toast

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.

Saw my neighbour go through this last year, looked horrid, and really hoped they would have it sorted for this year. Wish we could fast forward the next few months,... stress....

Prdarling i'll PM you Tor, would be helpful to know how many meters Goodrich went to, how far do you live?. Gathered myself together a bit now, this is only the first round and as we live on the borders there will be lot of movement. Just really cant face another month or two of uncertainty. Thank god we only have to go throught this once!

Well at least we have not been making a fuss over nothing. Did not get into our nearest 7, got into our 9th, a promising school coming out of special measures about a mile away. Mad world!

clux Wrote: We didn't get any of our four choices initially but my daughter > started school in January (at her second choice > which we got offered a place at during the shake > down) and then two weeks in to term we got a place > at our first choice - we were 7th on waiting list > when the places were first allocated, so there is > hope!!) This is what we are worried about, unlikely to get into our nearest 7 on the first round. I called lewisham and the next round/ short lists will take about 6 weeks. Then southwark will have their shortlist a few weeks later. It may well be at least two months of uncertinty and then sitting it out on the waiting list. The scrutiny suggested that southwark admissions check-in with lewisham admissions and chase up those holding places in two boroughs. This would speed up the process. We have done a good job of keeping quite about this issue around our son but now his friends and the mums are talking about where they are going its getting tricky. Ps If southwark had stuck to their origional date not only would their first round be over, it's also reduced the relevance of lewishams second round and slowed up the system by over a month! Grrrrrrrrr....

Really looking forward to not having to think about school places anymore....

Sorry James have to comment on this... > Last year 90% of on time applications were > allocated a school within 1 mile of home. The > remaining 10% were siblings for schools where the > parents had moved or religious schools where we'll > never be able to provide schools of all faiths > within 1 mile. For late or subsequently changed > applications 80%. This was only after a summer of hell for parents allocated places only after a last min bulge class at Goodrich. There was a great deal of movement in the first month of term. This bulge needed Tessa and local parents putting some serious pressure on the council. The scrutiny only happened due to Labours influence and it was only then that the council started taking the thing seriously. The late allocation this year combined with Lewishams deadline of the 5th May means an extra month of chaos for us and neighbouring boroughs as families will have been forced to accept places in neighbouring boroughs they may well not want as they don't know about Southwark. Lewisham saw a shortage this year and arranged 13-17? bulge classes in time for allocations without fuss or putting families through the mill. I spent a lovely sociable day with different groups of people from South Norwood, Honor Oak and East Dulwich. Out of 8 families, from 3 boroughs I was the only one not to know which school we were going to. An unfortunate coincidence.

The issue here last year was that families on my street did not get any places....within two miles. My comment above stands, If they are confident they have fixed the problem why the post election delay.

All september nursery places went to siblings. However as Heber stopped having full time nursery places they were able to offer extra part time places so there were plenty of places in Januarys intake..... I think.

It's not really on to leek the good news about Heber while sitting on any bad news until after the election.

Edited as decided not worth it.

One thing that really messed the system up last year was families holding accepted offers in both boroughs. 6 children didnt turn up at Goodrich last year as they had gone to Fairlawn/ Horniman/ Moved or gone private and not bothered to inform admissions that they did not need their place. That left 6 children really messed around, they missed the home visit, settling in and had already had a couple of weeks at a different school. Southwark spent over ?100,00 last year chasing up 'missing children', largely due to families not informing admissions they did not want the place they had accepted.

Well i have told a few.... and some do read this forum

Glad there is this extra provision, but is does seem really awful that 80 families know before the rest of us.

> Waiting five working days enabling more kids and > parents to get their 1st choice seems sensible. Five days??? We are waiting a bit longer than that!

If they know that all those who gave Heber as 1st choice are in they know where everyone is going! Wish i had put Heber first, could not risk not putting our nearest as first choice. Feeling sick!

Fuschia Wrote: > THis year there is a common system for the first > time. As long as that doesn't mean accepting a > place somewhere removes you from the other LA's > request list, it's OK... I think the common system starts this year, so families finding out now went through the old system. Also it would be mad if you could stay on the lists of schools in one borough but not other. In the scrutiny they discussed talking to lewisham and finding out which parents were holding accepted offers in both which seemed fair. But not staying on the list of both given the shortage of places on the boarder would be unfair. One has my nearest school, the other my second nearest school etc.

I have lost so much faith in 'the system', over this whole thing. If this is true... ...........no.... totally lost for words

We used to live by summerfield and moved near the co-op on Forest Hill Road and thought it was great, their chicken, free range, tastes like propper chicken, and thats just for starters. Miss the cheep fizz from summerfield but thats all we miss.

Would still be nice to have an answer though!

Back from park Met up with lots of parents who are in the same boat, and to put it politly, not happy bunny's. It would make parents, esp Lewisham parents lives easier if places in Southwark were released sooner. It would be a show of cross borough support and of confidence by the lib dems. If, as they are suggesting the problem has been resolved by bulge classes they could allocate early, before the election and put pay to the idea that they are acting out of self interest.

It would make parents, esp Lewisham parents lives easier if places in Southwark were released sooner. It would also be a show of confidence by the lib dems. If, as they are suggesting the problem has been resolved by bulge classes they could allocate early, before the election and put pay to the idea that they are acting out of self interest.

Hi Had some feedback and looks like they have done LOTS!! So I am going to put off panicking and goto the park. prdarling, think i may know you? I will PM you. Would be nice if Lewisham did publish sooner, pleeeeeese. Toast

My son has been asking if he is staying where he is, wish i could tell him yes, or no, or anything!

We live on the border and didn't get into any school in Lewisham. Banking on southwark too but the fact that they have put it off until after the election is not a good sign!