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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Secondary offers day is almost upon us!

103 replies

PhilomenaButterfly · 17/02/2019 11:30

Who else is excited?

OP posts:
WhenTheDragonsCame · 17/02/2019 17:44

I'm starting to have concerns about our first choice and kind of hoping we get second. Both are quite far away from us but took children from a large area in previous years.

The 1st choice school had a minus progress 8 score last year and someone told me there is a drug problem there. Still it's better than our nearest school which is awful. It's been required improve for years and no matter how much money they throw at it nothing has changed.

DD2s friends have all applied to different schools. At the moment she doesn't seem bothered but not sure if that will last when it is confirmed!

The whole process has been very stressful!

ShaggyRug · 17/02/2019 18:03

Good luck everyone. Not long since I was in your position waiting. Our LA updates the website at midnight so I stayed up to find out. It was a nerve wracking emotional night and we ended up with first choice.

Keeping fingers crossed for you all.

HotpotLawyer · 17/02/2019 18:04

WhenTheDragons.
Every secondary school has kids using and dealing drugs. Every single secondary school. Including private.

Ok, maybe some minute school in a forest somewhere. But teens is when some young people discover recreational drug use. It doesn’t mean yours will join in.

Rockbird · 17/02/2019 18:05

Getting excited now although we're fairly secure for our first place and wouldn't be unhappy with our second. We're lucky to have two amazing schools to choose from. Be nice to have it in the bag though!

Original poster
PhilomenaButterfly · 17/02/2019 18:10

Just reading through the posts.

DD will be kind of disappointed if she gets her second choice. We're slap bang in the middle of the catchment area for her first choice, her second choice doesn't have a catchment area.

OP posts:
BeautyWasTheBeast · 17/02/2019 18:21

My Ds doesn't seem bothered...he hasn't got a friendship group at primary...his best friend was the year above and left last year.

We've talked about the pluses of every school so hopefully whatever the outcome it will be a positive experience for him.

I have no idea of we'll get emails at midnight or if we have to keep checking through the day

bibbitybobbityyhat · 17/02/2019 18:26

To all of you in this position this year: I feel for you and I hope you are allocated a school you are happy with.

I'd be interested to know what percentage of parents are actually happy with the current schools application system? The 6 choices thing is ludicrous, surely?

Wouldn't it save a whole lot of angst if your children were just given a choice of say, their two closest schools? and faith schools and grammar schools and selective comps and lottery schools were abolished

ShaggyRug · 17/02/2019 18:31

We have 3 choices here and I’m happy with the system as it is on the basis that it’s fair. I’d not want to be restricted to the two closest in case they were bad choices for my child.

myrtleWilson · 17/02/2019 18:38

My DD is in GCSE year so this angst is (thankfully) a distant memory but in case you don't get your preferred school -do accept the school (as a previous poster has said) if you turn down the offer the LA has fulfilled its obligations to you.

Secondly, if you do decide to appeal then look out for the experts on here (prh47bridge, admission, panel chair) who give very sage advice to anyone needing it...

Best of luck!

Dothehappydance · 17/02/2019 18:38

3 choices here as well.

This is dc2 and more relaxed this time. It was a worry with DD as we were applying out of catchment, but we got our 1st choice.

We have now moved and ds will get in. I'm just hoping his friends do too (they will be applying out of catchment)

Due to how the catchment areas work for their primary school, I was never too concerned about where friends choose.

TidaQuel · 17/02/2019 18:40

I’m dreading it. I don’t think DS will get any of our 3 choices. We live in an area with 3 schools that are close by that children in this street have always got into whichever they chose, although only 1 is catchment. Catchment one has really gone downhill over recent years and is now no one’s first choice, requires improvement. The other 2 are everyone’s preferred but obviously can’t accommodate all. Our 3rd choice was across town and has a very small catchment, low intake and we don’t for the criteria.

So I fear we will automatically get our catchment / closest / underachieving school. Really hoping that it’s a very small year group this year but already preparing myself that we’ll end up at there. Would want to appeal but I’m fairly certain I’ll have no grounds.

Lindy2 · 17/02/2019 18:47

Luckily the school we liked the most is the one we are most likely to get. I will feel happier when we know for sure though. We live in a highly populated area where pretty much all schools are over subscribed so nothing is certain.
DD is pretty nervous about the move the secondary. She is dyslexic and stuggles with tests so sats scores are not going to be great. I'm hoping the secondary we picked is one that will be able to support her.

