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Secondary education

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

Original poster

how to find a place in oversubscribed school mid year

135 replies

Spanielmad · 09/08/2017 15:48

Hello, we might be moving house in the coming year - to south Buckinghamshire. My kids are about to start Y6 and Y8. If we move in the middle of the school year how are we supposed to find school places? Pretty much ALL 'good/outstanding' secondary schools and grammar schools are oversubscribed. So even if we find a house near a good school how do I get my kids in??
thanks !!

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Original poster
Spanielmad · 12/08/2017 01:28

Have noticed, btw, that many schools don’t publish their oversubscribed (or not) status (I only found them on the rightmove site - which admittedly isn’t a great source) so calling them is no doubt worth the effort. Bring on September so I can find out more.

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mummytime · 12/08/2017 06:19

I think you will struggle in the South East to find Good schools which are not oversubscribed. But personally I would avoid moving to an 11+ county, and try to find somewhere with a few good Comprehensives. In the area you are looking I would look at: Oxfordshire, maybe Hertfordshire, and some of the Berkshire LAs (and maybe places like Uxbridge).
Good luck.

underneaththeash · 12/08/2017 09:03

spaniel - there is a list of schools with places on the bucks CC website, they don't update it over he summer though, you need to check back on the 11th September.

The grammar schools are great is you do have bright children, I wouldn't discount them and places do come up. Its highly likely though that you won't get a place for all your children in the same school. Due to the single sex nature of many of the schools here its not that uncommon to have 3 children at 3 different schools anyway. There are several people in my village who have a child at each of the single sex grammars and one at the comp.

underneaththeash · 12/08/2017 09:07

Forgot to mention, you may be able to get sample papers from the respective schools and you can look at the standard required.

Much of the tutoring that parents do is to teach children to answer questions quickly, but accurately and getting them used to answering comprehension questions. For example you could spend 5 minutes working what 5.999987 x 3.1023 = , but as its multiple choice you would simply round up/down to determine the best answer, so finding the answer closest to 6 x 3.

teddygirlonce · 12/08/2017 09:14

We have a DN who got a place at a grammar school in-year (Yr8?). She had to do a qualifying test. BUT I think she was lucky as hers isn't in London/Home Counties, and as far as I know there weren't loads of other candidates for the place at that particular time.

A few places have become available (and quickly filled) at DC1's super-selective grammar school. The school always has a waiting list for places and it would presumably be the candidate who scores most highly who gets in?

Most DC won't want to move schools once they're settled though, so be warned!

And lots of siblings do attend different secondary schools and find their own way there on public transport! I am never convinced by the sibling policy argument for secondary schools, particularly if a family lives in London or somewhere with good transport links.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 12/08/2017 09:41

thank you all again. very helpful.
It seems I'll need to find a school with places for both my kids as I do want them in the same school and I don't want to go down waiting lists (i.e. moving schools twice). So it seems for that I'll have to leave the county (most likely).
Thank you again - I'll call some grammars to see if there's any point in considering moving to their catchment and doing an admission test but if they don't have a place for both my kids I see no point.
Moving schools twice is a rubbish option: they need time to learn the structure of the school, settle in, catch up on any topics they might not have had in their old school etc etc. And then to move them again after a few months/years when a place comes up at a grammar? Sounds far from ideal.
Thanks again everyone.

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Original poster
Spanielmad · 12/08/2017 09:43

MumTryingherBest (nice name!), that is a handy link - thanks!!

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tiggytape · 12/08/2017 11:46

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InflagranteDelicto · 12/08/2017 20:09

You will not get a y6 and a y8 at the same school because they transfer at the end of y6. The only way round would be to find a secondary with a primary on site, immediate to me you'd be looking at John Colet or AVA. None of the others, off the top of my head do. Tbh I'd focus on having your y8 old develop their independence, and travel to school on their own. They usually aren't the only one on their transport.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 12/08/2017 21:26

LOL, of course I would not expect a primary and secondary kid to go to the same school! I was thinking of when they are both at secondary.

Thanks Tiggytape - can’t see myself homeschooling. Thanks for your thoughts. Will think things over.

