Can someone explain how the waiting list actually works?

[Bluejay44]

I realise this sounds a really silly question!

Offered second preference for DD (School A) . Most local school. We were expecting this and ok with it.

First preference was School B almost 2 miles away which she's in the feeder for but out of catchment.

Once places were released, I checked the spreadsheet and School B did allocate to our of catchment feeder just not quite far enough on distance.

I was told Monday that DD is 1st on the waiting list for School B but could go down.

First question, in what circs would she go down? As the waiting list is automatic, surely there's no one left to join it until the second round of applications?

Second, I know 2 people who have declined places at School B in the last 24 hours and gone private. But when I called admissions today to check if we had moved (as I hadn't heard anything) I was told no, we are still first. How is that possible?

Man on phone a bit grumpy, said not to keep calling. To be fair this was the first time I've called but I did email on Monday. I was also really polite but I understand they're probably run of their feet with anxious parents.

Do the waiting list places come up as places are made available? Or do they release them all in one go to the waiting list?

We are Cambridgeshire, if that makes a difference.

We've also accepted our second preference school to be on the safe side, though I've been reassured that won't affect the waiting list!

"I don't understand it either, unless the second round is when they send out offers and up until then they're just collecting up applications and reordering the waiting list."

This is not difficult to understand, and the word "just" is inappropriate in the context. Late applications all need to be verified, including checking addresses and investigating potential fraud. The acceptances and declines from the first wave all need to be entered into a database. And there will be people emailing/phoning with genuinely important issues regarding missing or incorrect first round offers which need to be investigated and dealt with.

The second round of offers goes out as a wave rather than a trickle because that is the most efficient way to deal with large quantities of offers.

Your LA would be wise to do what mine does and only tell you your waiting list position after the second round, not the first, because then it may be more reliable.

Try to be patient

If she’s first on the list she’s very likely to get an offer. Calling on Monday will make no difference.

Cambridgeshire admissions brochure says any declines will be offered between 2nd and 31st March and the second round of allocation happens on 24th april . Which is what makes it confusing. Any offers made between 2nd march and 31st march are purely on declines and to the people on waiting list. So it almost leads people to think that these offers will be for people before the second round of applications have started processing

Our city is short around 200 secondary places (we're one of the places people have been moving to). So a lot of schools have admitted eg twenty children more than their PAN.
For those schools, I guess 21 children would need to decline their place before places were offered from the waiting list.

Sit tight. There s nothing you can do right now, as long as it is confirmed (which it is) that your child is on the waiting list. It will probably be ok.

At this stage, places released from declines are not reallocated right away. Everyone has been given a deadline by which to accept or decline the place they have been offered. After that deadline, there will be a second round of allocations to whoever is on the waiting list at that point.

You woukd drop down from 1st place if (a) a child who has been going through the ehcp process gets school B named as the school they need or (b) someone who either has just moved to the area (after the application deadline) or who didn't originally apply to school B but applied to schools C, D & E and failed to get places there, but who is higher in the priority list for school B than you are, decides to ask to join the waiting list

That's interesting, and different to my area. But what it means is that the second round of offers will be places freed up by people accepting declined offers between 2-31 March.

In a way, that seems fairer, because it means on-time applicants get first dibs on the first round of declines.

My son is on 2 waiting lists and they both work differently due to the over subscription criteria.

The first he is no 12, which is because of scores in the entrance exam. He should move up as places come open, unless anyone joins the list in a higher category. Officially, we should be phoning the local authority tomorrow to find his place, but the school told me last week. I'm hoping he'll get a space at the end of the month, but if not I'll call every 2 weeks to see if there's any movement.

The other school is by zone. In our zone there's a waiting list of 50 children. If one drops out of that zone, it's a lottery, so the current number is meaningless, we have a 1 in 50 chance each time.

Both schools told me this when I emailed, so the best thing to do is ask as they all seem to be different.

Those are different because they have different admissions policies. Admissions policies are on school websites, so no need to phone schools to find out how they work.

Schools aren't call centres, and school admissions clerks can't field calls from dozens of parents.

Well I was told we were no 18 on the waiting list for the second, but I had no idea until I called that the number was meaningless as all numbers were put into the hat to draw out. It wasn't obvious at all (to me) from the criteria that this is how they dealt with it. I'll know for next time but both schools have been incredibly helpful and kind with explaining it all me as an inexperienced parent.

We're in London. Our Borough handle the waiting lists. There is always a lot of movement.

For declined places the schools team has to work through strict processes. This means that they can't immediately react to every declined place and reoffer. It may take a few days due to workload. Once a place is offered and accepted they then have to offer the old place and so it goes on. They also wait until the acceptance deadline as they can then run the algorithm with full details

Sit tight. It's nerve wracking but should hopefully work out if you are currently number 1

Cambridgeshire's website has a list of how many places were offered for each school. There are a few where that is greater than PAN; in some cases that might be because they know that there are likely to be some drop out to private schools. If there are any where there are 30 extras, that probably means that the school/authority have agreed that they'll have an extra class. There are currently no schools with spaces in the city, but once those going private have dropped out, that may change.

First on the list is hopeful, unless they have allocated quite a bit over PAN in anticipation of the private school numbers.

Also waiting for a position from the waiting list in cambridgeshire. Did anyone get an offer and have the waiting lists started moving?

Hi,

Well, we are still waiting. I haven't called admissions back, as per the advice on this thread. Just waiting. Do you know where you are on the list?

third .. dropping from first :(

Oh sorry to hear that :(. I don't dare check. What category are you in for the oversubscription criteria? We're out of catchment feeder so I'm not expecting to stay first!

moved to catchment after the initial deadline of application , so now its catchment and non feeder

Ah, I see. We're the other way around, feeder but not catchment. You would be before us in most cases I believe. Let's hope for lots of movement after the deadline for accepting which I think is Monday?

So my DD is on the waitlist for a school we are in catchment for (she has changed her mind about where she wants to go).
I’ve been told that all waitlist applications go out on the same day & they expect the second round of allocations to be done by the end of April & to call towards the end of April for an update on her waitlist place.
So I’m presuming that waitlist places won’t be released until end of April but the second round of allocations relates to late applications?
I’m in Trafford. It’s all a bit confusing!

Just wondering if anyone has heard anything?

Nothing at our end!

We got an offer from the third position in waiting list yesterday in cambridgeshire.

My cousin had a call the day before, and the day of the first day of school for both her sons to get into their first choice. She accepted both times even though no uniform!

Oh that's brilliant congratulations!

I think I will email and ask where we are on the list on Monday

There hasn't been any movement on ours yet as they're still.processing those who have turned down a place and late applications... i have to phone back the week of the 30th if we don't get a waiting list place.

No nothing here. I’ve been told to contact at the end of April if I haven’t heard anything although I’ve also been told to contact them after Easter to find out where we are on the list.

We are same position on waiting list as we were on offers day so I presume it's too early for movement either way