Secondary school waiting lists

[DonDons39]

Hi,

My daughter didn't get a place in any of our school preferences. We put the maximum 3 down that we could.

We were told she would be automatically added to the waiting list for the 3 and we also asked to be added to the waiting list of another 3 schools (2 are outside our LA but they are still 2 of the closest to us).

The deadline for accepting places during the original allocation was last Friday.

I was wondering if anyone knew (on average) how long it is after that deadline that they start offering places during the second round of allocations.

We haven't been allocated any school at present but I know the one closest to us with spaces is a truly horrid place. My daughter would learn as much sitting at home on her bum than she would at a day at that school.

I'm desperately hoping we get a place offered from the waiting list during the second round as I feel sick with nerves about an appeal hearing and even worse at the prospect of her being placed in the other terrible school.

Can anyone offer any insight please.

Thanks.

Usually when you're in the list and you're at the top they call and offer the place. Where are you on the lists?

To be honest I've no idea. I didn't know you could find that out until I read it on here earlier. I've since emailed the school admissions to ask for the information.

The admission office of the LA is always going to be very busy at this time and through to the Summer holiday. The normal practice is to be looking to update school places available and waiting lists every few days but to start with it might easily be 2 weeks because of the volume of changes in school places to be inputted and acted upon.
I question your situation when you know the local school has places but you say you have not been allocated a place. Does that mean you have been and you have turned it down or that you genuinely have not been offered a place. If the latter is correct and there are places in the local school, then I wonder why you have not been allocated a place there (even if you do not want it). If that is correct then you do really need to speak to the LA office and make sure that they have your application and that you are on the waiting lists that you want to be.

We have genuinely not been offered a place. All of the letters we received just said the schools we applied for were oversubscribed and how to appeal.

I know there's spaces at the other school (and others) because the school admissions office told me when I rang. They gave me a list of all the schools with places however it's sad that none of them have got good reputations - which explains WHY they have spaces when others are oversubscribed.

I have email confirmations that my daughter is on the waiting lists for both the original schools we applied for and also the additional ones we requested to be added to.

Just to add, it's not the local school, it's one of the ones further away (over 3 miles away). The 6 schools we applied for are all closer

^ the school with places I mean with regards to the last reply

Go and see the schools with places and find out where you are in the list to get an idea of how likely you are of getting a place at your preferred schools.

As things stand, your DD doesn't have a school place for September. It is your responsibility to make sure that she receives a full time education, so you seriously need to consider which situation you would rather not find yourselves in - your DD has a place at one of the undersubscribed schools, or you have to make proper home education happen - ?

There is usually still movement on waiting lists at least up to the first few weeks of Yr7, so with any luck (and assuming that your desired schools are realistic options?), your DD may get a place at an 'acceptable' school soon, bit with no school place, you have to be prepared to home ed.

The LA has a statutory responsibility to offer you a place at a school if you haven't got into any you chose. LA's don't all do things in the same way. Ours offers places as and when they become available. There is no way of predicting how many places, if any, will become available and when this will happen. I agree with the post that suggested going to look round the school with places. You might like them more than you think. You should be able to remain on waiting lists after September.

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately the school with spaces is in such a bad state educationally that the teachers walked out on strike last year because of their conditions and also down to the fact that the pupils are so unruly. A work colleague has nephews who go there and she told me that the teachers are as bad as the pupils and her sister is desperately trying to move her kids OUT of that school so that they can try and get a half-decent education.

Hi everyone,

Thankfully my daughter was given a place in our 6th choice after submitting our late application. It isn't the horrid school I mentioned in my earlier posts and we still have our appeals in for our first 2 choices.

I'm just so relieved that at least, should we fail with our appeals, at least we have a place for our daughter.

Glad to hear it @DonDons39