Waiting list for primary school-help needed

[Kaska]

We have been refused a place at our local school...How do I find out where we are on the waiting list and what was the distance to be accepted?We were probably few meters to far as a boy 4 houses from us get the place.

We are in Lambeth and the school admissions team doesn't take phone calls...(I've just heard to many bad stories about them :()

[Fuschia]

Go to the write to them website, find your local councillors and query it via them

The lea will respond to an official query

[Curmudgeon]

Call the school

[Fuschia]

Curmudgeon, waiting lists are not released to schools at this stage

[????]

We didn't get ANY on our list. Refusing place offered miles away obviously

[mrs.lotte]

Oh quids that's rubbish. Happened to us a few years ago (although then you could only have 4 choices then so you have been really unlucky)

However the advice we were given was that if we refused our allocated place then the council would effectively take us out of the system and we would not be able to remain on the waiting lists for the schools that were on our list or go on to waiting lists of schools that we hadnt originally applied for.

Naturally Southwark admissions will be in total disarray but you can email to find out where you are on waiting lists. There is always movement, you will be fine. But I would take some advice before refusing a place, I really wanted to do that as a two fingers up to the council when we were offered John Donne (uh?Where?) but it would have meant cutting off our nose to spite our face and council woudlnt have given two hoots.

Hold your nerve and good luck.

[????]

Thanks for the advice - with some other crap we've had recently regarding school allocation/places I'm hardly enamoured with the whole kaboodle, although I do appreciate they are under pressure. Will check with MOH what we've done but hoping we haven't refused now! Thanks again for your advice and support. Slightly SLIGHTLY disenhartening to be one of the 'only 6%' who didn't get a school on their list but the one we've been given is completley impractical in opposite distances from our eldests school Grrrrrrrrrrr (i have heard, and am hoping, it tends to get sorted in the wash)

[Fuschia]

???, I am sure your offer will improve. Where do you live? Must be a bit of a black hole

[Kaska]

Thanks you for your advice and support.I ask the headteacher today...My son is in the nursery class in ours local school,that's why I feel like I really have to do anything in my power to keep him there...I am not sure how you can explain to 4 years old that he can't go to his local school anymore and stay with his friends and go to the school that is miles away from us...

??? I heard the same story that you have to accept the place in order to be on the waiting list...The problem for us is that we are Lambeth residents...On they website says that you are automatically on the waiting list,the letter we received says we have to call ... to be on the waiting list.I call them yesterday but without any luck...I heard that the team is far from being professional and helpful...

[????]

My missus told we had to refuse - which contradicts both 'sense' and advice on here. Coiuncillors, legal and 'other plans' my next point of call

[????]

Just confirmed with Southwark you can refuse and it doesn't get you off the waiting list for your choices

[????]

Fuschia, Fellbrigg

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi ????,

I am sorry to hear that you yet again have had problems over school allocation :(. I hope that the other problem you had has now been resolved. I would suggest that you accept the school you have been offered. You will be on the waiting lists of the other Southwark schools you have applied to. Accepting the school you have been offered does not have any inpact on whether you are successful in securing a place at one of your chosen schools. I would suggest acceptance as a safety net, as you risk September coming along with you child being left without a primary school place. You can request that your child is added to the waiting list of schools you did not initially apply for. I would suggest contacting Southwark admissions to see where you are on the waiting lists and how far out you are from the last place offered distances. Liam White (his details on the other threads) is a good point of contact and I'm still around!

Kaska, I would suggest that you contact your local councillors to help you out with this.

Renata

Renata

[snowboarder]

???? - Felbrigg?? Wow that basically means that children living in the centre of East Dulwich cannot get into a primary school. What on earth is going on here?

[mrs.lotte]

Snowboarder, that depends which schools you put on your list I guess.

???? did you put Goose Green, St John's, Bellenden (has a bulge this year) or Bessemer (also has another bulge) I would have thought that you would have got into one of these on first round and, if you didn't put any of them down, I would do so now and hope for a waiting list place, you are geographically close enough I would have thought.

Fingers crossed for you

[????]

Hurrah, got one on our list without going to appeal in the end to much relief. Thanks for support and advice everyone and special thanks to Councillor Renata Hamvas for offer of help to someone not in her ward and for the general info and help she's provided on the forum. Thanks Renata.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi ????,

thanks for the update (and the rest of your post!)

I'm delighted that you now have a suitable primary school place for your child :)-D

Renata

[dontpanic]

For anyone else waiting on school places:

Just to let you know that I have had great advice from the Southwark Schools Preference advisor. He actually knows what he's talking about and will contact the admission dept on your behalf.He is employed specifically by Southwark to be an impartial advisor. He knows all the rules, dates, how to appeal and so forth. If you ring or email him he is terribly helpful and will not fob you off like the call centre does. He helped us greatly, even by just expaining the rules properly, and how the system works.

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200279/parenting_support_and_courses/2476/school_preference_advice/1