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Secondary education

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Original poster

National Offer Day - 1st March. Anybody else anxious?

286 replies

ToxicGirl · 23/02/2022 15:22

I feel like a woman on the edge. Am unbelievably anxious about 1st March. Made my peace a long time ago with the fact DD won't get a place at our nearest secondary (within easy walking distance) because it's so oversubscribed. All her friends and most other children from her school will go there. We live a tiny bit further away and just won't get in, particularly as I understand it's a big birth year.

Would be happy with either our 2nd or 3rd choice schools. They're further away and not as popular but we'd have got a place at them in previous years as we're in catchment and just within the distance they usually offer.

However our LA has warned of unprecedented pressure on school places this year and said that the schools are likely to be significantly oversubscribed. I'm worried that we now won't get a place at the schools that would previously have been 'bankers'. Our other preferences are too far away. We won't get a place at them. Just put them down because there was nowhere else.

There are a couple of hugely undersubscribed and really poorly performing schools in neighbouring towns within the borough. From everything I've read and from looking at Y6 leavers destination info from previous years, I'm absolutely convinced we'll be allocated one of them. They're the schools people get allocated when they only put one choice down and don't get it.

I'm so anxious about it. Can't think about anything else and am driving DH mad. Am managing to hide it from DD but know she'll fall apart on Tuesday. She's prepared to go to school without her friends but not to a completely unknown school in another area.

It's going to be a long few days...

OP posts:
LIZS · 01/03/2022 17:27

@Sweetbabydust1989

Didn't get one of his options he has been dumped in a poorly graded school I am heart broken and don't no what to do I am going to either appeal or homeschool and reapply.
Unfortunately that was probably a consequence of not listing the maximum number of preferences. If the three could not accommodate your ds he was allocated the nearest one available. The letter will give you more details of why you were unsuccessful. You can go on waiting lists for your three plus any others you may accept and hopefully one will come through. However do not decline the offer unless you are really willing to homeschool,
Interviewdisaster · 01/03/2022 17:31

I’m sorry you’ve had a unpleasant surprise @Sweetbabydust1989. What else do you know about the school you’ve been allocated? Is it one you visited?
I don’t mean to sound like Pollyanna, but it might not be as bad as you think. The school DS has been given is currently an Ofsted “Inadequate”. However, the report is from 6 years ago and the school has changed a lot since then. We visited it in October and we were encouraged enough to put it on our list; we’ll be hanging on for a waiting list place for our first choice, but will settle for what we’ve been given if one doesn’t come up, based on what we saw for ourselves.

Sweetbabydust1989 · 01/03/2022 17:33

@Interviewdisaster it's across the road from me I no loads about it ofsted report has been poor for the last 8 years it got changed over due to how bad it is so will not be sending my boy there at all xx

BooksAndHooks · 01/03/2022 17:34

Thankfully DD got her first and only choice. Was very worried.

LIZS · 01/03/2022 17:38

[quote Sweetbabydust1989]@Interviewdisaster it's across the road from me I no loads about it ofsted report has been poor for the last 8 years it got changed over due to how bad it is so will not be sending my boy there at all xx[/quote]
You can also find out from LA if there are any others a little further away which are undersubscribed. .

BettySundaes · 01/03/2022 17:52

Managed to get on the portal on the dot of 5.00pm. We have our first choice - so relieved.

Thischarmlessgirl · 01/03/2022 18:00

@BooksAndHooks I appealed last year on similar grounds and won. You need lots of professional back up but it’s possible

tigerbear · 01/03/2022 18:19

OMG, @Sweetbabydust1989 I’m so sorry. 😔

whyarentiskinnyet · 01/03/2022 18:22

We are in London and did not get any schools on our list out of 6 applied for. Been allocated a local school that we did not visit as have no interest in. Gutted.

Whatwouldscullydo · 01/03/2022 18:23

Truly sorry for all these awful situations

boarding23145 · 01/03/2022 18:28

In London and didn't get any of the 6 schools, including the closest one. Makes no sense!

