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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:
thrifty · 13/02/2010 09:22

Applied online for the local school only, we are a 3 minute walk away, letters are dispatched here on 16th Feb, so we should hear Wed or Thur. I was confident when I applied that ds would get in as we live so close, ds goes to the preschool etc. However, I still feel a bit nervous and will be pleased to get it all sorted.

thrifty · 13/02/2010 09:24

oops, just realised this thread is about secondary schools

petunia · 13/02/2010 09:39

Also waiting to hear whether DD1 has got into our choice of secondary school (and DD3 into the primary school DD1's leaving). We're out of catchment (5 mile journey) but I hope that the fact that she's gone to a 'feeder school' will weigh in our favour.

Northernlurker · 13/02/2010 10:59

As hopefully some comfort - last year we got our second choice. This was ok - but still a disappointment. I rang up and found we were first on the waiting list, 6 days later we heard she had a place! So if you don't get your desired result, find out where you are on the list and ask how many got in from that last year - may be very comforting and hopeful news.

Original poster
Enchilada81 · 13/02/2010 11:09

Well we have made three choices. 1st preference is our catchment school which is one of the best in the area (I realise how lucky we are for this) but naturally it is over-subscribed and there are no guarantees. I so want him to go there though, he has cousins there, older friends and the school seems perfect for him.

2nd choice is a good school in a neighbouring village. Straight bus route, good grades but out of catchment and not DS's (or our) first choice.

3rd choice is an all boys selective school. He's sat the test but I really regret naming this school as despite its excellent grades, I don't think DS would fit in to the "macho" atmosphere. He also makes friends with girls much easier than boys so I think he would feel isolated there.

sigh I'm excited and dreading the letter at the same time!

OP posts:
mussyhillmum · 13/02/2010 11:18

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mussyhillmum · 13/02/2010 11:19

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creditcrunched · 13/02/2010 15:06

Am very envious of all you who are expecting to get your first choice.
Here in north london, I would be absolutely delighted if we got even our 4th choice!

spudmasher · 13/02/2010 15:19

Bluuuuurp. Feel sick at the thought of it.
Good luck everyone. Cos that is what it seems to boil down to here!

sugartits · 13/02/2010 20:25

Oh me too - we've just moved into a new area and had to put dd's application in before we'd even seen the schools. Fortunately our first choice on the form turned out to be our favourite and dd did pass the exam. We are supposedly within catchment, but it's an oversubscribed school so we wait nervously with the rest of you.

dustythedolphin · 13/02/2010 21:39

Oh lordy, a, so glad we have left the Uk or we would be going through this next year

Really hope you all get the schools of your choice

AllQuietOnThePippisFront · 14/02/2010 11:36

Some hope for all of you:

last year it was us in your position.
Of all our 3 choices, all within 300m from our house, we got NO offers. Imagine my dismay!

In june we got an offer for a fourth choice which was added after the first rejection. I was far from happy and ket hoping.

We got our first choice THE DAY BEFORE she was due to start!! By then I had given up hope tbh but because someone had told me that a lot of places free up within the first few weeks of term I did not tell DD anything in re to which school she was going to - I kept saying we were still waiting on an answer and made no big deal out of it with her (I was obviously dying inside). There was quite a lot of movement between the school in the first few months of term.

All I am saying is if you don't get your choice now it might not be the end of it.

Good luck to you all! I am so glad I will not hav eto go through this again till secondary school and that is a loooooong way ahead.

teamcullen · 14/02/2010 17:34

Im dreading the 1st March.I think Ive made a big mistake on DSs form.

Our first choice is the feeder school for his primary school but as we no longer live in the catchment, we have been serverly pushed down the list.

Our second choice is a school that I wouldnt send a scabby dog to, but the only school we are in the catchment for. We only put it down because our HT said if we put it second, it would go better for us if it goes to appeal. I cant help thinking now that it wont.

Third choice school, I havent even visited and only put it down because other choices were so dire in respect of what is suitable for DS.

