toast

Hi Tor Thanks for shairing your positions. Were the Fairlawn and Horniman ones recent?

No offers yet but hopeful for Lewishams second round this weekend.

Thanks Fuschia, might not come to need to keep him home but comforting to know i could.

Thanks for all the info Fuschia, any idea if i could put off sending my January born son to school until Christmas? Really dont want him to start somewhere and have to move him a few weeks into term if a more local place came up, his head would be spinning!

Thanks CitizenED I agree, GG's turn around is key and that appears to be well underway. Also reluctently agree about Church schools, our actual nearest school is Cabrini and if St Anthoneys were 'local' the pressure on Goodrich would be seriously relieved. I understand the need fot strong ethos in schools and shaired religion is an obvious uniting force, but these days spirituality is broader than church attendence. Many families would be keen to support a spiritual ethos but are not church goers. Have no idea what criteria they use, know an interview and recomendation from church is often key. A key reason for not getting a new school was that religious schools would get first refusal and it would therefore not be 'local', a bit frustrating.

The 3 schools around Goodrich have all been bulged and there is still a shortage, population predictions are of a growing need for places in this area and we are running out of schools to bulge. For the good of our kids and our comminity we need new ideas for sloving this, possible a very small temporary school (could take one intake a year for 3 years and then just roll up with them). Honor oak church conversion does not look sold, that lovely house on the rye is a rental, i know it sounds a bit far fetched but we need ideas that target the areas in need, families tollerated one off bulge classes in their schools, second bulge classes may erode this good will. We have a new council, a new government and hopefuly new rules, there is still some of the 12 million left, now is the time to write some e-mails. Please, Please write to your local councillors, they can then use this local support to take to the MPs Anyone got any other ideas, councillors do read this and they might appreciate the ideas.

Craigy wrrote > If you are in this black hole around Forest Hill > Road/ Peckham Rye and not in the East Dulwich ward > despite the SE22 postcode does that mean that you > cannot realistically apply for the ED schools... The places shortage became an issue last year as GG's special measures status combined with the baby boom pushed Heber/ Goodrich capacity over the edge. Parents put up a strong campaign and got a last min bulge class at Goodrich last year this helped those by Dunstans/ Forest Hill Road but some over towards the gardens got a raw deal. A sustained campaign this year further highlighted the issue and Labour called a srutiny meeting to examin the issue as the southwark Lib Dems felt the shortage was a one off. The scrutiny concluded there was a real shortage and predicted this woulds increase over the next few years before subsiding. 12 million pounds was given to southwark to create more places. Roughly.. 5 million has gone on a perminant extra 15 placed by Denmark Hill, some on last years Goodrich bulge, some on Hebers bulge this year and i imagine some went on the 15 extra places at St Antonys. These measures have allowed many families increased choice in school places but do not appear to have relieved the shortage around the Rye. Schools in the areas most in need have been bulged already leaving few options for next year and beyond. The good news is that this area has a lot of excellent schools, and a strong voice. We as a community need to ensure plans next year are much more effective and schools with bulge classes are supported long term, my advice is to get campaigning now.

Oh dear, going the wrong way on the list for nearest school. Now number 13 rather than 12, not the best sign.

------------------------------------------------------- James barber wrote 'As suggested before keep in regular contact with admissions officers.' prdarling Wrote: I assure you they are sick of the sound of my > voice.... come to think of it, I am sick of the > sound of my voice :) Well put prdarling, this advice may be well intended but it is utterly useless!

Prdarling Totally understand your frustration but must keep focused on those who can change things. This years allocation has made it crystal clear that bulge classes may not put places where they are needed, they are just allowing people to flee unpopular schools which could really do with their support (which i understand is an upsetting issue initself but this is not what the money was allocated for). We need provision on top of the Heber bulge, by the Rye, brake some rules and make a small school! This year if possible but definately by next. If Lewisham had not changed its policy and had so many bulge classes the situation would have been even more drastic. The council have not been on top of this, their expensive solutions have not worked. There are still areas without local school provision.