ExitToTheLeft · 01/03/2022 18:45

My Twins have been allocated two different schools. One was our second choice that we're pleased about the other is a school we didn't apply for, which is our closest but a horrible place and ds will not be going there.

I'm devastated, but had a feeling this was going to happen.

TeenPlusCat · 01/03/2022 18:47

@ExitToTheLeft

My Twins have been allocated two different schools. One was our second choice that we're pleased about the other is a school we didn't apply for, which is our closest but a horrible place and ds will not be going there.

I'm devastated, but had a feeling this was going to happen.

Many schools have rules about if last allocated is a twin the other gets in too. Did your second choice not have that rule? (Or do you live somewhere with banding tests or random allocation?)
boyblue · 01/03/2022 18:59

@ExitToTheLeft defo check the policy & see what's happened

PanelChair · 01/03/2022 19:08

Yes, it’s rare (but not impossible) for twins to be separated under current admission arrangements. Check the LEA/school’s oversubscription criteria and check that they were aware that they are twins.

ExitToTheLeft · 01/03/2022 19:13

Thank you I'm going to call them tomorrow and work out what I'm going to do
He is on the waiting list and both took banding tests with only a 2 point difference.

Does anyone know how I view how high up he is or would that also come from the LEA?

ExitToTheLeft · 01/03/2022 19:14

They're also aware that they're twins as you have to state that on the application, so something has happend along the way.

PanelChair · 01/03/2022 19:26

Hmm. You flagged up that they are twins but there’s still the possibility that they didn’t treat them as twin applications. Do double-check. The LEA should be able to tell you your place on the waiting list, but there’s likely to be a lot of churn this week as people decline places because they have moved or have a place in an independent school etc etc, so it might take a little while (and even then your place on the waiting list could later move up or down as more people join the list).

PatriciaHolm · 01/03/2022 19:30

Do you know what cutoff between the banding scores was? You may have got unlucky in that if they are in seperate banding groups, the fact they are twins may not be relevant.

ExitToTheLeft · 01/03/2022 19:35

When I received the email regarding the banding results, it stated that I should apply as both are likely to be offered a place.

PanelChair · 01/03/2022 19:59

That’s why you need to keep probing, to check (amongst other things) whether they overlooked that they are twins or whether the banding results (or anything else) override them being twins.

prh47bridge · 01/03/2022 22:54

Agree with PanelChair. Without knowing this school's admission criteria, it is impossible to be sure, but many schools try to keep twins together. The worry here is the mention of a banding test. If they were in different bands, that may be the problem. If you are uncertain, feel free to PM me the name of the school and LA involved and I will be happy to take a look for you.

Nemorth · 01/03/2022 23:04

@ChildrenGrowingUpTooFast

It’s not complicated in England the school doesn’t have enough places for catchment children. We got our first choice catchment school and always known we will get it. No different from Scotland I guess.
But that's the thing. We don't even apply. Never mind first choice, second choice etc.

There's no application process at all!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 01/03/2022 23:24

@ExitToTheLeft

They're also aware that they're twins as you have to state that on the application, so something has happend along the way.
On some of the eAdmissions sites, somebody has to go into the individual records and tick a box to confirm multiple birth applications - it comes up as a possible, but then it has to be confirmed manually - it may have been missed. However, they should be the last child to be offered a place and the first child to not be offered one, as they would be under the same oversubscription criteria and obviously the exact same distance - so even if this has not been done, it's highly likely (well, it should be) that Twin 2 is #1 on the waiting list and will be offered a place in the next few days.

Worth contacting the school and asking for T2 to be placed on the waiting list just in case it's not been done automatically, though.

AuditAngel · 01/03/2022 23:40

We didn’t get our first choice school. I am aware of 2 children that I can name that fall into a lower band that have been allocated places. Have accepted offered place and we automatically go onto waiting list (stated in LA email) .

Will also appeal as one option on the school’s appeal form is that you believe there has been a mistake in the way the admissions rules have been applied which has denied your child a place,

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