Waiting list

[Vickyboo12]

Hi my daughter got placed a secondry school that is miles away from home,so we refused the place, so she is currently no 1 on the waiting list for a closer school, the school she has been placed has sent out a lady threating us with a fine if my daughter doesn't attend, this school started today the other waiting list school doesn't start till next Monday , feel sick with worry now that police an the like are going to turn up at my door, does anybody know when I'll receive the actual offer from waiting list school, is anybody in the same boat as me for reassurance xx

I work in a school and every year there are a few y7s that do not arrive as they moved over the summer etc so there should be a very good chance that your daughter will be offered a place (but keep phoning them to check up!) You could always remove your child from the school roll by saying you would like to home educate and then accept the place at the new school when it becomes available.

If someone is knocking on your door then your refusal of the space has not been correctly registered, I don’t think.

if she’s at 1 on the list, hopefully you’ll hear soon, fingers crossed.

If you're happy to hold out for the nearer school, you could say you will home educate until a place becomes available.

You might ask the waiting list school how much movement they normally see. It varies a lot from area to area. There's likely to be at least 2/3 weeks delay, as if a pupil doesn't show up, they'll need to verify that they've left the area/registered at another school, and not just gone on holiday or caught chickenpox.

Hopefully you will get a WL offer from the preferred school, as others say. And in the meantime you can tell the allocated school and the LA that you are H-Edding. But you should be aware (it’s not clear from your post whether you are) that there is no guarantee that you will ever get a WL place, if there is no movement. What is your long-term plan if that’s the case? Are you able to home ed in a real way?