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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Nervous about Secondary School allocations out this week!

334 replies

PinotLover · 23/02/2021 09:25

Just another to thing to stress about but it's for my PFB so never been through it before. We find out on the 1st March, am being a silly stress head on here rather than in real life. Any one else? We are in the same postcode as the school we prefer, so it's a big deal if it goes wrong!

OP posts:
PatriciaHolm · 01/03/2021 01:11

@Neighneigh

Anyone else in north yorkshire? Our top two choices (out of catchment) say waiting list and choice three says offered but when I click on all of them it says on each ( even the offered one) that we do not have to respond, what's all that about?!
Because of the policy of "assumed acceptance" that your LA run; is it a community school?

"You do not have to do anything if you wish to accept a place offered at a community or voluntary controlled school. The head teacher of the school has been informed of the allocation and will make any further arrangements regarding the admission to secondary school.
To accept places offered at schools which are their own admission authority, please contact the school direct. "

Cariocbirello · 01/03/2021 01:12

BunsyGirl no, no email. Oh no, I hope nothings gone wrong with my application.

Neighneigh · 01/03/2021 01:14

@PatriciaHolm thank you for replying. Yes our first choice school is an academy so as I understand it they can take who they want - but all three are saying no need to respond? So even if we wanted to confirm the only offer (for our third choice), we can't do that?! I will never sleep tonight

notoffee · 01/03/2021 01:20

Hang on - some people have managed to get into their portal and find out results already?

PatriciaHolm · 01/03/2021 01:21

[quote Neighneigh]@PatriciaHolm thank you for replying. Yes our first choice school is an academy so as I understand it they can take who they want - but all three are saying no need to respond? So even if we wanted to confirm the only offer (for our third choice), we can't do that?! I will never sleep tonight[/quote]
If the offered one is a community school, you don't need to do anything to accept the offer, no.

lavenderlou · 01/03/2021 01:26

@Cariocbirello you can get onto the Essex portal at educationportal.essex.gov.uk/

You have to put in your login details from when you did the application. Otherwise, your email will probably come through shortly as they are staggered. Mine came at 1am.

Neighneigh · 01/03/2021 01:26

@PatriciaHolm sorry I'm tired and stressed - so option 1, an academy, says waiting list. Option 2, also academy, says waiting list. We are out of catchment in both options 1 & 2. Option 3, not academy, in catchment, says offered. When I click on 'respond' for each of them it says no need to respond. But we don't want to go to the offered one, we want to try and get into option 1. If I leave it we will automatically be put down as option 3 won't we? Obviously I'm going to ring/email in the morning but am so stressed tonight

notoffee · 01/03/2021 01:29

Hi everyone I am now completely stressed.

I cant see the result but what is of real concern is the order of my school places are wrong. I changed them because of grammar test results ( as I was allowed to do ) and now I did get an email confirming from school admissions but now I log in and the order is not correct.

Anyhow I do not have the outcome yet.

Good luck everyone!

Cariocbirello · 01/03/2021 01:31

Thanks lavenderlou. I can’t get in to the portal because I set up application with multi factor authentication (as well as the log in details they send you a verification code that you need enter to access the portal - DH bright idea)...but the portal doesn’t seem to be sending the verification code so I cannot access my application. Glad to hear they are staggered - hopefully my email is in its way.

clary · 01/03/2021 01:31

Neighneigh you are in waiting lists for the first two and have a place at the third. You don't need to do anything to accept that place. If a place comes up on the waiting list, you will be offered it.
Don't refuse the offered place, as others say, as that won't make a WL or appeal place any more likely.

starray · 01/03/2021 01:32

@notoffee

Hi everyone I am now completely stressed.

I cant see the result but what is of real concern is the order of my school places are wrong. I changed them because of grammar test results ( as I was allowed to do ) and now I did get an email confirming from school admissions but now I log in and the order is not correct.

Anyhow I do not have the outcome yet.

Good luck everyone!

Same here! We removed the grammar after the results, and email confirmed it, but it is still there as first choice?!
lavenderlou · 01/03/2021 01:34

[quote Neighneigh]@PatriciaHolm sorry I'm tired and stressed - so option 1, an academy, says waiting list. Option 2, also academy, says waiting list. We are out of catchment in both options 1 & 2. Option 3, not academy, in catchment, says offered. When I click on 'respond' for each of them it says no need to respond. But we don't want to go to the offered one, we want to try and get into option 1. If I leave it we will automatically be put down as option 3 won't we? Obviously I'm going to ring/email in the morning but am so stressed tonight[/quote]
Leave it as it is. You will be allocated the place for Option 3 but should remain on the waiting lists for Option 1 and Option 2 without needing to do anything. If you reject the place you have been offered, you will also be removed from the waiting lists for the other schools and the council won't be obliged to find you any place at all.

