1st March offer day - anyone else nervous?

[NynaevesSister]

I am really sure we will get one of our six. But I just don't know which one. And I am now really worried I put them down in the wrong order. Our first choice had a stabbing incident after applications closed.

[NynaevesSister]

I don't know about other boroughs. It varies according to Local Authority. Where I am you can accept your allocated school on offer day and then request to go on the waiting lists for other schools.

Some LA's wait until a certain date before sifting through all the acceptances/declines and then allocating vacant places to people on the waiting lists. I think this is what people mean by second allocation BUT it might just be how it works where I live.

We get a lot of movement around here especially as people may decide to take up a private school place.

[TeenAndTween]

harry
Don't decline. You could end up with no place. Accept and ask to go on waiting lists.
There will be natural movement as some people will choose to take up their private place rather than allocated school. this then creates space somewhere and then everything moves around.
(At least that is my understanding, prh or tiggy or admission will correct me if I'm wrong).

[TeenAndTween]

I guess waiting lists also get freed up by people who just decline their place too without fully understanding the possible consequences.

[harryhausen]

Thanks. I often hear about this second allocation round and have no idea what it really means. Luckily I we'll get where we want!

[harryhausen]

I meant hopefully.

[harryhausen]

Thanks Tiggy. I'm not sure how waiting lists work in Bristol, but do you just phone the school direct? Could you also go on a waiting list for a school you didn't apply to? I'm presuming yes.
I'm not considering declining an offer, but just interested as I have no idea what will happen as I'm in a weird position house wise.

[prh47bridge]

I'm not sure how waiting lists work in Bristol, but do you just phone the school direct

I haven't checked specifically for Bristol but most LAs will manage the waiting lists for all schools in their area until the start of term in September.

Could you also go on a waiting list for a school you didn't apply to

That's up to the LA. Some will allow you to go on as many waiting lists as you want. Others will insist you come off the waiting list for one of your preferred schools if you want to go on the list for another school.

[TooMuchOfEverything]

I have a question please; does speed of asking to go on waiting list affect where you are on the list?

Wondering whether to call LA morning of March 1st and ask to go on waiting list for my first choice school. Would it make me top of the waiting list? Or doesn't it make any difference if I ask them on March 2/3/4th?

[meditrina]

"I have a question please; does speed of asking to go on waiting list affect where you are on the list?"

No, it doesn't. The waiting list is ranked by how well you fit the entrance criteria. That's why you can go down the list (if someone applies to the school and joins the list who fits them better than you) as well as up (as freed-up places are offered out to those on the list).

[PettsWoodParadise]

My understanding is that waiting lists will take into account the oversubscription criteria for that school. If their criteria is distance then going on a day earlier than someone else makes no difference. If you apply after the acceptance deadline then yes it probably does make a difference as they will not be able to take into account your preference.

[Eggsandketchup]

I was nervous just opening this thread.

We had three choices and all three required exams. I hope ds doesn't beat himself up if he doesn't get his first choice. I really want him to get it as well (although have obviously told him all three schools are great and we are proud of him no matter what and he'll love whatever one he goes to).

I'm not keen on the 2nd choice as it's so far away (though is a great school), and the third choice, while on our doorstep - his absolutely always in trouble terrible influence friend will likely get in there and I want them split up!

If he doesn't get in to any and ends up at one of the others in the area? Oh christ. I don't know what I'll do.

[prh47bridge]

If you apply after the acceptance deadline then yes it probably does make a difference as they will not be able to take into account your preference

Even if you apply after the acceptance deadline it makes no difference to your position on the waiting list. As Meditrina says, your position on the waiting list is determined entirely by the admission criteria.

