School offers day 2023

[UsernameOfMine]

So.... secondary school offer day is almost upon us. How is everyone dealing with the wait?

My DD is thinking about it far more than I would have hoped, is counting down the days and asking everyday if they will come out early. She's angry at the council that they can't sort the whole process out in a week. Apparently it's "not that hard to sort it out"🤔 I have tried to explain the process and that it's not just her it's every other child in the district (and neighbouring district as we've applied for schools there too), but she's just being impatient to know.

I'm thinking about it...but I thought I'd be worse with her been dc2 and wanting her to go to the same school as dc1. (No sibling priority at that school) but she's got a good chance of it so trying not to stress.

So how about everyone else?

@Tappetytap plenty of people change their minds. Most do it right at the last minute on deadline. I know people who did this too.. were close to the popular strict academic school & switched to the more holistic one. Someone else I know changed minds when realised all their mates were going to other school and it was much of a muchness choice wise.

@snowtrees. You've made me feel so much better. Thank you 😊

@starpatch thank you, that's reassuring. It's just seems like such a sudden jump in distance from primary doesn't it.

@Tappetytap for me I'd want to know if there was a bus. A lot of kids do clubs after school & it's dark by 4pm in winter. My DC have a ten min walk and I am forever grateful for that. I don't feel concerned as always loads kids walking out around the same times. (Big comp) Means that most mates are very local too.

@snowtrees there isn't a single bus that would take her to the first choice school or even part of the way (and this is a big city). I can collect her at 4pm it's just I've got the primary school run to do and I can't be in 2 places at once. After school club would suit me fine. Can kids go to the library until their parents pick them up these days or is that not a thing?

I work in the high school in which DD is currently in y11. It's actually our closest school. DS, who is due to move to high school in September, almost certainly won't get in despite having medical and social need and me working there. Our LA is so, so strict, I haven't known a successful appeal for years and the school is oversubscribed. I'm bracing myself for the appeals process and very worried because I can't physically get ds to school and be at work at the same time.

The galling thing is, I know the school already has the list and I can't know. The waiting is awful.

@Tappetytap I don't think ours are allowed in library after hours but not 100% it would be school specific. There are rehearsals and music clubs & sports & lots of other things tho.
At our school no one gets a lift home. But there are plenty of local buses in all directions within a short walk.
They'd only get a lift if heading somewhere in a rush.

@Tappetytap your DD has a point re lost hours of the day as it may be a school with loads homework. Can't do it on bus / train etc in your case.
We are in northwest so it rains a lot too.. so 40 min walk wouldn't be fun.
But walking 1.5 miles isn't that unusual for sure.

My DC have walked 1.5 miles almost everyday to primary, so for secondary age it's doable. And if she finds friends to walk with even better.

Our Closest secondary is just under 3 miles away (that's our 5th choice fall back "would definitely get a place" school). Our 1st choice is 3.5 miles, we will do pick ups because the price of school buses to where we live is extortionate.

Seems DD is having some wobbles. Having made last minute decision to sit 11 plus and then luckily enough to get through, we then had a lot of sitting on the fence at the end of Oct, especially when none of her friends made it. So CE then she had not said anything, I raised the subject of allocation day, and she is still very much on the fence. Currently Grammar school (Colyton) first choice but I can see some more wobbles back and forth between there and comp, second choice, where her sister is and more of her friends are likely to be.

@snowtrees @usernameofmine there's also the street cred element to all this. She's said I've got to drop her off a little distance away from the school in the mornings if that's what she gets. I've told her "I'm not regular Mom I'm a cool Mom" 😂she's like no Mum, you are not cool.

Haha yes @Tappetytap you'll need to drop off & pick up from a non visible respectable distance. Not cool to have a parent anywhere near you at any point

@ShowOfHands why wouldn't you get in if it's the closest school?

@Unsuredad123 what are the logistics and practicalities of 2 different schools?

@UsernameOfMine 1.5 miles each way to school already, wow! Your kids are well practised already then 😀

I find it frustrating that in London we have to wait until 5pm to find out when some areas find out just after midnight, 8am etc...
Am I cynical in thinking it's just to save the phone calls to the admissions team for another day?

Presumably it's to stagger the calls across the nation. Someone has to come last.

@Tappetytap grammar school has a bus that picks up about a minute walk from the house, but it's a 40 minutes away, and not second busses so no after school clubs. Comp has a public bus near the house but also on my way into work so can drop off.

Our closest high school (and the primary the kids are at) is just over 6 miles. I think if we get the school we want we might be able to get door to door transport from our LA. As in a taxi, as we're too far from the nearest bus stop for her to walk and even if she could it's 60e oh unsafe roads.

@Unsuredad123 hmmmm it's a tough one. I think the journey would be tough at first but she'd get used to it and its such a great opportunity. I think you'd always be thinking "what if" if you didn't let her at least try the grammar school...

@AWaferThinMint you must be rural?

Very! There's about half a mile difference in which local school is closest. Had to check the council website closely!!

Hotchocolate yes I think so, also just so that people calm down a bit and maybe check the ofsted of the school they actually got, check how to appeal etc before telephoning.

@Tappetytap I agree, see what offer day brings and then make a judgement. I thought we had gone passed this but then she raised it. I think it's the not knowing anyone in her year that is putting her off rather than journey times. She knows a few of the current year 7's. I know a week into any school and she will be OK but it's getting her to understand that.

I mentioned on other threads previously, DW went to a GS whereas I didn't, so we have conflicting views on them. She is less in favour whereas I think it's an opportunity we should at least try for DD.

Only 16 days to go.

Because they have a catchment which consists of students who attend certain local village schools and DS isn't at one of them. He would have got in easily a few years ago, but a few Ofsted inspections have made the school where I work the favoured school locally and the other much bigger local school, an unattractive option. People pay a fortune to move into catchment now. We are rapidly approaching a situation where there aren't enough school places locally. We are fairly rural and people are having to send their DC two towns over to find a place. See also, doctors surgeries, dentists, affordable housing.