Waiting for that secondary school letter (1st march?)

[Enchilada81]

Is anyone else waiting for that letter with bainted breath? I'm terrified DS won't get into his first choice and don't know what we'll do if he doesn't.

[titchy]

They could always change their names....

[clam]

Brilliant idea in theory. But in practice, bet it would open up a massive can of worms.

[Charliefred]

My best friend and I are both disappointed with the places our girls have been offered. Her daughter has been offered my daughters 1st choice and vice versa. Have anyone ever heard of a mutual swap of places? This would make both girls very happy.

[lou031205]

Unfortunately for Skegness, the stipulation in the new school admission code of practice regarding multiple births only relates to primary school entry:

"Siblings at Primary schools
2.25 Giving priority to siblings particularly supports
families with young children of primary
school age who may not be able to travel
independently. Families must be at the heart
of the admissions system and the Government
expects the admission authorities for primary
schools to take the needs of parents with
young children into account in deciding
which oversubscription criteria will be used.
The admission authorities for primary schools
should ensure in their oversubscription
criteria that siblings (including twins, triplets
or children from other multiple births) can
attend the same primary school, as long as
they comply with the Education (Infant Class
Sizes) (England) Regulations 199836."

[clam]

Re: separation of twins, it might be that they agree to offer them both a place in the same school - but at the lower-ranking one. Am sure I read something about that in our goomph last year??

[MrsBartlet]

Well done to your dd, Brigit! My dd is at CCHS so we have been through the same ordeal! We have to do it again in a couple of years with our ds.

[BrigitBigKnickers]

The e-mail system in Essex was a farce. The password didn't work so I couldn't log onto the system to find out if she had got into grammar.

I recieved my DDs 11+ results on Monday night but not the allocation. As the school we wanted was an out of catchment school we had no idea if she had got a place or not.

I have been away this week so DH has been dealing with it all. He had to phone the office to find out where she had been allocated.

DD received a welcome letter and a little certificate from the school she got into (Westcliff grammar!- very proud mummy emoticon)the day after allocation and we finally received the letter today.

Don't know why they bother with all this on line the postman is much quicker!

[Enchilada81]

Sorry to hear that Mimiso. It must be a heartbreaking decision to make. I hope it works out for you.

[Mimiso]

Enchilada, I am considering that option too for mine if the fees for private are too much. His dad also applied for schools so might have to give in and send my poor son there. Although that is a last resort, I would rather work two jobs tbh. Feel so sorry for your friend. The school my son was offered is simiilar to that. Glad your LO got into the school you wanted

[Enchilada81]

Thanks 3 years of worrying so the relief is amazing

I feel for those that have been disapointed though. My friend's son has been allocated the worst school in the city (it even has it's own police portocabin behind it as the police are called that many times, its cheaper to have them onsite!).

She's that desperate, she's sending her boy to live with his father, just to get him into a decent school. Must be heartbreaking. That could quite easily have been us.

I hope everyone having to go through the appeals process has some success. The twins fiasco is unbelievable. How on earth do they work this stuff out?

[LadyGaga]

Wow! Congratulations! x

[Enchilada81]

Yes he got in.

(thanks Rusty )

[RustyBear]

By Enchilada81 Tue 02-Mar-10 09:42:01
Just got mine through the post. DS got first choice.

[LynetteScavo]

Yes...Enchilada...where are you?

[LadyGaga]

can someone let me know if ENCHILADA got her kid in??

[Balhamum]

How do you find out what score the children got in the local authority tests?

[Hunibee]

I have twins - now in secondary. I remember going through the process and we were told that when one twin was allocated a place, the other automatically got a place too - even if the school had reached its full allocation.

The reason - it would discriminate against the twin who 'didn't' get a place. I knew that all we had to do was to get one place and they would both be in.

I would guess that they cannot do this legally. Skegness - do appeal and, as OP said, get in touch with TAMBA for advice.

What a horrid thing to happen to your twins.

[doglover]

Whoop, whoop! DD got first choice school so celebrations all round! It's not brilliant but better than our catchment one.

[Blu]

Re Skegness's problem:
As I understand it the purpose of banding is to ensure that there is an equal spread of ability, and equal number in every ability band from v v able to v not-academic. So once one twin is in, in any band, surely the other twin should shoot up the list of applicants in their band?

I don't see why either twin would struggle academically in a schoo which deliberately caters for a full range of bands.

Councillors, and get on to your MP very very quickly if they maintain that siblings does not by some mad interpretation mean twins!

And if they say 'but the sibling policy applies when one child is in an older year' find out WHY siblings of older children are a priority. And cite how each reason applies to twins in the same year.

Interesting about the legal aspect....grab Ed Balls by his!

[passmyglassplease]

realdeal, we also tried out for Latymer and DAO neither of which DD liked. Luckily she didn't get into either! as her heart was set on Enfield County.

Knew someone who rented out their house and moved to try and get their ds into either Southgate or Ashmole. They got a flat opposite the station, I wonder if they actually did get in to either school?

[Gillg57]

I realise you are frustrated having suffered the pain of waitinf for such info myself but for the person who made a comment about their postie liking a lie-in I would point out the following. I am married to one who, in common with his colleagues, gets up at 4.15a.m. to be at work for a 5.45a.m. start so hardly a lie-in

[boodleboot]

we got our third choice....which actually funnily enough i was praying for on the way home from work to get the letter.....its the one DD will be happiest at and nearer by fat than the other two. Also our second was a brand new school where this year is first intake and DD was really unsure if she wanted that experience of secondary....we didn't expect to get it really as live miles away....1st choice was out of borough.....so realllllly i guess we got the first logical and best choice....

thank God that is over.....

[ageing5yearseachyear]

skegness-total madness- surely the sibling policy cant discriminate against twins? ie if one starts in september his sibling must move up to the appropriate place on the waiting list? i can kind of just about see how they wouldnt apply it until one of them was actually in the school but they cant just say it doesnt apply because they are twins.

the world has gone mad- what ever happened to common sense?

[ByTheSea]

got and comiserations! Ach - can't type today.