[miffyandsnoopy]

I can tell you how the rounds worked in my area last year but I cant tell you if its the same everywhere and this year....So on allocation day you receive your offer. You have a choice of accepting or declining the place. You really ought to accept the place even if you don't want it because if you decline it you are left with no place at all and wont be given preference to get another school you want. Once you accept the offer, your child will also be placed onto the continued interest lists for any higher ranked schools that you didn't get and that you are still willing to hold out for. As far I can remember this is automatic, and if you don't want to stay on the continued interest lists because you decide you are happy with your offer you need to contact the admissions team for them to remove you from continued interest list. Then in a few weeks they do a first round of continued interest, basically a reshuffle is worked out based on everyone who decides to accept/decline offers etc and what spaces have opened up are then given based on the same criteria as allocation day. Then if you still don't gain a place at your higher ranked school you can stay on the continued interest list again. Then they do a second and final round in around another month. Whilst you are on continued interest you can also lodge your appeal, get all this prepared just in case continued interest doesn't go your way. If I am incorrect in any of this information, im sure Tiggytape or Prhbridge will step in. As I say, we got the one school we really didn't want, we waited on continued interest and lodged an appeal. Continued interest round 1 came and went with no luck, but round 2 we made it! So, it is definitely worth being on those lists if you aren't happy with your given school.

[MumTryingHerBest]

tiggytape Thu 25-Feb-16 14:08:29 "Then they do a second and final round in around another month.

I think in my area they have two key points in which the CI lists are run and notifications are made. After the second CI run notifications are made as an when places become available rather than on fixed dates.

[TooMuchOfEverything]

Thank you

Miffy your experience sounds stressful - all that waiting!! hope it all worked out and your child is happy and settled now.

[catslife]

If you want to pm me I am in your area harry. In a nutshell, if you don't obtain your first preference you are sent information about waiting lists and how to appeal. If you phone Bristol LEA after you have received the allocations email they do have info about which schools in your area are undersubscribed and still have places left. If there is a school on that list (say X) that you prefer to preference 3 they can sort it out with the school that your child is offered a place at X. You can also go on the waiting lists for other schools. If you have applied to schools in neighbouring LEAs you still need to go via Bristol!
The second round is for late applicants i.e. families who move into an area after the deadline and for people on the waiting list. These people will be allocated places as they become re-available e.g. because people are moving away or going to independent schools. There isn't really a deadline date for the second round as such.

[harryhausen]

Thanks Catslife. You've helped me before with some great info. I may need your help need week!

[hornetgirl]

Anybody get this email in Herts today?

www.herefordtimes.com/news/14272749.Whoops___Council_blunder_results_in_children__offered__secondary_school_place/

[kla73]

If you accept your offer (always advisable even if it is not what you really want, but you don't want to be left without a place at all) but it is not your first choice you will automatically go on the waiting list for schools higher up your preference list. Accepting the offer will not prejudice your chance of an offer from the waiting list which should be administered in order of the admissions criteria. You can also join the waiting lists of other schools not on your original application or of a lower preference if you wish although some local authorities restrict the number of waiting lists you can be on.

My understanding is that in most areas that the 'second round' is the offers that are made off the back of those that decline their offer of a place so there will often be a number of places that become available once the deadline for acceptance of places is reached. Unfortunately local authorities cannot re-offer places where parents have not responded and this can drag out this process.

I think some areas have a formal 'second round' where they do not make any offers until a certain date - I think this can be a little dubious if the local authority (or school, if they are their own admissions authority) set this date quite late and cannot be clear who was at what position on the waiting list at the times that places became available.

Last year we received an offer from the waiting list. This was at the end of March and the school (who are their own admissions authority) made approx 10 additional offers as soon as information on numbers of declined places was made available to them from the local authority. This could be seen as a sort of 'second round' but it is not formally referred to as this.

Hope that all makes sense - I think I have rambled a bit!

[kla73]

I obviously didn't read this thread very well as I've just repeated what everyone else has said!

[MumTryingHerBest]

hornetgirl no but one of the admissions secretaries said they had phone calls from parents today so I figured something had gone on.

Are you waiting for a place in SW Herts?

[MumTryingHerBest]

hornetgirl lol, ignore my last post. I thought you had put Hertfordshire rather than Herefordshire. I really shouldn't try to do two things at once.

[forkhandles4candles]

Really nervous here. First two choices are fine...but by no means certain. Third extremely unlikely. 4th certain but one of the worst performing schools in country......argh. London here. Roll on 5pm 1 March.