So....straw poll. How many of you didn't get ANY of your secondary school places?

[BadZelda]

We are in South London...so always knew it would be a possibility, but very very stressful of course. Doesn't seem much we can do for now except hold tight, but it's causing a lot of sleepless nights. Anyone else in the same boat? What are you doing about it?

We listed schools that we thought she would have a chance of getting into, and still might, depending on waiting lists I suppose...it seems very arbitrary! We've since asked to be added to the waiting list of a couple of extra schools. Other local children have been assigned places with very similar lists...so it's a mystery to me.

At least 5 in my child's north London class didn't get any of their 6 places and were allocated to other schools.

There will be a lot of movement as the 1 March allocation usually mean that children who will move into independent schools also get a state place allocated. So for my borough we estimate that we have around 4-500 year 6s who will reject their state secondary place and not take up a different state place. It is frustrating for the 10% or so who didn't get one of their 6 options on 1st March, but it is unfortunately still the best system that we have.

Well in South London it is arbitrary as some large schools use lotteries by bands. So whilst it may be correct and can be explained, it doesn't necessarily help when you're the person who didn't "win".

I know a number who got their sixth place. Most of these it was a surprise. In our area of SE London the demographic is changing. People who bought their houses new in the 30s and 40s are shuffling off (sorry - a bit indelicate) this mortal coil and the homes have become ones for young families. Our amazing primary has gone from a 2.5 mile radius only five years ago to 1 mile. This is for a six form intake primary. The sibling rule really does affect this as child 1 gets in and the family move to location b while children 2 & 3 attend the primary and they bank a place ready for secondary by having moved. My next door neighbour's daughter goes to a sought after all girls state comp. At the time my neighbour applied their DD got in comfortably. However the year after another neighbour got in on wait list. After that - no one in our street or nearby.

When someone recently criticised me for putting DD through the 11+ for entry to our closest geographic secondary school I asked them how they ended up at their excellent state school and they explained their father didn't want them to sit tests so they moved close to an 'ordinary' school'. Hmmmm. The system isn't perfect. It still is open to more opportunities to those with money or belief in education who can research all the likely outcomes and try and plan for various outcomes.

I know of one family who moved after grammar results day. It was before last notification of address day so they would be in-county for the grammar so score only needed to be a pass rather than a high out of county score their DD didn't have.

Others I know are realising they might have critical mass of engaged parents at a previously undesirable school and now banded together in the hope it will make a difference.