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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

3rd on waiting list

36 replies

sain · 01/06/2009 13:00

Hi All

Just got a letter saying that i was unsuccessful in my appeal for my daughter, but have been pushed down a place on the waiting list. Do u think she will get a place???
She is third

Many thanks

OP posts:
MadBadandDangerousToKnow · 01/06/2009 13:03

How big is the school? Unless it's very small, I would think there's a good chance that three pupils will drop out before September.

savoycabbage · 01/06/2009 13:04

I agree.

Original poster
sain · 01/06/2009 13:33

Thanks for the replies,,well they say they take 180 but have 182 on roll..I m just sad tht other ppl have got in and she hasn't...ppl on same street have got in on appeal..Although i am happy for them... i m sad for me

OP posts:
MadBadandDangerousToKnow · 01/06/2009 13:39

Hang on in there. The odds sound good to me.

Original poster
sain · 01/06/2009 13:42

thanks i will do,why can't local schools just take local kids!

OP posts:
MadBadandDangerousToKnow · 01/06/2009 13:45

Well, I don't know about your area, but schools generally do take local children. The problem arises when the number of children living nearby is bigger than the capacity of the school. That happens with several schools near us - even those children for whom it is the closest school aren't guaranteed to get a place.

Original poster
sain · 03/06/2009 13:05

Hi,

Just got back from the school,as i had to hand in a form,,was told by the school that last year they did not admit anyone from the waiting list...so..

OP posts:
MadBadandDangerousToKnow · 03/06/2009 20:52

Really? That is unusual, at least by standards around here, where there's always a bit of movement between the allocation of places and the start of the school year.

Have you got a fall-back position? Does your daughter have a place at any school for September?

ChampagneDahling · 03/06/2009 21:01

Yes make sure you have back up plan, I'm afraid odds don't look good

Original poster
sain · 05/06/2009 22:05

Hi,

Sorry for the delay getting back,yeh she does have a school place at another school,which isnt too bad,, but means she has to cross a very busy dual carriageway,,which is my only concern.

I took her to see the school yesterday but as soon as she saw it she cried.

OP posts:
Original poster
sain · 05/06/2009 22:06

and cried

OP posts:
Rafaella · 05/06/2009 23:00

If you have to, start her at new school but stay on waiting list for the school you want. Even if it takes a few months for her turn to come up (which it will), by then you will know if the school she's at is ok, or whether to move her. Moving in Yr 7/Yr 8 is no big deal.

mummyrex · 08/06/2009 09:56

3rd is very high on the list - just be brave and stick it out right through the summer

We are 32 on our list

sue41 · 18/05/2010 17:06

Hi, yes 3rd is good, in our area there is usually a lot of movement but this year less.

Just had 2 people move into the area and she has dropped to 5th again, but on another waiting list she has risen to 8th from originally being 19th.

My DD has got none of her choices and the school she has got into is difficult to get too, has a dual carriage way to cross and is down a country lane (not fun in the dark!!), but none of this got any sympathy in the two appeals I have so far been to. So holding out for the waiting lists.

If necessary will buy the uniform and keep it as new, have been told some people do not even turn up the first day and do not let the school know!!

We've got a long way to go yet, so keep cheerful and keep checking!

I think Rafellas advice is good and if we have to, that's the way we will go.

(trying v. hard not to be depressed about it all! - my DD hasn't cried but after seeing the school allocated has made a firm decision that she will not attend!)

Sue41

ShoshanaBlue · 18/05/2010 23:10

Could you home educate until she gets in? If you don't get a place for September, then I would imagine it's going to be during the first term....

sue41 · 21/05/2010 10:48

My DD just cried last night.....

admission · 21/05/2010 12:12

Sue 41,
Sorry to bea bit harsh here, but at some stage reality has to come into this. You have been allocated a school place, which I fully accept you don't really want, but that is where you have to prepare your child to go to. Your child having made a firm decision not to attend is simply not going to help. She has to understand it is that school she will be attending. Keeping their hopes up that something might turn up at your preferred school is not going to be helpful, especially buying the uniform! You need to stop giving her hope and accept reality, until the day that possibly the miracle does happen.

Better to have your daughter prepared to go to the allocated school than have the massive disappointment on 1st September that nothing has turned up at the preferred school.

cat64 · 21/05/2010 12:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

AMumInScotland · 21/05/2010 12:47

Sue41 - you do need to be realistic with your DD about schools. Unless you can home educate until a place comes up at a school you prefer, the reality is that your daughter doesn't have a choice about whether she will go to the school she's been allocated. Allowing her to think that she can just not go is not going to help her. You need to help her to have a positive and open-minded view of the school, so that she can have some chance of settling in there if she does end up there.

