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Secondary education

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Original poster

Merton council and waiting list

58 replies

Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 19:05

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!! 😀

OP posts:
Original poster
Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 21:05

We could, but if it is about distance then going into another borough won’t really help the situation

OP posts:
LIZS · 19/01/2024 21:08

But you may get lucky with a place at a school preferable to whatever you may be offered.

Trickleg · 19/01/2024 21:08

No, but if they have a space and no waiting list it doesn’t matter if you are miles away. The admissions criteria only apply in the case of oversubscription - in other words, in ranking a waiting list. If there’s a space free and no waiting list then it’s yours, within reason

Original poster
Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 21:11

Mindyourfunkybusiness · 19/01/2024 20:44

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.

Show quote history

I hope so.. problem is we would need an offer within the next 4 weeks, as February half terms end on the 15th of February and we are aiming for her to join into the next term.. also my daughter has a friend who talked to a teacher at Richards, who informed her that the Richards waiting list isn’t too long.. do you think I should rely myself on this? I mean why should a yea her lie..

OP posts:
Mindyourfunkybusiness · 19/01/2024 21:11

I have faith in Merton 😂but I googled st marks as I'd never heard of it - and its quite far from ursuline ricards area. If you're living in that area you're gonna be closer to either village or Wimbledon Park - I'd rather have kid get tube than the bus to the far edge of Merton. You could have a little look around what are other great schools in neighbouring boroughs within reasonable travel so that you don't get stuck with a school you're not a fan of or is further/longer by bus for her during rush hour than if she got the district for example.

Original poster
Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 21:12

Trickleg · 19/01/2024 21:08

No, but if they have a space and no waiting list it doesn’t matter if you are miles away. The admissions criteria only apply in the case of oversubscription - in other words, in ranking a waiting list. If there’s a space free and no waiting list then it’s yours, within reason

I’ll definitely think about.. another factor is she already has friends in Richards, which would reassure her and help her make this big transition…

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LIZS · 19/01/2024 21:13

Tbh I doubt a teacher would know waiting lists details. If there is one you are unlikely to go straight to top and it still requires a pupil to leave mid term.

DrinkFeckArseGirls · 19/01/2024 21:15

Pressed send too soon.

st Cecilia’s seem to have more of a movement in the older years - based purely on anecdotal data from a friend whose daughter goes there - than let’s say Ricards. MAYBE because of the high SA/ Aussie population, who perhaps move back home (just my musings).

So one can be in one borough but closer to a school in another, although it seems you’re not. For example someone living Wim Park area could have a go at St Cecilia’s.
Basically higher chance to get in a school further but with more movement than closer but with none or very little.

Original poster
Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 21:19

LIZS · 19/01/2024 21:13

Tbh I doubt a teacher would know waiting lists details. If there is one you are unlikely to go straight to top and it still requires a pupil to leave mid term.

The teacher who informed my daughters friend is head of year, so maybe she has more knowledge in the subject? I’m not really sure, but as I feel as though she wouldn’t of said it unless she knew

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Trickleg · 19/01/2024 21:19

If you DEFINITELY want to move to a school after Feb half term, find out which schools have spaces in Merton/ Sutton/ Richmond/ Kingston/ Wandsworth, visit it, take the place. But visit it. Please.

if you have particular schools in mind you will have to wait it out - and generally you only have a couple of weeks to take up an offer, or it goes to the next person on the waiting list. You can’t say you want a place in four weeks time and ask the school to wait for you.

Trickleg · 19/01/2024 21:22

Might be worth asking Merton Council where you actually are on the Ricards waiting list, btw, so you know whether you are second or 25th

clary · 19/01/2024 21:25

Mindyourfunkybusiness · 19/01/2024 20:54

@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.

If a school is full in the required year for an in-year transfer, which this is, then a place at another school will be offered.

I mean you say you've never had an issue, but how many in-year transfers have you applied for? It's not the same as applying for year 7.

Original poster
Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 21:27

Trickleg · 19/01/2024 21:19

If you DEFINITELY want to move to a school after Feb half term, find out which schools have spaces in Merton/ Sutton/ Richmond/ Kingston/ Wandsworth, visit it, take the place. But visit it. Please.

if you have particular schools in mind you will have to wait it out - and generally you only have a couple of weeks to take up an offer, or it goes to the next person on the waiting list. You can’t say you want a place in four weeks time and ask the school to wait for you.

We will transfer her to the school as soon as they accept us, but the latest she would preferable join is mid feb..

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clary · 19/01/2024 21:31

@Rebbecca101 imo teachers know surprisingly little about school admissions. I've got lots of friebds who are teachers and admissions and wait lists are not their area of expertise.

Why not ring the council on Monday and ask which schools have spaces in the relevant year? Is your dd in Yr 9 now?

LIZS · 19/01/2024 21:33

Do you not need to give notice where she is, a full term?

Original poster
Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 21:36

dad rang the council this morning, and they said most (if not all) schools in Merton are oversubscribed so they have a wait list. The German system is a bit different to the English one, so German year 9 is English year 10, so she would be going into year 10.

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Trickleg · 19/01/2024 21:37

Half way through year 10 is a really tough time to move, OP! I would try to find out where the spaces are and where you are on the Ricards and Ursuline waiting lists

LIZS · 19/01/2024 21:37

When is she 15?

Original poster
Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 21:42

Trickleg · 19/01/2024 21:37

Half way through year 10 is a really tough time to move, OP! I would try to find out where the spaces are and where you are on the Ricards and Ursuline waiting lists

we arnt too worried about the academic level, as the German system is already quite high.. the stuff she’s doing now most English schools havnt even covered.. but as we only sent out the form today, we still have to wait for it to be accepted and only then will we be put on the wait list. That’s why at the start I was wondering how long Merton council usually takes to reply to these sort of things

OP posts:
Original poster
Rebbecca101 · 19/01/2024 21:42

LIZS · 19/01/2024 21:37

When is she 15?

june!

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Trickleg · 19/01/2024 21:51

understood - but it’s more about specific texts they might have covered in English, or areas of history etc. The Merton website says a fortnight to process a transfer form, if the school has a vacancy.

LIZS · 19/01/2024 21:53

So definitely mid year 10. Subjects like English literature will need her to make up missed texts/papers. She may not get much choice of subject.

clary · 19/01/2024 23:21

Hmmm OP I'll be honest, the chances of someone moving schools (so as to free up a place for your DD) in the middle of year 10 are quite low. I mean in general terms. It's a year when most people would avoid moving their DC unless unavoidable bc of GCSE courses started.

You may get lucky of course.

There will be a school with a place somewhere. I'm not quite clear whether you want to move her to specific schools but otherwise will stay where she is, or you want to move her to an English school, any English school?

It's a shame you didn't do this a year ago - as others say, it's not so much the academic level of her current school, more that there will be topics covered in whichever school she does go to which she may not have covered - specific books in Eng lit, topics in history and science. And yes, she won;t get much choice of subjects. What is she hoping to do going forward?

Svalberg · 19/01/2024 23:42

Odds are you'll end up in a Harris Academy

TempleOfBloom · 19/01/2024 23:48

In general the London population has quite high mobility so school places come up a lot.

But once a child is in Yr 10 people do their best to stay put. So there is much less chance of an in year place becoming available in Feb.

It isn’t a matter of ‘level’ of education. Different schools do different exam boards with different curricula. And in a different order. They have 5 terms to cover the content for any particular exam board syllabus. By Feb half term one and a half of those terms have gone.

What about leaving her where she is until the start of A level study?