Dulwich Infants foundation admissions

[aprilfool]

Hello

I recently moved to the area with a view to getting our son into DVI as a foundation/faith applicant. I don't need to apply until next year but if we are going to go down this route of applicaation, we will need to start attending St Barnabas church immediately (we would ordinarily attend a different local church).

I'm totally confused as the DVI policy states that the school has to be your nearest C of E school and for us it would not be (St Judes is 100m closer according to my map measurements as the crow flies). However, I have heard contradictory advice from others who say they know of people getting in who were in the same boat.

Does anyone know people who have secured a foundation place when another C of E school was actually closer?

I know this sounds like a silly question given that the policy is pretty black and white but I keep hearing so many different things and the council are not very helpful..

We are 730m away from the school so would be touch and go for an open place as I believe the furthest was 712m this year.

Any views would be much appreciated!

Many thanks

[Fuschia]

Criteria are

5. Children of faithful and regular worshippers2 at St Barnabas Church for whom this is the nearest4 Church of England School.

?

6. Children of faithful and regular worshippers2 of other Christian Churches as defined in the glossary3 for whom this is the nearest4 Church Of England School.

?

There doesn't seem to be a look in there for yPu

Bit st judes is outstanding ... Do you fit their criteria?

[Fuschia]

Better start sttending st Matthews Brixton

By the look of it

[aprilfool]

Thanks for your help Fuschia, that's how I read it too but the school are telling me that it would still be worth applying for a foundation place as my application would then be looked at twice (because if it failed the foundation criteria it would go into the open allocation). I can't see how this would help because i'm sure to fail the foundation criteria. That's why I wanted to see if anyone had managed it despite having another church school closer.

[Fuschia]

Their policy says you can only apply under one heading...

If you have your heart set on dvi you should look for another house I think

If it's a christian education then

Turn your sights on st judes ...

[sillywoman]

Is it that if they don't fill their community allocation (and certainly there have been several years when this was the case - though things are changing and this scenario is now much less likely) then they'll allocate any 'spare' places to those who weren't successful under the faith criteria?

[Fuschia]

sillywoman Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Is it that if they don't fill their community

> allocation (and certainly there have been several

> years when this was the case - though things are

> changing and this scenario is now much less

> likely) then they'll allocate any 'spare' places

> to those who weren't successful under the faith

> criteria?

That's not what their policy says.

is it really true there is such a poor take up of the non faith places?

[LSB]

We're in almost exactly the same boat, aprilfool. When I've spoken to DVI about this, they have said that the criteria is nearest CoE school, rather than nearest available CoE school - so if you're closer to St Judes, then you won't get in on a foundation place (even if, in fact, you can't get into St Judes because there aren't enough foundation places there). However, despite that, they said to apply for a foundation place in any event as you then get two bites at the cherry (although this doesn't really make sense, as if you don't qualify for the foundation place, you are only really getting one bite at the cherry, in the same way as you would by applying for an open place).

[aprilfool]

Thanks for your posts all. Good to know you're having the same problems LSB and I'm not the only one hearing contradictory information! That's exactly what DVI told me but I agree that it will really only be one bite of the cherry and therefore two years of attendance at St Bs will be in vain and at the cost of attending mass elsewhere where the chances of a place may be better. Futhermore, Southwark told me that I wouldn't 'fail' the criteria, i'd just be ranked lower than those without a closer school whereas DVI said that's wrong and if you have a closer faith school then you'd be canned (which also contradicts their two cherry bites advice. All very confusing!

[sillywoman]

If you're close to DVI you could always apply for a place at St J's and a community place at DVI - you might have more chance of getting in. It might be worth seeing if you can find out what this years community catchment was.

[vesti]

aprilfool Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks for your posts all. Good to know you're

> having the same problems LSB and I'm not the only

> one hearing contradictory information! That's

> exactly what DVI told me but I agree that it will

> really only be one bite of the cherry and

> therefore two years of attendance at St Bs will be

> in vain and at the cost of attending mass

> elsewhere where the chances of a place may be

> better. Futhermore, Southwark told me that I

> wouldn't 'fail' the criteria, i'd just be ranked

> lower than those without a closer school whereas

> DVI said that's wrong and if you have a closer

> faith school then you'd be canned (which also

> contradicts their two cherry bites advice. All

> very confusing!

What would God think?

Is prayer ever in vain?

;-)

[aprilfool]

that sentence is to be read in line with the second part of it Vesti - I am a regular church goer anyway and have been for years but I am going to have to be strategic about exactly which church to attend now that the school issue is in the frame. It would be foolish not to.

[sillywoman]

I certainly prayed like billy-o for my youngest childs' community place - seems like someone out there was listening ;-)

[Fuschia]

Alternate st b and st Matthews

[Lacey]

DVI is bulging this year. You might know already but you might want to check whether this is for this year only or a permanent one because of likely impact on distance for non-church places in subsequent years.

[Shankley]

It's permanent i think. They've had an extension built. We've got a place after being 20 something on the waiting list!

[sillywoman]

Err, the extension wasn't created to house an extra 3 classes of 30, or a definite move to a 4 form intake, it was developed with quite other plans in mind.

My impression is that DVI will see how it goes but doesn't want to commit themselves (quite rightly IMO) to a permanent intake of 120. That's an awful lot for a small school to deal with. They'd also have to discuss with The Hamlet as their primary feeder school & I'm certain that the Hamlet can't take the extra 120 kids in their playground that a permanent four form intake would create. For these reasons I suspect that the bulge at DVI will be temporary, although maybe for a couple of years rather than just one.

[Shankley]

My mistake. When I spoke to them before deciding where to apply the school told me that they were having an extension built and was due to be completed in time for sept 2012 intake which I thought would result in increasing their future intakes from 90 to 120 and not just this year.

[Coach Beth]

Budge classes are generally for one year only - as you can imagine, it would mean that the school would have to be drastically extended to fit in 120 pupils each year as they move up each year (i.e. if schools kept taking budge classes eventually each year in the school would have to have 3 classes/120 places not just reception class). It's not sustainable.

[sillywoman]

Aha, found it - DVI Newsletter: June 17th;

"We have no current plans to take more than 1 extra intake, i.e. this is a one off for 2011."

That clarifies it a bit hopefully.

edited to make me sound less bossy :))

[aprilfool]

Thanks so much for all your replies, really helpful. Think I need to set my sights on another school or move house!