James Barber, Thanks as always for addressing our concerns, looking forward to hearing from Peckham Rye's new councillors on this. James Barber wrote 'Overall Southwark has 200 spare reception places. The problem is not a local shortage or borough wide shortage of reception places but a lack of perceived attractiveness of some of our schools.' The problem for us is that the percieved unattractivness on one of ED's schools is draining school places away from Peckham Rye! It's mad that someone who's nearest school is GG is less likely to go there than us, 1 mile away! Edited to add, It's not very supportive for this struggling school to have its local intake head off to a Bulge class at Heber. This bulge class has increased choice for those living near GG but has in no way solved the problem of shortage of local places. The council needs ensure that money allocated to provide LOCAL places actually does!

Thanks anna_r, All the areas which have had problems over the last few years, e.g the Gardens and Dunstans are now part of Cambelwell and Peckham ward. So who will parents of next years intake need to lobby?. Always one with good news (not) but this year with a bulge at Heber we only got into out 9th nearest. 12th on the list for our nearest. Without the bulge we would have been 31st for our second nearest and 50th on the list for our third. This area has no primary school provision. All the local schools to this area have been bulged once,..... The new council need long term solutions and might want to get the ball rolling asap! Probably too late for us but they need something in place for next year.

4th 1 0.75% I dont understand this statistic, does it mean only one family got 4th choice? I know of several.

Southwark said that they were re-allocating as places came up, e.g. they could call you before the deadline for returns. Really glad they are doing this fast.

It was our fave and the one we thought we might get when we moved here, we figgured now that it was very popular and Nunhead was having its own population boom it was no go. Could see our son being really happy there, if we did not have to play the nearest school card we would probably have put it first. There is a room full of snakes and robots, my sons idea of heaven! The Nappy Lady Wrote: -------------------------------------------------------. > Toast - Ivydale is lovely, my daughter is in Year 1 there and thriving/very happy. > > Molly

Just found out we are quite high on the list for Ivydale, a lovely school, if southwark they had put distance on the letter as Lewisham did i might not have had such a meltdown.... Grrrrr

Edited to write 'JamesBarber wrote' > They will see 84% of applications getting 1st > choice and 94% getting choices 1-4. See attached. > (Lambeth achieved 75%, Lewisham 90% getting > choices 1-5). > This is a huge success and testament to the great > leadership shown by Cllr Nick Stanton and the hard > work by council officers. This is more likely due to families putting down a 'banker', school as last resort as they are more aware of the shortage. There seems to be an obsession with first choice, how many got 4th choice?

Pickle I am a fan of walkjogrun but there are others. You do need to work it out from the school gate.

Some families who put Heaber down as first didnt get in, my friend who lives by the Herne put it as first and got GG like us.

Thanks prdarling Have not called southwark as was worried i might bite someones head off, still fuming over the post election deley. Spoke to Lewisham and they were aware the southwark deley has slowed the whole thing down, will take about a month. Was able to find out our place on the lewisham list!. The scrutiny strongly recomended that the admissions team work with Lewisham and chase up people holding places in both boroughs, (some families living overhill/ underhill) the extra admissions staff were hired inpart to help with this. Fingers crossed. Sorry your having this stress, we had known this might be an issue, it must be awful if it was so out of the blue. A few friends who thought they were home and dry as had put Heaber as first choice were also quite upset.

Ok, MN this forum is a very tolerent place, for which i am grateful as i have been banging on about this issue for... ever. Please show the same politness that people have shown you.

Sorry posted but the debate had moved on.. nolonger made sense

Misticnutmeg Am interested in your connection to this issue, you have frequently commented on others positions and clearly feel very strongly, why?

clux Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I think that it would help if people were > realistic with their choices. Not everyone in East > Dulwich can get into Goodrich - especially as > there seems to be such a high percentage of > siblings taking up places. I completely understand > that everyone wants the best school for their > child but if you live 1000m from your first > choice, popular, over-subscribed school you're not > going to get in however much you want to. Clux i understand your point but the situation is actually worse than you describe. How about if you live 450-550m from your nearest school which you make first choice and get sent 9 schools away (and then only because its unpopular). Surely this is not something that is ok. How low are the councils standards? They have been given 12 million to sort this out.

A few of us mums are meeting at the Herne in a few min, all welcome. I'll be the one in the blue skirt drinking a G+T.