want to appear that way obviously :-)

My daughter is 9th place on a waiting list which I last checked a week ago...is too much to check again now? How often do you think is acceptable?

Thanks in advance :-)

Good luck with the appeal Tiasmummy everything crossed for you

Smellylittleorange - Thank you! :-) And in the name of mumsnet may your hex be lifted! ;-) x

Miele72 Best of luck with your appeal result :-)

Just had a phone call we are in ! Really pleased...thanks for good luck wishes all

Good luck to everyone else...for those appealing for selective I found the 11plus forum had a wealth of info when I stayed up all night the other week fretting it was even useful for me and I didn't go for selective!

Forgot to ask in my excitement how did your appeal go Tiasmummy so rude

smellylittleorange oh woooooow!!! That is fantastic news!!! I am beaming at my computer screen at work! The relief you must feel! Massive congratulations to you :-) I can have teeny bit of hope being 9th on one waiting list then! :-)

The appeal was ok...thanks for asking :-) Though....they did something very...iffy? In short...The school was investigated by an adjudicator in February...and it was told to change some of its admissions criteria. Now...if this change would of been made when we were applying my daughter would most likely have got in. Alot of our appeal was based on the findings of the adjudication. We got into the room and one of the first things we were told was that parents had been referring to this adjudication result in their appeal but as the changes are going to be from the 2016 admissions parents are not allowed to refer to it! The thing is when we received the appeal papers in the post it included the adjudication result and report but there was no mention whatsoever of parents not being allowed to refer to it. So us, along with most other I assume, had it sprang on us in the room right before proceedings. We were shocked to say the least! Maybe this kind of thing is normal....but to me as a lay person it seemed odd to spring it on parents like that.

Also the chair told us from the very beginning that we were pushed for time. We were already anxious enough and that did not help. We felt rushed and at one point he asked my partner "Do you have any more burning questions about that part or can we move on?"...what? It should not matter if a question is "burning" or not? This is supposed to be our time to talk about all the things we want to without feeling under pressure. Also at one point my partner asked a question and the chair actually said "We are past that bit now so we can move on"...we are by no means docile people but this is our first time at appeal so we just kind of agreed and moved on....mostly out of shock to be honest! Sorry I have rambled quite a bit!

We had medical grounds too so we had something else to focus on.

We have an appeal for one other school in June which we actually prefer so we will see how that goes :-/

Congratulations again to you! :-) xx

Oh Tiasmummy you really sound like you've been through the mill :-( . Perhaps you can put it down to teh Chair being a bit of an arse jaded. It does all sound a bit iffy - was the school their own admissions authority - although still should have been an independent panel??

I would be inclined to view them saying you can not mention the investigation as positive. Hopefully they have considered the findings and will apply it to all appeal cases being heard - no doubt one of the admissions experts will be able to advise.

What will you do if you get an offer through appeal for this school before you are heard for the school you prefer?

TBH I feel a bit of anticlimax - really wanted to go and get some bubbles for but feeling under the weather and DH is on shifts on his job that requires him to have not a jot of alcohol in his body until next Tues. I also keep on thinking "hope it's worth it". It will require an earlier start grumpier daughter and the school is about 10 miles away alhough the actual journey time is about 40 mins door to door so not too bad Typical isn't it?? Anyone else feel like this ?

Tiasmummy....sorry to drag it back up again but for the record I dont think youre being unreasonable at all. This is a very anxious time for parents......especially us neurotic ones!

You sound like you have a good case, especially after that horrific farce appeal. Best of luck!

We had our appeal last tuesday and I can honestly say it was one of the most traumatic things I have every experienced. I am consumed by it all. It's all I can think about. We have been told the the appeals would continue until 19th may and then letters would be sent out within 10 working days.....2nd june!!! I may exploded before then!

Waiting list wise, the academy we have applied for operates a randomised waiting list. I could cry. Liverpool doesnt operate and catchemnt areas or feeder schools, so basically anyone can apply. Such a ridiculous method! Anyway lets just wait and see.

Smellylittleorange You may be right about the chair being tired...I know they are only human but they have the most anxious parents in front of them... its really not acceptable to rush people. The chair was actually a priest..still obviously human I know...but should be the epitome of understanding! When you are rushed you get flustered...which results in you forgetting what to say...not ideal at all...Anyway enough of my moaning :-)

I really don't know what we will do if we win this appeal (which I veerrrry much doubt) before the next one....I know this sounds crazy but having been to the school again..we are now having second thoughts about it! Who would have thought! My mind is literally upside down. Things change so much with this whole school marlarkey!

I totally get what you mean when you say you are wondering "hope its worth it"...we will always be second guessing ourselves and wondering if we have made the right decision. As long as you do what you think is best it will be fine!! Children are not nearly as bothered as we are. I am sure your DD will be very very happy. Hope you feel better soon so you can celebrate :-)

Doonuts - No need to apologise at all! Thank you :-)

That is a hell of a long time to wait for you....if I switch on the news and hear of a lady spontanousely combusting I will know its you! lol! No but seriously the wait is the most awful part. Wishing you the very best of luck.

I haver never heard of a randomised waiting list...so really is not a waiting list at all? Its just..picking names? Sounds like madness to me! How is that fair? Ever?

Tiasmummy,
I am feeling quite uncomfortable with some of the things you have said about your appeal.

The Chair has made comments that would in my area have got them chopped off at the knees by the Clerk to the panel. As a Chair there is no way that those were acceptable comments. Only if you are going over old ground that you have covered is it a point when the Chair should be interfering in you making your case.

As soon as you then say that they were a priest, immediately makes me wonder about a possible connection between the Priest and the school and therefore whether they were truly independent.

Then we get to the school adjudicator issue. Whilst I am sure that school adjudicator will have insisted that changes to the 2016 admission criteria be made, if it was in February, I would have half expected the changes to be made immediately, so I would ask the question have you seen the whole judgement of the school adjudicator and what did it say?

Also I do not think again in my area that if there had been a school adjudication which significantly altered the admission situation in 2015 that this would have gone to appeal without the school / LA having considered the implications for 2015 admissions. As a Chair I would have been deeply uncomfortable saying we know these are wrong but we do not intend to consider them at all for these appeals. In fact under the guidance they would have had to say the admission arrangements were considered faulty. To me the way forward would have been to consider how many pupils were considered to have been maladministered under the School adjudicator ruling and then consider whether or not this level of pupils could be accommodated in the school.

Not sure without knowing far more details but this does seem as though it could be something that should be referred to the LGO.

Admission - Thank you for such a through response. The priest stated at the very beginning that he was not linked the the school in any way. The school is catholic and he is Church of England...so at least we are confident that nothing untoward is going on there.

When he was stating things like "We have already covered that..we will move on" it was most definitely not old ground. We were trying to ask questions on the same topic but not the same questions...if you get what I mean.

We have read the adjudication beforehand and it was also sent to us with our appeal papers...but like I said with no mention about not being allowed to refer to it. He said we could not because it comes into effect for 2016...he also said its because the adjudication was in February and offer day was in March?...I have no clue what he even meant by that to be honest. Do you?

Maybe behind closed doors they will do as you say and find out which children would have got in if not for the maladministration? I have no clue

I don't mind Pm'ing you the adjudication if you would like to have a look.

Hi all I am new to Mumsnet ! My daughter has a place boarding at Gordons in West End probably a daft question but laundry, do they do it or do I ? I have visions of weekends looking at a pile of washing.

Hi Jooles probably best to start a new thread but Gordon's is state isn't it so I would imagine so - purely because of the Army family thing...I could be wrong though.

oops see you have scrap that sorry!