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Secondary education

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

Original poster

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

362 replies

Enchilada81 · 12/02/2010 07:10

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.

OP posts:
Skegness · 02/03/2010 13:25

Thanks, should be ironing. Good tip re TAMBA.

Jellybean2105 · 02/03/2010 13:27

I applied for secondary schools near my DD's primary school so she could stay with friends (which is not near where we live) but didn't get into any and also hasn't got into our local school (which I hadn't applied to) If none of the appeals work, does anyone know if she will be stuck with her allocated school? Thanks

Cette · 02/03/2010 13:34

Skegness - I work for a London admissions authority. Am almost positive that NO school is allowed to split twins anymore - a new Code of Practice was bought in for all children who start in 2010 (as yours will) which says twins cannot be split, and schools/local authorities MUST have a section in their admissions regulations which deal with twins and multiple births.

www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0205

As per above, Ed Balls agreed in November 2009 that twins should not be split. Cannot find an updated copy of the code of practice for you (am stupidly busy in the office answering many angry phone calls!!) but will see what I can do and keep you updated if I find further info!!x

ampere · 02/03/2010 13:36

We're glad me moved into the catchment of our chosen school to 'guarantee' DS1 a place. I was concerned about separating him from primary school friends (as he left that primary, too, towards the end of Y5) but, of course, circumstances change and now, out of his friendship group of 4 others, ONE other DC (a girl!) is going to the school DS would have gone to has we stayed put.

So so much for maintaining friendships!

Fwiw, we got first choice though I admit even I was a little bit nervous!

ampere · 02/03/2010 13:39

Skegness, haven't got time to trawl through the previous but did I read the decision is made about schools on a spread of banding? To ensure a school gets 'x' percent Band A, x percent of Band B etc? Is that how it works?

IS it possible that an appeal could mean both twins get allocated the 'poorer' school so as to 'avoid' putting a less academic child in a more academically skewed school? Not encouraging, I know, but a thought!

Skegness · 02/03/2010 14:10

That's incredibly helpful, Cette. Thank you.

Ampere- I think it works something like that. The idea is to get a mixed ability intake. Tbh, I would prefer them both to be at the 4th choice than split up.

ampere · 02/03/2010 14:44

I can see your reasoning Skeg but it's hardly ideal, is it? Hope it works out- nasty situation to be in.

Good luck.

jackstarbright · 02/03/2010 15:02

Skegness - I do hope you sort this out - it seems total madness!!

Regarding the strangeness of banding...do you mind me asking - is it the 'less academic' twin who has been given the place? And if so, how do you explain that to your other twin?

'You sat a test, you did too well - so your twin gets to go to the better school.'

I agree with you about the DM - but I think there is a news story in this. Telegraph or Indy perhaps???

RealDeal · 02/03/2010 15:36

Hey passmyglassplease! Thanks. and well done for getting your DD into Enfield County...thats one of the better schools in the borough I believe?
We live in Southgate - so close to Ashmole but cos it's so oversubbed couldn't be sure she would get in. She didn't make the grade for Latymer or DAO (TBH I was much happier with Ashmole and after filling out the form wish I'd put them first). Anyway it's all turned out good.

roisin · 02/03/2010 16:04

Skegness - lots of sympathy from here. This is just utter lunacy. They have to resolve it, it's just so clearly and patently wrong, wrong, wrong.

Roisin

ftm42 · 02/03/2010 16:05

I got MS's first choice, and so did his 2 friends! None of us are 'in catchment' so lucky this year. When I applied for ES, they were full so got 2nd choice, which didn't work out and we sent him to a co-ed independent which has worked out better for him.

ByTheSea · 02/03/2010 16:14

I am over-the-moon. DD1 got a place at our first choice - the superselective girls' grammar school. I truly believe it will be the right education for her as it's the only place around that offers a really academic curriculum which she wants.

Congratulations to everyone else who go what they wanted and comiserasations to those who didn't.

ByTheSea · 02/03/2010 16:18

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

dinosaur · 02/03/2010 16:55

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

ageing5yearseachyear · 02/03/2010 18:10

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?

boodleboot · 02/03/2010 19:23

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.....

Gillg57 · 02/03/2010 19:29

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

passmyglassplease · 02/03/2010 19:32

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?

Blu · 02/03/2010 19:46

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!

doglover · 02/03/2010 20:00

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

Hunibee · 02/03/2010 21:47

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.

Balhamum · 02/03/2010 21:51

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

LadyGaga · 02/03/2010 22:06

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

LynetteScavo · 02/03/2010 22:23

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

RustyBear · 02/03/2010 22:27

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

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