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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Waiting Lists

148 replies

bex12345 · 08/03/2021 13:21

When would waiting lists typically start moving?.

We are hoping for a waiting list place (5th currently) and to know when to expect movement would be much better than me wondering and not really knowing!

OP posts:
Cariocbirello · 17/03/2021 09:37

Hi everyone. We got an offer from our 1st preference school this morning. Really pleased & slightly stunned. Good luck to everyone still waiting.🤞

indie123 · 17/03/2021 10:22

Great news to see list movement already. I'm hoping we hear something soon also

icegarden · 17/03/2021 10:35

@Cariocbirello

Hi everyone. We got an offer from our 1st preference school this morning. Really pleased & slightly stunned. Good luck to everyone still waiting.🤞
Where were you on list?
Cariocbirello · 17/03/2021 10:49

I don’t know tbh - logged on to LA admissions portal to see waiting list positions published today & it just says ‘offered’ against 1st preference & no info about waiting lists for other schools. 1st preference school then phoned me to confirm offer

ImpatientAnn · 17/03/2021 10:52

Amazing news. I still haven’t heard where we are on the list yet. 😫

How long do I give before I follow up my e-mail. It’s been one working day so far...

Our places don’t get offered in the second round til April.

ImpatientAnn · 17/03/2021 16:53

I’ve just called them - I can find out on Monday. They’ve not sorted it all yet. 🙄
Their original e-mail on 1st March said after 15th. Didn’t realise they meant a week after!

Stokey · 17/03/2021 17:29

Congratulations @Cariocbirello. I emailed the selective school we're waiting for directly & they've said the LA are releasing WL by 18 March. Then we'll just have to see how likely we are to get a place. The waiting is agony.

ImpatientAnn · 18/03/2021 06:59

Hoping for good news for those waiting for 18 March. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Stokey · 18/03/2021 12:28

Thanks @ImpatientAnn. Just heard they're still waiting on replies from 20 odd offers they've made and need to chase those before they release WL Angry. Surely if you don't reply to your offer by 15 March deadline, it should just be rejected?

ImpatientAnn · 18/03/2021 12:52

It’s so frustrating isn’t it. If they said to me I couldn’t find out til 1st April I’d be fine waiting til them.

thesunday · 18/03/2021 13:37

Congratulations @Cariocbirello fantastic news!

And fingers crossed for everyone waiting.

Where do you login to see the school's waiting lists? Am I missing a trick? Would love to know.

ImpatientAnn · 18/03/2021 13:41

We can’t log on where I am but some areas have that as an option. I need to call/e-Mail.

Cariocbirello · 18/03/2021 16:35

thesunday we had a link on our original offer email to check waiting lists from 17 March - the link takes you to a page on the LA admissions portal. We are in Essex.

Mumoftwoinprimary · 21/03/2021 08:45

We’re also doing the “waiting list dance” - not for us - Dd has a place at our chosen school (let’s call it School A) - but for dd’s best friend (let’s call her Lucy) who is currently top of the waiting list.

To make the situation more complex Lucy has now announced that she doesn’t want to go to School A anyway even if she gets a place - she wants to stick with School B. (Other friends are generally going to School B.) However, Lucy’s mum is very definite that School A is better for Lucy so I see fun times ahead.

Just to make it really complex there is a boy in dd’s year who has a place at School A but is on the waiting list for School B and desperately wants School B. (Currently 3rd.)

If only they could swap......

ImpatientAnn · 21/03/2021 08:56

Annoying isn’t it. What position is Lucy on the waiting list? Is your dd happy to go to school A without Lucy?

ImpatientAnn · 21/03/2021 08:57

Sorry just seen she’s top. That is a good chance. Here you don’t get a choice to stay at the allocated school if a wait list place comes up so Lucy’s mum is likely to win...

TotoroXX · 21/03/2021 10:57

May I ask how do we find out about waiting list position? Ours LA state waiting list position will not be available until 22 March. Do I email them tomorrow or it will be published on the eadmission portal? If my first choice (grammar school) is in a different Borough will this be available from my local LA too?

ImpatientAnn · 21/03/2021 11:01

I e-mailed then called when they didn’t respond. Some places have it on the application portal.

One of my waiting list schools is in the neighbouring LA and I had to contact them separately.

Original poster
bex12345 · 22/03/2021 11:54

Hope someone has had some good news today with confirmation of wait list positions!

OP posts:
Stokey · 22/03/2021 13:38

We got our position but it's pretty low, in the 40s, so we're not holding our breath. Luckily or second choice is a good option and probably Dd's preferred one as she knows people going there so will just give up on the waiting list!

ImpatientAnn · 22/03/2021 16:26

That’s a shame Stokey, glad choice too is an option.

I’ve just called and they’ve now said by the end of this week they can tell me our position but new offer letters may come before then based on movement due to a new school being signed off. We want a different school but some children have been given the one we want until the new school was definitely confirmed so I am hopeful (we missed out by 10m and I know of 3 children who want the new school so would turn it down).

lanthanum · 22/03/2021 16:34

@Mumoftwoinprimary

We’re also doing the “waiting list dance” - not for us - Dd has a place at our chosen school (let’s call it School A) - but for dd’s best friend (let’s call her Lucy) who is currently top of the waiting list.

To make the situation more complex Lucy has now announced that she doesn’t want to go to School A anyway even if she gets a place - she wants to stick with School B. (Other friends are generally going to School B.) However, Lucy’s mum is very definite that School A is better for Lucy so I see fun times ahead.

Just to make it really complex there is a boy in dd’s year who has a place at School A but is on the waiting list for School B and desperately wants School B. (Currently 3rd.)

If only they could swap......

If the boy gets to the top of the waiting list for school B, perhaps both families should double-check that they are still at the top and then one of them pull out. That would create a space for the other, freeing the space for the one who pulled out. Would that work? Or would it take weeks for them to sort it and so carry a risk that someone new appears above one of them on the waiting list?
PorcelainCatStack · 22/03/2021 19:50

I got to ring a waitlist Mum today to offer her a place at my school as we’d had a place turned down. Best bit of my job by far Smile

ImpatientAnn · 22/03/2021 19:53

Aw I bet it is a lovely thing to do. Bet they were so chuffed!

Original poster
bex12345 · 22/03/2021 20:19

@PorcelainCatStack

I got to ring a waitlist Mum today to offer her a place at my school as we’d had a place turned down. Best bit of my job by far Smile
Ahh I bet! I hope we get a call like this eventually. I suspect that our waitlist place will remain static for quite a while though!
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