Pinkprincess1978 · 17/02/2019 18:52

I'm getting more anxious as it gets closer! We have terrible secondary's here. I work at the best school but it's faith so relying on me getting them is as staff. Our second choice used to be a fantastic school but was rated as RI a couple of years ago, they still got reasonable results though. Our third choice is a very good school but in a local village so would require a bus journey each day but then every other school choice is terrible (and would also require a bus journey). I'm keeping everything crossed for 1st or 2nd choice.

Minglemangle · 17/02/2019 18:52

Does anyone know if the actual schools have been informed of how many applicants put their school down as first choice? The head of our catchment school has just resigned and I have a feeling that this is linked to finding out that it is next to no-ones first choice.

As for results day, it can’t come soon enough!

MeMeMeYou · 17/02/2019 19:31

I even had a dream about results day the other night! Will be glad to be out out of my misery and find out so we can get our heads around it and prepare!

heartshapedknob · 17/02/2019 20:23

I just want to know now, it feels like a long time since we applied and we’ve had a wait for 11+ results too. In theory those mean DS should have a good chance of getting his first choice but who knows. He’s really looking forward to moving on from primary school.

Original poster
PhilomenaButterfly · 17/02/2019 20:44

DD is too.

OP posts:
Zinnia · 17/02/2019 22:01

@Minglemangle I think the Head would only know that if the school were its own admissions authority? The experts will correct me if I'm wrong, but where admissions are handled by the LEA, the schools are not supposed to know where they have been placed on people's forms. The schools only tell the LEA which applicants fulfil the entry criteria, it's the LEA's job to sort the applications so that they are allocated according to the rankings on people's forms.

@FallenSky the time the LA sends its emails/updates website varies according to where you are. In London we have to wait till 5.00pm Confused so that irate parents have the weekend to cool off before they start ringing up and shouting at admissions staff!

lljkk · 18/02/2019 00:09

Really want this wait over with. I'm unnerved... Other yrs (older DC) I didn't have such a strong preference but it's out of my hands anyway.

Snowmaggedon · 18/02/2019 11:24

We have two good choices... I'm sure we'll get our second choice, but our first is an exceptional school...

We are teetering on egde of catchment too.

prh47bridge · 18/02/2019 13:50

To echo TeenTimesTwo:

Whatever you do, accept the school offered.

The council is under no obligation to come up with another offer. Rejecting the offered school will not help you get a place at one of your preferred schools.

I will try to keep an eye on this thread. However, if you don't get the school you want and would like advice on a possible appeal, you are most likely to get a response if you start your own thread with the word "appeal" in the title.

Crouchendmumoftwo · 18/02/2019 18:12

We are also in bulge classes, I think there are 3 years of bulge classes, last years, this years and next years. Unfortunately I think this year is the biggest one. We are 0.5 from our local secondary school and last year our neighbours son didn't get in. So we will be in a no mans land most likely. I think the council will try to get more kids into classes, will see! Is very worrying.

Ariana30 · 21/02/2019 00:02

I don't think I've ever been so nervous!! This is going to be an agonising week, so close yet so far!!

I know we're not going to get first choice, so I'm really going we'll get second choice which is a faith school and though we are the 'wrong' faith, we are still of faith so hope that we'll be OK... If not, I don't think we'll get the 3rd, so the fourth as a local comp is still very good and popular and it means DS can walk there, just 3 mins walk away so it'll be OK regardless, just really want first choice obviously!! Arrrgghh, the wait is mentally painful!!

I have a question though. So if we get 4th choice and accept it, are we still able to go on the waiting list for the other schools and potentially get an offer when others reject those schools? I'm really confused by this...? If we decide our place and wait on the other schools and don't get in then that's a huge risk, the process doesn't make sense to me? So confused...

Ariana30 · 21/02/2019 00:03

Also, this is an unusually high birth year so where we all might have been able to get first choice etc in previous years, this year it's just that much more unlikely due to the sheer amount applying...

Zinnia · 21/02/2019 02:17

Yes @Ariana30 you can stay on the waiting lists for any and all schools you've applied for BUT you must must must accept the place you're offered (if Mumsnet has taught me anything, it's this!). If you reject the place you're offered on 1st March, the LA has fulfilled its obligation to you and your DC will be without a place.

So: 1) accept the place you are offered;
2) email the admissions office to state that you wish to remain on the waiting list for the schools higher up your preference list. Get it in writing for avoidance of doubt.
3) wait

Good luck!

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