Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

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

Original poster

Anyone else stuck in waiting list limbo?

133 replies

AmeliaEarhart · 08/04/2022 18:16

… And haven’t gone the appeals process? We were offered our third choice school back in March 1st. DH and I are happy enough; it’s not perfect but has enough going for it that we’d be okay with DS going there (walking distance, good facilities, great SEN support) but DS is completely against the idea. He has ASD and can be extremely rigid so we’ll be in for a tough time changing his mind. It doesn’t help that only one other child from his class at primary is going there.

So he’s on the waiting list for choices 1 and 2. Number 19 for school 1 and 9 for school 2. Neither is straight forward as both schools have multiple waiting lists (1st choice because it’s an academy and faith school with different admissions paths, and second choice because it has a banded intake). Everyone keeps assuring us that, being in central London, they’ll be lots of movement before September and DS might still be offered a place at either school. We didn’t consider appealing as our reasons for preferring schools 1 and 2 (other than DS’s insistence that he’s not setting foot in school 3) are that they have better results, which doesn’t seem like a strong argument!

Is anyone else in a similar situation? How are you feeling about it? Are you prepared to hang on in there until September, hoping until the bitter end for a place at your first choice, or preparing your child (and yourself) to settle for what you’ve got?

OP posts:
RoseWindow · 13/05/2022 18:23

Thanks Meadow. I see what you mean.
So to make places in an oversubscribed school in Sept, some kids would have to start and then leave the school within a few weeks, or not to have turned up at all on the first day of Year 7? I wonder if that happens in many numbers at schools, I hadn’t thought of that scenario.

ColdHappyBap · 22/07/2022 14:58

Just thought I’d resurrect this and see how people are getting on? Anyone scored a place? We got closer to the top and then all of a sudden went back a ton of places so we were nearly back to where we started. I have no idea what happened.

The last few weeks there has been a flurry of movement again though, I think the induction day was the catalyst with it revealing people who weren’t coming. A few people I knew got places and we are now so close to the top I actually think we might get one. It’s slightly daunting knowing that induction days are gone, but then the induction for the school we got was only a day and I’m not convinced it’s made my DD anymore prepared. So maybe a change at this point would be fine.

Bellawella1978 · 22/07/2022 16:58

Hello yes we received the fabulous news that our daughter had got to the top of the waiting list for our 1st choice school and just in time for the induction day!
I had kind of resigned myself to the fact that her place on the waiting list wasn't going to bring the good news we had hoped for as each time I called to enquire she was moving in the wrong direction down the list. Then from nowhere came the email to offer her a place! Couldn't believe it and my daughter and I couldnt be happier! I am incredibly thankful that she is now able to join in with the excitement for the move to secondary school.
So to anyone reading this you just never know what will happen with the wait lists so dont give up hope. Fingers crossed for all of you who are still waiting.

ColdHappyBap · 22/07/2022 17:50

That's fantastic news @Bellawella1978

Bellawella1978 · 22/07/2022 18:11

@ColdHappyBap
Thank you so much x

Original poster
AmeliaEarhart · 23/07/2022 08:50

Ha! I’d forgotten all about this thread! DS was offered a place at our second choice school a couple of weeks ago, just in time for transition day. He’s so much happier and has actually started talking positively about secondary and which clubs he’s going to join etc. He’s still on the waiting list for school 1 in 13th place, but given how enthusiastic he seems about school 2, we’re not too bothered about it.

I’m so glad to hear you also had a good outcome @Bellawella1978, and fingers crossed for you @ColdHappyBap.

OP posts:
ColdHappyBap · 23/07/2022 10:24

Oh that’s wonderful @AmeliaEarhart, so good that he’s feeling happy about it all now.

We are now sitting in first position on the waiting list for school 1, which is a nerve wracking place to be. I’m going to be anxiously awaiting an email all next week, then I think I’ll calm down. I wasn’t expecting such a big flurry right at the end of term.

hayh · 24/07/2022 08:28

By miracle, we won our appeal, so my son made it in time for settling in/induction days.
fingers crossed for you @ColdHappyBap x

KingscoteStaff · 24/07/2022 10:09

Some positive news for the waiting - 2 of our Year 6 parents got messages during our Leavers’ Assembly on Friday to say that they’d got places at their waiting list school!

Apparently there were loads of no shows at the school’s Induction Day, so they hit the phones and discovered lots of kids who’d moved or accepted Indie places and hadn’t bothered to formally turn down their state place.

Much rejoicing!

MarchingFrogs · 25/07/2022 10:29

KingscoteStaff · 24/07/2022 10:09

Some positive news for the waiting - 2 of our Year 6 parents got messages during our Leavers’ Assembly on Friday to say that they’d got places at their waiting list school!

Apparently there were loads of no shows at the school’s Induction Day, so they hit the phones and discovered lots of kids who’d moved or accepted Indie places and hadn’t bothered to formally turn down their state place.

Much rejoicing!

Do you think the second group (if they even wasted a moment's thought on the subject) regarded themselves as having exhibited good business sense - keeping all their options open for as long as possible - rather than displaying one of the bad habits that their DC would risk picking up from those nasty common kids they would be forced to meet at the state school?

KingscoteStaff · 25/07/2022 15:15

To be honest, I think it's probably cock up rather than conspiricy.

The movers are probably up to their armpits in other stuff and the ones with the Indie places just forgot - they got those places in early Feb so by the time the state allocation comes along in March, their brains are no longer in 'school choice mode'.