You can always give them a ring tomorrow to clarify the waiting list situation. Where I am, you just remain on the waiting list without needing to do anything.

Movinghouse2015 · 01/03/2021 01:35

@Neighneigh don't worry about not being able to respond. You would need to accept the thirds school you have been offered anyway.

Tomorrow check you are on the waiting lists for options 1 & 2 and where you are on those lists.

Depending where you are on the lists and usual movements of the lists, you may choose to appeal.

lavenderlou · 01/03/2021 01:35

@Cariocbirello

Thanks lavenderlou. I can’t get in to the portal because I set up application with multi factor authentication (as well as the log in details they send you a verification code that you need enter to access the portal - DH bright idea)...but the portal doesn’t seem to be sending the verification code so I cannot access my application. Glad to hear they are staggered - hopefully my email is in its way.
Ah, how annoying. I hate dual verification sometimes! Hopefully it is on its way.
notoffee · 01/03/2021 01:38

"Starray

Same here! We removed the grammar after the results, and email confirmed it, but it is still there as first choice?!"

THank you so so much for your message. I have email confirmation from council. Our child passed Grammar so I had top Grammar places now I am thinking what on earth!

I didn't think I could log into the portal.

So maybe when we find out it will be in the right order for us?

I am concerned if they have not passed on the orders to the correct council as my child is an out of borough applicant.

Good luck. After such a strange year I just hope it pulls off.

I hope the council have done what they said they would do.

I probably will not sleep though!

notoffee · 01/03/2021 01:39

I mean I got email confirmation from my council at the time of the change!

Not now - now I do not know the results!

But it has the old and incorrect order of schools on the e-admissions site!

BunsyGirl · 01/03/2021 01:42

@Cariocbirello Check your junk email box just in case. I didn’t realise they staggered the emails.

Neighneigh · 01/03/2021 01:43

Thanks all. I never imagined it'd be so stressful - we live rurally and options 1 and 3 are pretty much the same distance from our house but we are just outside the catchment for first choice, which is usually under-subscribed. There's a 20% difference in the average GCSE results and crap subject choices. I can't wake up DH as he has a job interview tomorrow. Thank you for your replies

notoffee · 01/03/2021 01:45

I am completely stressed.

Anyhow I have emailed the person who confirmed my changes.

Who would have thought? I did not think I could get back into e - admissions after the original closing date.

I better try get to sleep got an exciting day of home schooling ahead.

Good luck everyone.

Sorry for the stress out and there is not point stressing out but after the year we have had I could do with some good news.

All the very best everyone!

Cariocbirello · 01/03/2021 01:45

Thanks BunsyGirl - checking all my mail boxes like a crazy person Grin

notoffee · 01/03/2021 01:49

A thought.

The grammar that we want can I call it tomorrow and check if we have a place?

Maybe they will know? Or do I have to check with my local council and school admissions?

louisejxxx · 01/03/2021 02:02

@notoffee you’ll be better going straight to your council and/or the council the school is in if different...the actual school is unlikely to even have the list of names yet because it will change a lot in the coming weeks with waiting lists, accepting Indy offers etc.

notoffee · 01/03/2021 02:08

Thank you louisejxxx so stressful.

I will go the council both that I live in and the one I applied for schools in.

I seem to remember at the time of the change I could not access e admissions because I had submitted them. However, there was a window to change order and school preferences due to the grammar tests being delayed and as such I made the changed and got a confirmed receipt by email that this had made the deadline.
I also did help 5 other friends and made sure they got receipt emails from the council.

I did go back and forth, and before I emailed the council I did also have a phone call.

I didn't think to check e-admissions again and as such have had such a shock.

Sorry for going on and on.

I will be so annoyed if my council has got this wrong but anyway I don't think it need just be on e-admissions maybe I will get an email with the right result.

What a year everyone has had. I just hope people can have an ok time of it with their school selection.

notoffee · 01/03/2021 03:22

well I have drafted some emails.

Now really going to try and sleep.

Hope I wake up to good news.

Good luck all.

ChildOfFriday · 01/03/2021 06:51

@KitHenry

I’m in County Durham. I don’t know anything about waiting lists - there aren’t any grammar schools here.
Waiting lists aren't specific to grammar schools- any school that is oversubscribed will have a waiting list, regardless of whether it is a grammar or not. I know it's difficult to say but please don't panic at this stage- some people will move away, choose to go private, etc, which will cause movement in the lists. I'm not sure how County Durham works (for some LAs you are automatically on the waiting list for any of your higher choices that you didn't get into, and for others you have to request it) but make sure you are on the waiting list for all of your choices and, if allowed (some LAs have a limit on how many waiting lists you can be on but some don't as I understand it), ask to be put on the waiting list for any school that would be preferable to the one offered. Good luck Smile