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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Is it too soon to start a 1st March (secondary school allocation day) support thread?

569 replies

teddygirlonce · 03/02/2017 14:37

DD has six good options on her CAF - we will be happy if she gets any of those six but there are no other local schools we would be happy for her to be allocated/offered Shock - and private schooling is not an option.

So just a bit nervous and already counting down the days until we find out which school she's been allocated (if at all).

OP posts:
MrGrumpy01 · 01/03/2017 09:32

Do you have a breakdown of how many appeals per school? Ours was part of a table in the admissions leaflet.

In the case of Birmingham it would be interesting to see how many of those appeals were for the KE foundation schools.

Wimbles101 · 01/03/2017 09:37

prh47brigde - are you able to advise on grammar school appeals too?

tiggytape · 01/03/2017 09:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

prh47bridge · 01/03/2017 09:39

BCC emailed last week to say out of 1075 appeals gor sept 2016 only 2.9 were successful - so about 30. That sure feels low

The official statistics for 2016/17 aren't available yet and won't be until September but that is very low. Last year only 2 LAs in the country were that low - Lewisham and Newham. both of which had relatively small numbers of secondary school appeals. It is possible there was a good reason for Birmingham being that low but, if they are that low again this year, I would worry as to whether their appeal panels have been properly trained and are truly independent.

tiggytape · 01/03/2017 09:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tiggytape · 01/03/2017 09:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

goldangel · 01/03/2017 09:43

That's good to hear maxz99, have heard similar in our area of London, from 20-40 something on waiting list after 1st round and getting in 2 weeks later at 2nd round.

Keeping fingers crossed, dc2 picked up 2 pennies on the way to school....

Well done to those that got the school they wanted.

JustEatYourDinner · 01/03/2017 09:48

So unfair people have found out they have got into our towns schools because their county has released but our county haven't so kids in our town don't know.

We don't get released until this afternoon. Stresss!!

Edna1969 · 01/03/2017 09:52

@JustEatYourDinner that really sucks...I would have hoped out of catchment / area admissions were told at the same time. Still as a positive presumably these applicants would be lower down the admissions crieria so you have a good chance?

Just checked online again hoping that someone came into work today and pressed the wrong button...obviously because I'm sure its more sophisticated than that it wasn't there...

Changebagsandgladrags · 01/03/2017 09:53

Yes it's unfair that the results are released at different times. Some children will know before they leave for school and some not. So stressful.

tooclosetocall · 01/03/2017 09:53

First choice offered, we're happy.
Sorry for those who didn't get their first option. I hope all the appeals go through smoothly and have a good outcome. Just adds to the unnecessary stress of it all Flowers

JustEatYourDinner · 01/03/2017 09:56

I have to spend the whole day in the hell that is soft play so hopefully that will distract me. :/

tooclosetocall · 01/03/2017 09:56

Omg it's bollocks that the timings are different. Should all go out live at a set time.
I logged on after midnight and saw the results, then got the email confirmation at 3am. Getting the timings right for all LEA's/counties is the least they could do.

JustEatYourDinner · 01/03/2017 09:59

Sorry re giving us hope, normally, but we are applying out of catchment. So hmm. But it means that we have probably got second choice. (Always undersubscribed) as they school they got was our third choice. So we may have got third. But it means that probably we won't get sent of town to the town we don't want if they are accepting out of towners to our town. Which is good. Unless they have a percentage of out of towners allocation. In which case we are no further forward.

God I am sick of myself analyzing!

Edna1969 · 01/03/2017 10:16

@JustEatYourDinner I am also overanalysing but with less data!

My distraction is work and yes I'm really focused on that today!

ParadiseCity · 01/03/2017 10:19

That is really awful some people knowing and some still waiting.

JustEatYourDinner · 01/03/2017 10:25

Strange.

I just logged on and checked the emails sent section. Apparently my allocation was sent yesterday at around 4.45pm?!?! Is that just a batching thing? If it isn't, why haven't I got it?! And why would they send to the day before? And if they know, update the bloody website!! I was thinking they are all running around panicking today to get them out,but they know obviously.....

prh47bridge · 01/03/2017 10:25

are you able to advise on grammar school appeals too?

Just to confirm what Tiggytape said, yes, I can advise on grammar school appeals.

Edna1969 · 01/03/2017 10:27

@JustEatYourDinner it might be on your internet providers server, email isn't instantaneous communication. Also check your spam / junk folder.

BarchesterFlowers · 01/03/2017 10:35

The timing thing is awful. My county website was taken down yesterday afternoon, had a message saying that it would be available by 9am. I got an email at 7am ish. It was nice that it came in before we left for school.

I hope everyone who didn't get what they wanted manages to recover something in the days/weeks ahead.

Mandolinoparadiso · 01/03/2017 10:43

According to Oxfordshire Admissions:

'Unfortunately there has been a delay in issuing emails to parents and publishing offers to the website with the results of an offer for a school place. Our system supplier is working with us to resolve this problem as quickly as possible. Letters with the allocated school place have also been posted. Thank you for your patience.'
I hope that we don't have to wait for second-class letters to arrive –could take a week.

meggle · 01/03/2017 10:59

I have to wait till this afternoon. Already got a migraine and feel sick. My child announced yesterday he doesn't want the school we put down first but the second one.
He doesn't want to be associated with his sister for 5 years. He could have mentioned that before i filled the forms in.
Now I secretely hope that we will get the second choice. With the funding crises looming over us most schools around us will loose about 15 teachers and on top first choice school now wants to put an extra 75 kids into the school and charge £10 a month per kid to help with the funds.
All things that weren't on the cards while tha applications ran.

KERALA1 · 01/03/2017 10:59

Very impressed with our LA admin to be fair. Automated emails issued at midnight last night without a glitch. Its not on leaving people hopping about not knowing - how difficult is it?

KERALA1 · 01/03/2017 11:00

Mando that is shockingly lame.

twitchypalm · 01/03/2017 11:02

Glad people are getting the places that they wanted and sorry for the ones that didn't. For those appealing and to give people still waiting a bit of hope. My son has got his 1st choice which is a grammer school with a very small catchment area, we are quite a distance outside of it but still got a place.

I don't envy my sons teacher today as he is buzzing but there is hope for out of catchment places.