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smu06set · 12/08/2017 21:37

A note on the Reading area - central reading schools are dominated by the two grammars (Kendrick Girls and Reading Boys) as well as private schools. You have to go out of town centre for non grammar schools. Reading areas have massive problems with oversubscription so the chances of a year 7 and a year 9 place available will be low.

intuition · 13/08/2017 09:29

The 11+ exam in Bucks is on 14/9 and I think you had to register before July for it.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 13/08/2017 12:15

Thanks smu06set, good to know!!
We would definitely not look for city living/schools so looking at towns around Reading towards Wokingham, Henley etc. Would prefer small town or rural-near-small town anywhere between Chesham-Reading-Woking. There's got to be a nice secondary school somewhere that does well with clever kids and is not forever oversubscribed! LOL

Thanks intuition, yes I know, we missed it. But there are ways and means for people that move into the area apparently.

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Ollycat · 14/08/2017 09:18

If you move into catchment before 2nd round of allocations you may well get a place at GMS for September. You are v unlikely to get a mid year place at SWBGS for year 8 - you would have more luck at JHGS or WHS. SWBGS takes 25 extra in year 9 (the test will be early on in year 8 - don't know when registration deadline is / was). The tests are curriculum based.

You could well get lucky with Gillotts- Septembers year 8 is full but if you get yourself into catchment you could appeal.

Whatever you do you really need to move and actually be resident- unless you are returning forces nowhere will allocate you a place before you have an address.

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 09:33

Don't forget the bus issue as well. If you don't want your DC to travel on the public buses (which can be sporadic) and you can't get them there yourself, you have to apply for a school bus place which is a ruddy bloody nightmare if you don't have a clue what you're doing like me

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 09:34

Sorry, South Bucks that is. Not sure about other areas.

Ollycat · 14/08/2017 09:35

ShaneBitchy the busses of course have the added joy that you can't apply for them until you have a confirmed school place.

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 09:42

Yep exactly! Also the lovely council dictate that a faith school is your nearest school and so you aren't entitled to free transport for the next nearest school that you've chosen so you have to pay £700 for the bus.
Oh but even if we did accept the faith school, it's under 3 miles away so you still have to pay because the council deem it to be a 'walkable route'. Well, it's a 50 MPH road with no pavement so not fucking really is it?? AND BREATHE

Ollycat · 14/08/2017 09:48

I feel your pain - my children go on the school bus to their closest catchment school but don't get free transport as a non catchment school is deemed 30 meters closer to our house- there is no bus to this school so had we chosen to send the children there they would lay on a free taxi service for them - madness!

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 09:52

That is insane! I wonder what the transport dept are on sometimes and who sets these rules.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 14/08/2017 10:06

fffffff I’d be happy with a good school - not a faith school in our case - and if the bus is a pain I’ll drive my kids. Not ideal but hey-ho.

Ollycat - you sound more positive, LOL, I am clinging on to what you say. If I move before the 2nd round, I might get GMS for a mid Y8 and a place for my youngest in sept 2018....
Or perhaps GIllots...
I am scared though, that if I can’t appeal (based on what?!) and all preferred schools are full, I will be allocated a place by the council in a school I don’t want or rate. I don’t even want the risk. My kids’ education and happiness is not a play ball.

Wondering if it is even possible for parents to move to south Bucks. Perhaps all newcomers are people who don’t have school-aged kids as it seems impossible to secure a place at a good school if you move into the area.

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Ollycat · 14/08/2017 10:12

It is complicated but not impossible. I would suggest you phone the Council and start viewing houses.

ShaneBitchy · 14/08/2017 10:21

My DC were younger when we moved here and my eldest is now going into YR7. We had the same with Primary though when we moved, couldn't get a school place without a council tax bill and then were told absolutely no places in Reception class.
We moved late August and luckily, by the time term started there was a space.
People are always moving though so have hope! A few of DD's classmates have already moved away for cheaper housing areas and so they aren't going to secondary schools round here.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 14/08/2017 12:53

mmm I don’t dare to view houses if I don’t know my kid will get in one of the schools I want. My youngest especially needs stability and I just cannot let him school hop.
But I suppose it is the only way. I will call the council and some schools once they’re open again in September. I will have to weigh up the risk of not finding a school place and moving against staying put and letting my DH live in a hotel/rentedroom during the week....
Thank you all so much for the support - it has been sooo helplful - I wouldn’t have known where else to start.
Its Monday so I suppose a call to the council is on the list.
:)

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