As a Year 6 teacher I always ask parents if they've released their 'extra' places and I'm always surprised by the amount who haven't got round to it.

MadBonkers · 25/07/2022 17:53

New to this thread. My DS is 5th (started out at 19th) on the waiting list for a grammar school in North London.
The waiting list has moved excruciatingly slowly and not nearly as far down the rankings as previous years. We have given up hope and are going to buy the new uniform for his allocated school this week. Frustrating to be so close, I keep thinking if only he’d answered another question, if only the list had moved a few more places on allocation day and second round of offers day but it’s all out of our hands. We’re actually reasonably happy with the allocated school, there’s just a few thing’s that the grammar beats it on in our opinion.
Well done to those that have received good news and good luck to those still waiting.

Mydogatemypurse · 25/07/2022 17:56

hayh · 14/04/2022 21:47

Taking over… I agree… I am constantly logging on to see if wait lists have moved…
Absolute nightmare.
The whole admissions process doesn’t seem consistent, I was told (for essex) places are awarded as and when they come available…

Do you log onto local authority or direct to school?

ColdHappyBap · 25/07/2022 18:25

Mydogatemypurse · 25/07/2022 17:56

Do you log onto local authority or direct to school?

Show quote history

Our local authority has an online waiting list checker we can use for their schools. But the academies and faith schools run their own lists so you have to email the school directly.

ColdHappyBap · 25/07/2022 18:28

@MadBonkers it's hard being close to the top isn't it? I've ordered uniform too, although I'm holding off on the PE kit just in case. I've spent all today checking emails and hoping but silence. We are similarly fine with the school we have (although I have a bit of nervousness about some things) but the preferred school has some added benefits that would be really good to have.

hayh · 25/07/2022 20:07

I am in Essex, and we could log on, and see where we were on the wait list.

waiting2022 · 25/07/2022 20:07

My DD is 2nd on the waiting list for a north london grammar and the list hasn’t moved for over 3 weeks now, so we too aren’t sure it will move enough spaces now. Last year my DD would most certainly have got a place my now.

LetItGoToRuin · 26/07/2022 11:21

Regarding those that have accepted a place at a private school and possibly not declined their state school place, a friend was in this situation, and on 1st March declined the state school place on the LA website.

A couple of weeks later she was called up by the state school as she had not completed the registration form, and she informed the school that she had declined the place and her DC would be going to a different school.

Imagine her surprise when, a couple of days after the state school transition day, she received another phone call from the state school, asking why her DC had not attended the transition day.

It's not always the fault of the parents...

ColdHappyBap · 26/07/2022 15:07

My initial excitement about being so high on the waiting list has evaporated. I’m now convinced it isn’t going to move again and we will remain the ones who didn’t make it.

MadBonkers · 26/07/2022 16:02

ColdHappyBap there’s bound to be some movement before September even if it’s only one or two places so try to distract yourself as much as possible (easier said than done!). I’m glad we’re away for a couple of weeks as I know that will help to keep me from thinking about waiting lists 24/7.
what kind of a school is it? Grammar, Comp?? How many forms/pupils per year? It sounds like there’s been lots of movement already and you’re in the waiting list position we all want! Sit tight, I’m sure you’ll be receiving that phone call soon.

MadBonkers · 26/07/2022 16:15

waiting2022 the lack of movement this year is frustrating, isn’t it? My DS would also be in by now if this was last year!
If you’re in 2nd place on the waiting list she stands a very good chance of getting through I’d have thought. The lists do seem to move a couple of places before or on the first day of term. Ideally you’d like to receive a place with enough time to buy the uniform and enjoy the first day of term.

ColdHappyBap · 26/07/2022 17:45

The frustrating thing for me is we ended up going back down the waiting list. I don't know who joined it, but if we hadn't there could have been a place absolutely ages ago.

waiting2022 · 26/07/2022 19:14

@ColdHappyBap this kept happening to us too. We were 6th at one stage and then the next time I checked we were 9th. So frustrating!

ColdHappyBap · 29/07/2022 16:21

Honestly we dropped about 10 places at one point @waiting2022 and I couldn't figure out who these people were. We live in London, people are meant to leave for secondary!

After all the flurry of movement just before the end of term nothing has happened this week. Not a sausage. I've emailed the admissions team at the council as I'm not actually sure they are around in August. Although our primary Head said they were.

Bellawella1978 · 29/07/2022 18:21

Thank you @ColdHappyBap we are very happy!
I genuinely had all but given up. When I 1st enquired daughters position on the wait list she was number 6 so I thought there could be a chance because on the other schools lists she was 60 and up!
So no movement 1st few weeks then she had gone to 10 which killed a bit of my hope for a place. 2 weeks later she had gone to 12 so we were moving in the wrong direction and I had to be realistic over our chance to get a place. I was gutted as her allocated school really was horrendous and to send her there would have been extremely detrimental in my opinion but how could she just not go to school! We had to start thinking about the fact that she would have to start there and just make the most of it until a place did finally become available. By now I was thinking she would probably have to do maybe a year at the allocated school before a place came up at 1st choice.
Anyway from nowhere I received the email that due to waiting list movement they could now offer us a place!!
So my message to all of you still waiting is you just cant call it so dont give up hope! There is light at the end of the waiting list tunnel!
My best wishes to you all good luck!

Swipe left for the next trending thread