Secondary Waiting list hell

[thoughtsandprayersdownthestairs]

Anyone here with me? Think my situation is a bit different as it’s not year 7 I’m waiting for a place for, mine is an in-year transfer (so think it makes my chances far lower), but was hoping for movement at this time of year. Sadly I went from 3rd on the list down to 4th at last check, so now feels extremely unlikely. Did not want my DC to have to return to current school in September, so feeling very down now.
Anyone got any positive in year transfer waiting list stories??

No wise words, but just to say you have my full sympathy! Waiting for any Wait List movement is excruciating. I posted here a few weeks back for Y7 entry and a user called AndTheSnakesStartToSing was also on an in-year Wait List. Might be remotely helpful? Good luck, keep us posted. Fingers crossed for you x

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5555296-anyone-else-losing-their-mind-on-a-y7-wait-list?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

Is it just the one waiting list? If the most important thing is for her to go to a different school, could you go on any other waiting lists to increase your chances of another school place coming up?

@ButterBeanBouquet thank you! I will perhaps comment and try and find a friend in the same boat 😊 the wait is killing me because I’ve been so hopeful it would be over the summer so my DC could start a new year fresh

@PinkCatCushion no - it has to be this school for a lot of important reasons. I think that’s what makes it worse. I just want to fix things and this is the only fix and it’s really out of my control. Plus the chap in admissions is quite abrupt so I feel like I can’t email and ask our rank very often.

have you appealed?

@titchy I thought about it and did lots of research but ultimately found that I didn’t have very robust grounds for appeal. Whilst 18-20% of appeals are won nationally, this particular school has only upheld <2% (snd they’ve had hundreds sometimes) so it felt like a waste of much needed energy. That and my appeal wouldn’t have been heard until September and I was hoping to get in over the summer. However, having unexpectedly moved down and not up, that now looks less likely

What’s plan B for September if there’s no place at the school you’re on the waiting list for?

I’m an admissions officer, there is quite a bit of movement in September and October so you may move up assuming the school doesn’t receive any other allocations eg lac students which will get priority although less as the years go up particularly years 10 and 11. Good luck!

@Buscobel back to her current school while we wait, basically.

@Rabbitmother1 thanks! I was told that the school we are waiting on has about 7 spaces become available per year. Do you think most of these happen around now? The admissions dept has been a bit abrupt despite the fact I’ve only enquired once, so I’m scared to check my rank again (that and I don’t want to lose all hope if we’ve been moved down again!)

Which year is it for?
Do you know how you have the ranking that you so? Is it distance? What is the house and job market like near you?

Admissions Officer here too.
September is a great time for movement.
Families move away over the summer and don't come back so please feel positive that you will have the outcome you want.

The admissions guy was maybe just having a bad day so do reach out again in the first week of September. Even if he is grumpy and you are getting on his nerves he can't bump you down the list for it!

Good luck xx.

The school has no say in whether an appeal s upheld or not. The school's Presenting Officer presents the school's case for not admitting another pupil into the year group in question the parent(s) present their case, detailing why their DC should be admitted to a year group which has no place for them, and the independent appeal panel to whom both both sides have presented their case makes the decision as to whether the prejudice to each appellant DC of not being admitted to the school outweighs the prejudice to the school of admitting another pupil.

The fact that very few appeals are upheld would potentially indicate that either the school presents a pretty much incontrovertable case, or that the vast majority of appeals are made on not very strong grounds. e.g. in many areas there is a school that parents don't want, and the bottom line of 90% of appeals for all the other schools in the area is simply that the DC has been allocated the school that nobody wants, and they don't want it, either, with no conceivable reason that is going to convince an appeal panel that they must be given a place at the school appealed for instead.

@MarchingFrogs Yes, I found all this in my research but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth it as cases like mine haven’t been upheld in the past.

@Bananacrepewithnuts thank you!! I was hoping we wouldn’t have to return to current school in September so was clinging on to hope that people would leave over the summer and let the school know so we could have the place…but I’m guessing this isn’t very likely? I’m trying to manage our expectations so it doesn’t ruin our summer holiday in the last week of August 😣

We’re lower down the list for y7, I’m just hoping that when spaces come up some people decide their circumstances have changed a bit and so they wont take them up, less likely for in year admissions but possible, also possible that some are on more than one list. Is so frustrating!

What rank are you and what’s the PAN? Fingers crossed you get an offer very soon - keep us posted! I asked for success stories on this post and there are some nice ones. Have a read, it might make you feel more optimistic…certainly helped me! https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5555296-anyone-else-losing-their-mind-on-a-y7-wait-list?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

@ACynicalDad good luck!! It’s really hard not to let the constant hope / worry ruin the summer isn’t it. I feel like we’re high enough up the list to still have waiting list hope even though it is in year but I know how many places on average come up using past data, and so I think there’s a chance but I don’t know that and we could have moved down the list. I know there’s definitely at least one above us who will definitely want the space though as they only joined the wait list in the last month.
for year 7 I have heard loads of success stories. If not at this point definitely in the first week or so of September. It’s really disruptive that way though I appreciate. Good luck!!

Ah sorry, hadn’t realised yours was ‘In Year’. Best of luck, really hope you get some good news soon.

Yes it's very unlikely to be resolved over holidays.
The admissions officer is unlkely to be working so even if the LA make an offer it won't be followed up.

Also if a kid does leave over the summer there are various protocols for the leaving school to follow i.e. ascertaining where the kid has gone erc. before a replacement kid can be taken on roll

Sit tight and enjoy the holidays. No point stressing honestly.
X

@Bananacrepewithnuts is it the same if it’s an academy and the offer comes straight from them? I was told they were still working over the summer but if you think it’s unlikely I’ll try to put it to bed for now! Thanks for your reply!

Ah if it's an academy it might well be different if you know they work through the holidays. I'm LA so know more about that side of it.

If they are working through the holidays then I would like to think you will get an offer in August. It's in the best interest of the school to get the offers accepted quickly do that everyone knows what they are doing in September.

Good luck. Xx.