Abney

Hi, we stayed here last year: http://en.camping-la-bien-assise.com/ It's 10k from Calais. We wanted to be close as it was our first camping trip in france with two young children. It was great. So easy to find and get to from the Eurotunnel, which was a plus. Also the coast was close by and we had lots of glorious days out on the beach - see here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/north/8308183/France-Beyond-Calais-lie-the-fruits-of-the-Opal-Coast.html Hope that helps

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I hope they don't offer me the same school which I rejected (at 2 miles away), I simply cannot make the round trip with a younger child in nursery the other end of the borough. What happens if I reject this place again?!

That's great Loulou and Gina, good to hear things are moving. Sadly not for me. Haven't moved hardly at all since May. I've given up hope of getting anything until after September, and even then I don't know. I did hear however that Fairlawn have announced a bulge class? Not sure if this is old news or very recent news? If it's true it may help ease up a few places closer to me. Who knows? At least my daughter can continue to stay at her nursery until January. Although she will be 5 at the start of October, and not sure how she will take to being with 90 three year olds and all her friends gone....

Hi number 2, yes that makes sense, thanks.

Renata, apart from people not knowing about providing proof, can you explain what happens in January (term after 5 years). How do the council suddenly find places (if you haven't moved up waiting lists by then) and are these places going to be miles away and at any school ie faith.

Camber Sands (1.5hrs) Whistable, Broadstairs (all sand).

And if they didn't know they had to send proof that the council wrote back to them to let them know? I don't think this is the case.

I can assume that everyone is clear about the process and they all knew that they had to send proof?

I spoke to Lewisham and they only go on the address offered to them at the time of the application. It never gets checked again after that. So you could rent a place short term and move away. It won't be checked.

Stillness is great. I'm 500m from it and didn't get in this year. It's getting harder year on year to get in. Would need to be around 300m I reckon for a safer bet.

My friend has had a similar experience. Told Southwark she didn't want her place at Ivydale but they still keep sending her letters.

Just been hearing about a lot of people renting houses for a few months and then moving out once they're in. SO ANNOYING. I know people do it, but it shouldn't be allowed.

I've gone down the lists in Lewisham too. Very frustrating.

GinaG3 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Posting my question again from page 6 in the hope > anyone can offer me an answer. > > If I reject my offer and start homeschooling my > daughter until a place is found is this a viable > option and are southwark still obligated to find a > place if I'm homeschooling? I'm a stay at home mum > so I'm able to do this as an option. If a place is > never found, what am I to do then, if I didn't > intend to homeschool for the whole of primary > years? > > If I leave the offer open with Langbourne, it will > be as though I've accepted. I understand that I > will remain on my top 6 waiting lists and see if a > place gets offered. Come September when she will > be due to start Langbourne but doesn't turn up > what will happen? I have every intention of > homeschooling as my ONLY option until another > place is offered, I don't want to send her to a > inaccessible and frankly unfeasible school that > she will either a) have to remain in, as there as > no other places or b) move from within the first > year due to another place being offered. > > I understand the deadline to reject an offer is > this Thursday?! > > Any help hugely appreciated. Hi Gina, I am in exactly the same position (but in Lewisham). They had no advice for me, just told me to accept the place and that was it. I really don't know what to do either. Please let us know how you get on! Thanks.

Well, how lovely, just been told by Lewisham admissions that we are unlikely to to get any of our 6 from waiting lists. Not based on any evidence (that they were willing to share). I think they had the hump because we were considering 'rejecting' our place. Are there any repercussions for councils if they have a high number of rejections - any funding issues kick in, ie do they lose money? There doesn't seem to be any difference in accepting or rejecting the offer. You REMAIN on waiting lists anyway. So if you have no intention of sending your child to the school they have given you, you might as well reject - yes?

Thanks Renata & James - replied to PM Renata.

I'm still undecided about whether to accept or reject my offer. The school I have been allocated was not in my 6 and is almost 2 miles away. We have decided that it is too far for us and we would rather, if push came to shove, homeschool, or keep my daughter at nursery. If I reject the offer, the council will have no obligation to find me a school - but they haven't (in my opinion) anyway. If I accept, then the council and the school will think I am happy (?) and will assume she will go to this school. (Which we don't). Everyone is telling me to accept - 'just in case'. But for us, there is no just in case. Can someone (Renata possibly), give me any reasons why I should accept other than 'just in case'? What is the actual advantage(s) of accepting (when we wont be sending our child to the school).

kamath Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If you don't get a school on your list and still > don't get one on all the waiting lists do you stay > on the waiting list for as long as it takes to get > into a school. Does that make sense???? I believe so yes.

I had a very strict warning about 'rejecting' a place from Lewisham just now. Do it, and you're on your own was more or less what they said. I too have no intention of sending my child to the school suggested (it's too far away) but feel like I should accept to 'stay in the system'? Not sure really.

Otta Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Curmudgeon Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > Only the ones below the place offered so if you > > accept 3rd choice you remain on 1st and 2nd > > > I suppose I can see some sense in that, but it > seems to further muddy and already muddy picture! Exactly!

The other thing that worries me is that all the people who are happy with 2/3/4/5/6 choices - are they told that they have been automatically added to waiting lists? I know MOST of my friends have NO IDEA about this. They've only found out through me! So surely that would leave a lot of people on the lists? Tell me the council sends reminders for people to come OFF lists?

I CANNOT believe how complex this system is. WHY OH WHY if this happens every year isn't there some more guidance published on what to do next - all the questions about waiting lists. I still don't fully understand. It's great that Southwark are putting on the drop in surgery thing, but Lewisham don't offer the same service. So if you live on the border, it's even more confusing (as previous poster has mentioned). I also feel that each time I call admissions, be it Southwark or Lewisham its a game of 'ask the right questions, get the right answers' ITS CRAZY. Surely some extra pages in the massive brochure on admissions would be helpful - particularly as this problem isn't going away any time soon. It's left to worried parents to come on a forum and work out what the hell is going on!

It is confusing as I am on the waiting list for a school in Southwark, but I live in Lewisham. It happened automatically.

Another question re: waiting lists. I've been told my position on one waiting list and have no idea what it means. I'm 14th. Is this unlikely? Do you need to be in top 10 to stand a realistic chance of a place? Of course it will vary from place to place, just trying to get a gauge on things.