Primary School Allocations-do you need some Assistance?

[Renata Hamvas]

I know that the primary school allocations are out today online and should arrive tomorrow for those of you with a postal application.

I know that all Southwark children have been offered a primary school place, but there may be parents who are unhappy with the school they have been offered.

Good Luck!

Renata

[mrs.lotte]

Renata, are you able to tell us was % of people in your ward (and/or ED ward if that is different) have their first choice and where, if anywhere, the bulge classes are to be?

Thank you

[kpjigsaw]

Renata,

I am a Southwark resident living on Barry Road, a whopping 600m from Goodrich etc, and my application outcome reads 'No offer possible'. So not quite true that we've all been offered a place is it?

[steveb]

I was not offered any of 5 choices and live within half a mile of 2 of the schools so thats not totally correct.

[Jenny I]

I live on Hansler Road and also was not offered a place at any of the 4 schools I listed.

[Renata Hamvas]

Dear Kp;igsaw, steveb and JennyI,

This is the first year of the pan London system.

The information I got today was that no Southwark child is without an offer of a school place.

The message you received means that unfortunately you were unsuccessful in obtaining a place for your child at the schools you applied to at the moment,

and therefore, you have been offered a place at a primary school which is the closest one to you where places were available. You will find out tomorrow by post which school you have been allocated.

At the moment I don't have much more information available, except that the number of applicants is up a bit from last year. I hope to get more information tomorrow.

I will post again when I know more.

Renata

[Zo?]

Renata

Do you have/will you have any information about which schools are taking a bulge class?

Thank you

[Renata Hamvas]

As far as I know, at the moment, none in the area

. Heber, Goodrich and Fairlawn all have over the last couple of years, so they haven't space to do this again for a few years.

Renata

[sglanzer]

According to the schools,Horniman and Goose Green have bulge classes though presumably these have filled up now too.

[sillywoman]

HI Renata, we just heard this morning that the place we've been offered is being withdrawn as it was offered incorrectly due to a mistake by Southwark Ed. We're now on a waiting list for that school but where does this leave us should we not get a place there? I guess officially now we are without a place at all? How do we go about securing a place somewhere else? Incidentally, I'm talking about a year 3 - Junior place not reception.

[sharls]

Hi Renata,

Could you tell me what happens if we defer our place at goodrich. My son will be 5 on the 1st August 2012 so legally we could keep him out until then. Would he still go into reception or would he join the 1st year with the children that go this September?

Thanks

[Renata Hamvas]

I have some more information on bulge classes, I believe the info I got yesterday was on potential ones-

These are Goose Green and Dulwich Village Infant and additionally, St Anthony's Catholic has gone up to two form entry from 1.5 form.

I have an enquiry in for you sharls, to confirm how the new system would work and please contact me, sillywoman with more details ie, name, address, child's details and I will look into this for you.

thanks,

Renata

[smb12]

Hi Renata

I had St Anthonys, Dog Kennel Hill School and Lyndhurst on my list. My son is already at DKH nursery and our house is 237 yards from the new entrance. It takes me three minutes to walk there.

However, we got the "no offer possible" response yesterday, which I am absolutely stunned by. St Anthony's I can understand, but we are under 300 metres to DKH school. That means the catchment must be miniscule. Can you shed any light on this?

Also, I did not receive the letter explaining the situation further today and as such, as it stands, we have no idea where he has been allocated.

Please can you help clarify.

Many thanks

[Renata Hamvas]

Dear smb12, I am sorry to hear this,

the catchment for DKH was indeed under 300m this year, 286m. The pan London system uses a specific GPS system and therefore the distance calculation may be slightly different to yours.

That you live so close to the school means that you are close to or at the top of the waiting list. If you email me your details, I can find out for you. The letters were sent out yesterday, and therefore yours must still be in the postal system.

many thanks,

Renata

[chantelle]

Renata, do you have the catchment figures for all of the schools? many thanks.

[Renata Hamvas]

Sorry Chantelle,

not to hand, is there a particular school that you are interested in?

If you didn't apply this year, but are enquiring for next, this years results will be published in the new application brochure.

Renata

[chantelle]

thanks anyway. I am indeed looking at the 2012/13 year, and am a bit alarmed because we are moving house specifically to get into a better catchment area, though it appears that may be a misguided effort if catchments are shrinking so dramatically from year to year.

[Renata Hamvas]

Mrs Lotte,

I don't yet have the ward breakdowns, but here are the overal stats:

79 % 1st choice

93 % one of their top 4 choices

94% one of their choices

6 % were allocated a school

all Southwark children were offered a primary school place. These stats are very similar to last years, even with a slight increase in applicant number. The council staff have had a month less time to do this as the 2010 school allocations were out in May, immediately after the elections.

Renata

[ClaireClaire]

Renata,

Do you know what the catchment for Heber turned out to be this year?

Thank you

Claire

[ClaireClaire]

Hello

I've actually got the answer to this now from the school admissions email address, in case anyone is interested:

317 metres is the last offered on distance on 4 April at Heber School

Claire

[Spooner]

Hi

Does anyone know the catchment for Goodrich this year?

Thanks

[coopsy76]

Blimey - we were offered Heber and we're 316m away.

[smb12]

Hi Renata

In response to the following posted by you:

"Mrs Lotte,

I don't yet have the ward breakdowns, but here are the overal stats:

79 % 1st choice

93 % one of their top 4 choices

94% one of their choices

6 % were allocated a school"

I have just received my letter from Southwark stating "congratulations on being given one of my preferred schools "Peckham Park Primary"", with a table on the next page showing this with my three other choices. I only put three schools down (all of which my son failed to get into) and until yesterday when I emailed Southwark to find out the results, had never heard of Peckham Park Primary which is 1.5miles away.

So besides my complete horror at this and the fact that its inclusion has potentially jepordised the allocation of a place at much closer (and better) schools, I would seriously question these stats.

I really would like a clear explanation as to why this has happened. I am incredibly upset and frustrated by the whole process.

the stat that 94% had received one of their

[Coach Beth]

I think this is a lesson for all of the parents to this next year.

If you don't put down all of your choices for schools and only put two or three choices what happens is that you are then allocated whatever spaces are left after everyone else is allocated their choices - so people who are getting their 5th or 6th choice will get those allocated before those that only put down two or three schools (that end up being full because the families are nearer or have sibling places). This happened to several people I knew two years ago - I had put down my four choices (at the time we only had 4 choices) and I made sure that on my list was my nearest community school where I had the most chance getting into to. And we got allocated that school which I'm very happy with! Whereas a friend round the corner put down two schools which were very popular thinking she would either get one or those OR they would allocate her to Goose Green which was their nearest school. Because Goose Green filled up with people who had choosen it (even people who might have been further away got preference because they had put the school down on their list of preferences) she was then allocated a school very far away - near the Old Kent Road! Luckily, she put her son's name down on the waiting list for GG and her son got in after the shake down.

[prickle]

Very wise advice, Coach Beth. Its essential to fill up all your choices and putting your closest community school as one of these is a very good idea.

We did this too when choosing secondary schools for miniprickle.