Merton council and waiting list

[Rebbecca101]

Hi! My daughter F 14 is currently going to the German school London, and we have now sent a transfer form per email to Merton council, to switch to an English school so she can complete her gcses and A-levels to study in England. She has been in an English school before, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for her to integrate herself, but I was wondering if anyone knew how long it usually takes for Merton council to get back to you on such matters… I also know that the school that we have chosen does have waiting list, and we live close to the school and have quite a good reason to move (not just that she wants to switch schools, but that she’s switching from another system), so I was also wondering if that would prioritise us on the waiting list? Any infos will help, thank you!! 😀

Waiting list is ordered according to admissions criteria for the school. So if distance is a criteria your dd may be placed higher than one living further away but not those closer. Unlikely any mitigating circumstances will place her at the top.

Waiting lists are done by admissions priority not length of time since application.

You can also appeal for a place.

Oh! Do you know if one can appeal for a public school?

You need to be refused a lace formally and the letter will give you details of how to appeal. You may be offered an alternative school.

Merton Council are generally very good at this sort of thing. But as previous posters have said waiting list will be on published admission criteria. Which means that you can go up as well as down on the waiting list as people move closer to the school, etc

Do you mean state (free) school op? In the UK "public school" bizarrely means the very top private boarding schools like Eton and Winchester.

Yes you can appeal if you don't get a place. The council has to offer you a space somewhere but it may not be your chosen school.

Oh I didn’t know that 😅 I mean public schools as in a state school

Idk if its changed but in my day each school had a criteria, Hall was £, ursulines were religion back in the day (best to know a priest and some prayers lol) and wimbledon high loved a good grade. Wouldn't touch ricards but maybe it's changed. I'm guessing you'll be invited to an interview anyway so get to know the schools and what their criteria are. Merton schools mostly want to up their overall grades anyway. Each schools website will give an outline to give you a better chance at having them think they need you. End of the day they want their statistics of being "best secondary in x" and if they see a potential statistic that can also help. Merton wise being close to the school will be best bet but issue is the main Merton schools are theoretically close to each other and would be acceptable to send your daughter to any.of those as they're all within like what 2miles of each other? Hall and ursuline same road, Ricards down the hill to the left and Wimbo is down the hill to the right.

Ursuline used to share their lessons with wimbledon college boys so a levels would be mixed.
German school is mixed too so I assume you're not fussed.

Merton in general is quick in response to many things if you call, including bins etc. Expensive council compared to others but it's decent. I don't think you'll be waiting too long but you could always call and ask how its coming along.

Idk any other schools outskirts of Merton, unless Raynes Park is still Merton, if its changed then yeah why not.

Just to clarify - Hall School and Wimbledon High are private schools and will interview /test for entry. The Ursuline and Ricards (and I’m wondering whether it’s one of these two that the OP is after) are state schools and do not interview or test - entry will solely be on the published admissions criteria.

Richards does have quite a good rep now, it was rated outstanding by offsted, but when we called Merton council they did tell us that a lot (if not all) the schools are oversubscribed and have a waiting list. I feel like if there was no chance of her getting in, maybe the lady on the phone would’ve indicted it slightly, but she said it in a normal manner. We are just trying to get her in as soon as possible because the closer it gets to gcses the more she will have to learn on top of her normal German school work if she stays..

For Ricards it’s pretty much distance. Ursuline its faith with tiebreaker of distance, basically.

Yeah, we have put richards as our first option and Ursuline as our second (but my daughter isn’t the biggest fan of it…) I wonder if Merton will take the fact that she’s coming from a German system, so the sooner she starts learning the content for gcses the better, into account at all, including where she would go on the wait list?

No, Merton won’t take into account coming from German system, it will go ONLY on the admissions criteria for over subscription, which for Ricards is basically distance

Your place will be allocated according to the admissions policy of the school, you need to read each admissions policy.

Richards does have quite a good rep now, it was rated outstanding by offsted, but when we called Merton council they did tell us that a lot (if not all) the schools are oversubscribed and have a waiting list. I feel like if there was no chance of her getting in, maybe the lady on the phone would’ve indicted it slightly, but she said it in a normal manner. We are just trying to get her in as soon as possible because the closer it gets to gcses the more she will have to learn on top of her normal German school work if she stays.. my daughter has very good grades, but richards doesn’t seem to ask about any grades, it’s just about the admissions criteria once it’s oversubscribed🙁

Sorry OP they cannot take things like that into account; in terms of waiting list, it will usually be based on distance from the school and it has to be fair and transparent.

I don't know these schools, but I do know that in my area you could wait a very long time for a WL place at any popular school.

But if you contact the council and ask for a state school place for your child, they have to offer you a place somewhere.

Would your dd currently be in year 10 or year 9 (so when did she turn 14 - if it was since Sept then she would be in year 9 now which is better)? If she is turning 15 this spring or summer, then she would be moving into year 10 which is mid the GCSE curriculum. What quals would she do at her current school? Is it impossible for her to stay there?

Meant to say you could also appeal for the school you are considering. Lots of advice on these boards on how to do that.

Oh good for ricards!
Wimbledon high have bursaries so keep that in mind (have a look if you may meet criteria) as most my friends from there didn't pay to go.

Well ricards and ursuline are close to each other - ursuline used to be really good especially in science so I think you'll get a place at either and you'll be okay. So if you live between them I'd rest assured you'd get one of your choices I think.

Right - Ricards (and Rayne Park, and Rutlish) criteria are

• previously looked after children
• exceptional medical or social reason
• siblings in school
• children of staff
• distance

so i think in this case it really is distance - if someone moves closer they go above you in the waiting list, if a member of staff wants a place for their child they go above you in the waiting list. You can move up or down.

@Mindyourfunkybusiness if the schools are full, which they probably are if they are popular and well rated, then it doesn't matter if the OP lives next door, she won't get a place until one becomes available. Which relies on someone in the relevant year moving. Which may happen but it also may not.

And Wimbledon High doesn't often (per its website) have spaces apart from the usual entry date. I would imagine the chances of such a space coming up and the OP qualifying for a full bursary to cover the annual £23k fees (!) are low.

@clary would they send further out? I've never had any issue with Merton tbh with schools, always managed to squeeze in.
I guess OP could start looking at neighbouring boroughs just incase.

They will offer which ever school has a place - possibly Raynes Park High. OP it might be worth trying the Wandsworth and Sutton schools too?

I would agree with that. Available in year places in Merton secondary schools would likely be either at Raynes Park High School or St. Mark's C of E Academy.

The German school has a high quality of education (have many friends from there, a nice handful even went Cambridge) so I would look into bursaries in wimbo High I think they do a-level entry bursary too because some kids leave for other schools/colleges to do a levels. I'd definitely have a look deeper into it.
Obviously for her future so if you get a further away school see if you can add her closer when she reaches a-levels

What about St Cecilia’s Southfields (Wandsworth, not Merton).