HELP! Mistake on secondary school application

[GeMiNix89x]

I'm looking for some advice I stupidly made a massive error on my daughters secondary school application and didn't include our catchment school (stupid I know) which she also currently has a sibling attending. on the list was just 2 other local schools that are very over subscribed. To my horror I only realised this when the offers were sent out and noticed she had been allocated a school 10 miles away from our home! And our first choice wasn't even on there! There are only 2 routes to the school via public transport so her journey to school would include a 6am train ride and 2 buses taking approximately 2.30hrs to get there on time. Or an 8.36am bus ride taking 56 minutes and being over an hour late to school every day. These would be her only travel options as I do not drive and start work at 8am. Our catchment school is less than a mile from home a 10 minute walk and she is currently attending one of the schools feeder schools. I have no idea where the hell my head was at at the time and have no excuses for not double checking before submitting 🤦🏼‍♀️ but now I need to deal with the consequences so I have made a late application to her first choice school and am awaiting the outcome and will hopefully hear something Wednesday or Thursday im guessing she wont be allocated a place but will be placed on the waiting list as this school is also oversubscribed but it's literally all I am thinking about I feel so guilty that my daughter is suffering because of a mistake I made! I'm just wondering if anyone has found themselves in a similar situation? And how they have dealt with it? And how high up on the waiting list they were?
TIA x

I think we may just go for the appeal like you've said we've nothing to lose! There isn't currently a school bus service for the allocated school from our area just a normal bus that stops 10 minutes away from the school. I will definitely be enquiring about taxi transport for her if she has to go to allocated school. I just can't have her travelling so far on her own to a place she isn't familiar with she's absolutely distraught by the thought of it😢

Appeal AND go on waiting list.

You don't ever want to be in a situation where you are looking at your dd setting off to some other school and thinking 'If only I had....'

Anyway the Spanish thing is a credible basis for an appeal.

I would speak to admissions straight away .. I've always found them very helpful .. if there are no spaces though they are no spaces unfortunately. I presume you have asked what other schools have places too?

Yes I'm definitely going to do it 😊 I did think the fact the allocated school doesn't offer spanish should be mentioned as she would be disadvantaged by not being able to continue learning this. When it comes to extra curricular activities would this be the same? She currently attends a chess, singing, and cookery club that the allocated school doesn't provide but first choice does and is very keen to start several new clubs she has read up on in the schools prospectus which again only first choice offers. I won't know what schools have spaces until tomorrow when the waiting lists are established for our area but she will be on the waiting list for the only 2 other schools in our town.

Yes, extra curricular activities can help an appeal.

very keen to start several new clubs she has read up on in the schools prospectus which again only first choice offers

Don’t go mad with it. The Chess and Spanish because she is already doing those things, doing v well at them and wanting to continue sounds like a case. A whole raft of things she might like to try but doesn’t do at present, not so much.

Sincere and focussed on the important issues seems better to me than the risk of unconvincing desperation.

@FrankieManca yes I think I will just stick to what she currently already does. I don't want to seem like I'm rambling on. I have just phoned the other 2 local schools she's currently 32nd and 24th on their waiting lists. Very unlikely she will get a space in these school's there is never much movement on their waiting lists.

My friend forgot to apply! This year! She thought the applications were 30th November, it was actually 31st October!!

She is waiting to hear! She hasn't appealed because she didn't think there were grounds. It's our nearest school, and we are in the catholic feeder primary!

Have you actually spoken to your chosen school admissions? What are they saying atm?

Yes I have. Basically because the application is classed as late it won't have been considered until today so i won't find out anything until application has been processed. Although they did say I should hopefully hear something either today or start of next week depending on the volume of applications. But giving we are catchment and she has a sibling there if a place isn't awarded she should be high on the waiting list.