The fact that the alocated school is down a country lane is hardly grounds for an appeal - it will be in the exact same place for all the children who go there!

sue41 · 22/05/2010 02:03

Hi Cat and A mum in Scotland

Tks your plain talking. Actually we've been to see the allocated school and tried to talk it up to her, emphasing the positives. We'll keep trying and hopefully after the day in July she will feel better about it.

It's not just the country lane, that was just comparing with the this discussion (see sain comment about the dual carriage way). She is 11 going on 8, emotionally and socially immature (her teachers not my words). She has been bullied by boys and the school allocated has a higher number of boys than girls.

We are prepared for her and are trying to prepare her to go to this school. The uniform we will buy, the same shop does the uniform for this and the school she is high in he waiting list for, so we can buy in plenty of time and just keep as new (as you would anyway, we all want them going to school looking like new pins for first day at secondary), but it also means no problem exchanging if we are lucky enough to be able to.

Country lane would not be as bad if others she knew were going, she is the only one in her school - so although not necessarily the major issue it is one of several issues. She is also v. shy and takes a long time to make new friends.

Maybe we should count ourselves lucky she has a school at all, but it doesn't help when you go to appeals and you have parents appealing who have got into one of their choices of school but don't feel it is good enough for their DD. We put 4 schools, 2 single sex an the 2 closest - we would hv accepted any of them, even though there was one on the list she didn't like very much on the open night.

She knows the school from when we lived in the area, it is next to a rough council estate (where we used to live) and had then a v. bad reputation for bullying etc. (believe it has improved substantially). Although we have not mentioned/reminded this to her, she was bullied by kids that went to that school when she was about 6 years old (one tried to ride a bike into her face - he was about 12-13, she was only 5 at the time).

I'd love to home school her but don't have a clue where to start and work full time.

Again thanks the comments, all taken on board. I hope you all got your choices and do not have any worries about your D's future.

Good luck to everyone on waiting lists and those still awaiting the appeal process and congratulations to all those parents who got at least one of their choices.

Sue41

busymummy3 · 22/05/2010 23:46

Hi Sue 41 have been reading your threads with interest and hope that your DD does get into a school that is what you both want but I was just wondering exactly how can a 11 year old child (albeit going on 8 in your own words) make a decision just on looking at a school that she is not going to go to it. I also dont want to be harsh but cant help feeling that she is picking up a lot of this from you as her parent and will only be happy when allocated the schools that you may have influenced her into thinking are the best ones for her. You say that she will be the only one going to her allocated school down this country lane, where are all her other Y6 classmates going? I have a DC same age and also a DC now in Y8 I am sorry but neither of them bright and articulate as they are would have had the confidence at age 11 just to know by looking at the school that it was not for them I think possibly things are getting a little over emotive and agree with Admissions response yesterday You need to be realistic with her and get her to understand that she cannot just refuse to go there just because it is not the school of choice. By accepting this she hopefully will settle in better come September if that is the outcome.

sue41 · 23/05/2010 10:14

Thanks busymummy3 - yes probably am too emotional about this. When we visited the school I was pretty upbeat after seeing it as it does seem to have improved a lot in the last 5 years. DD didn't like one of our listed schools either. She will just have to make the best of it if necessary.

Of the other girls in her class, of the ones I know of,
5 are going to Copthall (one of our choices, an all girls school) and 14 in total are going to Copthall from this year.
2 are going to Wren (our first choice) which also additionally has one of our neighbour attendng, 2 are going to QE girls.
A couple have been successful for Henrietta Barnet (exam entrance), and others are going to religious based schools in the area.

It is interesting seeing this set of 'harsh reality check' e-mails as we felt this is what we are trying to do. The headmaster of her school even said one of the reasons for not getting through appeal was I was too reasonable!!

gorionine · 23/05/2010 10:19

3rd on the list sounds good odds

Can I just ask how you know wher she is on the waiting list? Dd1 is on a waiting list as well but I have not been told what position (I suspect it is quite far down as we are not in the school catchment) Did you call the school to know or was it stated in the letter you received?

sue41 · 23/05/2010 20:46

Hi Gorionine

I feel for you!! I it is an academy you call the school, otherwise you should have a secondary transfer department or choices department at the local council and you usually can find the number on their website.

I tend to ring about once a week, being in London the movement has been reasonable (although not as much as previous years I'm told!). My DD is now 5th on Wren as two people moved in and the lists are done geographically and late comers are slotted in depending on where they live.

Good luck, let us know where you are after you have checked.

Sue41

gorionine · 24/05/2010 11:46

Thanks, it was a state grammar and I was asking out of curiosity really as DD loves the school she has actually been offered a place in, more local, not grammar but with all her friends in