Secondary school place allocation - 1 March

[LilySLE]

How is everyone feeling about the fact that we find out tomorrow which secondary school our Year 6 children will be going to?

I am wondering whether to stay up till midnight to wait for the email 🙈

They don't seem to tell you anything when you ring or e mail. Dont share where you are on waiting lists... I guess time will tell. Thank you :)

It's not uncommon for local authorities to employ an 'embargo' on communicating re waiting list position until after the deadline for places to be accepted (or not turned down, in areas which work on automatic acceptance of the initial offer). By that point, they will also have had the opportunity to include all the applications received after October 31st / the extended deadline for change of address, where this is allowed etc, as they all have to be ranked along with the on time applicants for waiting list purposes after national offer day.

That’s interesting. I would have thought on time application people on a waiting list should have priority over late application people!

But that would be “double punishment” as they already missed the first set of allocations

Not to mention illegal...

I'm actually a big fan of the Admissions Code, myself.

That’s interesting. I would have thought on time application people on a waiting list should have priority over late application people!

That's not permitted under the Admissions Code. No admission authority in England and Wales can sort their waiting list by any criteria other than their admissions criteria, and time on list is not allowed as a criteria.

if someone applied late because they moved areas do you think they should be bottom of the waiting list? I am glad that the Admissions Code does not allow that to happen.

Sadly, there is one LA in the North West that has found a way round this and the Schools Adjudicator has upheld their approach despite the fact that it is clearly contrary to the intent of the Admissions Code. As far as I am aware, they are the only LA doing this.

Yes, sometimes parents make mistakes being late or have to move after the deadline. Children shouldn't be punished for these.

I'd say it's fairer to use admission criteria only with no discrimination on submission date.

Has anyone ever appealed for a place lower down on an application form? DS has been offered a place at grammar (1st choice) but things have massively changed for him since we applied- he’s currently suffering from EBSNA and hasn’t attended school since Christmas, the grammar is 3miles away and he’ll need to take public transport, and he doesn’t know anyone else going. He hasASD so the transition was always going to be difficult

We’re now thinking the comp we put 2nd will be better for him - it’s so close we can see it from our house and all his friends are going there. He’s familiar with it from going to sports clubs there over the years and it’s really sporty which will suit him more

is it even possible to appeal for a school that ranked lower on the application form? He would definitely have been offered a place based on distance if it had ranked higher on our form as we live so close

@Sleeplessi go straight on wait list for this school. You'll likely be at the top & get a place

Thank you! I’ve done that - deadline was yesterday here. It’s 240 intake so hopefully there’ll be some movement
also registered for an appeal just in case

Good that you could do that. In our area there was no option to go on a waiting list for a lower ranked school.

Do you get the option to re-order your preferences? Or do you literally have to wait until a mid-year application can be made? I have a memory that the London Borough of Bromley used to impose the latter restriction, although having looked recently, it doesn't do this now.

If your LA won't allow you to do this, they are in breach of the Admissions Code. The Code is clear that you can apply for any school at any time. The fact that you ranked a school lower than the one you have been offered should not prevent you applying for it now and going on the waiting list.

Waiting lists
If you want to add a school that you have not previously applied for, or that was listed as a lower preference than your allocated school, you should email us and we will do this for you

So, I couldn’t do it on the portal - must be fairly unusual so they’ve not enabled it online but above is the advice on the website

Have also filled in a form indicating that we intend to appeal - hopefully won’t come to that but the deadline for doing that was last night too.

Hopefully we’ll have grounds due to his ASD, EBSNA, and the comp being next door vs a grammar 3 miles away. But if it comes to it, we’ll take advice on the best way to approach the appeal