If he gets offered his second choice and fails the appeal, I can see us having big problems both with his learning and attitude in general. There really is a lot at stake beyond being a pushy parent wanting to get into the best school.

hippipotamiHasLost79lbs · 14/02/2010 19:26

I must admit, I played it 'safe' with our form. The school I really want for ds is 3 miles away and always oversubscribed. It would however have been the perfect school for ds.
Alas, I put our nearest school as my first choice. There is nothing wrong with it, and ds will do perfectly fine there, but it is not really the best for him (specialist sports school whereas ds is into drama/performing arts and detests sport)
My second school is the second nearest. It seems like a good school. My third choice is the one 3 miles away. The one I really want. But had I put it first - and undoubtly be rejected as we are too far away - then we may not have got our nearest school as that too is always oversubscribed.

SoupDragon · 14/02/2010 19:29

I'm not worried about my choices for DS1.

Firstly, I think he'll get a place at the private schools he sat exams/interviewed for (and may even get a scholarship) and secondly, the state school we applied for "historically" offers places to our address in the first round.

Of course, that' doesn't stop me feeling faintly nervous but I'm not really worried. It could all go wrong I guess!

BrigitBigKnickers · 14/02/2010 19:59

DD2 took the 11+ in November so it's been a very long wait to 1st March.

Her first choice was a really super selective grammar where 900 pupils are going for 120 places. We put another grammar (much further away) second which I think she might have a stab at getting into but not sure how she would cope with the very very long days.

The third choice is the local fairly well thought of comprehensive but she really really doesn't want to go there.

Fortunately we heard this week she has been accepted at a nearby selective independent which she absolutely loved when we visited. (Just rather not have to pay for school fees if we don't have to.)

gorionine · 14/02/2010 20:14

Very anxious too. DD1 is (obviously [smile0 first of my children to go to high school and I very much feel very out of depth!

We only get 3 choices here though.

Our first choice is quite far from where we live (selective school)and we have very little chance that she will get it. DD hopes she will get our second choice (local high school that we really liked when we visited) because she is now getting a bit scared of :

  • going to a school 11 miles away
  • going to a school where she knows no one

BrigitBignickers, DD1 took hers in September, we know she passed it but we still have to wait until March 1st to know if she has got a place there or not as it is very oversubscibed and not all the children who were successfull will actually be accepted.

Doobydoo · 14/02/2010 20:23

We are away when letter arrives!I stupidly booked short break we won't be back until 5th[eek]
We put 2 schools down,both Grammars.We all like the 1st choice the most but it is further away and super selective.
Do you reckon if I 'phone school admissions on the 2nd they will tell me on phone or will we have to wait[probably]Can't believe that some schools get the list at half term.
Good luck to all

MrsBartlet · 14/02/2010 20:54

Doobydoo - here in Essex if you apply online you can find out your child's allocated school online on 1st March. Don't know if they do that where you are but at least you may not have to wait till you get back from your shortbreak!

Doobydoo · 14/02/2010 20:59

We applied by post!

busymummy3 · 14/02/2010 23:26

our la would not tell you if you ring up i only know this as i tried many years ago to find out if we had been successful with our first choice of nursery as we were leaving for holiday the actual day the letter came out. i was told in no uncertain terms that there was no way they would be able to confirm where a place had been allocated and did i have any idea exactly how long it would take given how busy they were? if i could have held on for the post i would have the only thing i was concerned about was i knew that you had to confirm acceptance by a certain date and was worried that i would lose the place. now being through the system several times i know that you have at least a month happy days!

BrigitBigKnickers · 15/02/2010 07:42

gorionine the grammar school DD wants to go to accepts pupils on a ranking basis.

The top 120 scores get in although if you are ranked somewhere in the top 150 you might still have a chance. i heard of one girl who reached the top of the waiting list in the summer holidays- she had left junior school when she heard!
There isn't really a pass mark. Scores that are high enough one year might not be good enough the next.

gorionine · 15/02/2010 08:21

brigitBigKnickers the one DD1 sat the exam for works with the catchment area (we are definitely not in it) but I still hope... the letter that told us she had passed said the score she did, not the ranking, did yours say the ranking?)

When I was applying for a place in primary school for her, absolutely everyone told me she would not get our first choice because we were not in the catchment (just borderline though) she still got it so I am a firm believer in trying anyway. Even if it does not work, it still worth having a go.

BrigitBigKnickers · 15/02/2010 08:26

The very best of luck to her. Roll on March first!

gingertoo · 15/02/2010 08:28

Ok, to step up the next level in the obsessive worrying....

... those who have found out by email on offer day - what time did the email arrive??

Did it pop into your inbox at 12:01 on offer day or did it arrive sometime after 9am when a clerk got round to pressing the [send] button??