Heber and Goodrich waiting lists

[DawnSE22]

Below are the current allocation details for Heber and Goodrich schools as provided to me by southwark council today. We were offered our 6th choice (Goose green school) but we will automatically go on the waiting lists for the schools higher up our preference lists.

We initially declined the goose green place online but have been told by Southwark council that this won't make any difference as the place will still be allocated to us until or unless an alternative place is found (seems strange to give you the option really).

I have found Southwark council incredible quick and helpful if you email them ([email protected]).

Good luck with getting the school of your choice everyone.

HEBERSCHOOL ? 60 PLACES FOR RECEPTION 2012

Total applications 403

Siblings offered 35 children

Looked after Children 0

Social/medical 0

Distance 25 children

Children with full statements of special educational needs 0

Furthest child offered a place on distance lives 191 metres from the school

GOODRICHSCHOOL ? 90 PLACES FOR RECEPTION 2012

Total applications 343

Siblings offered 39 children

LAC 0

Social/medical 0

Distance 60 children

SEN 1 child

Furthest child offered a place on distance lives 674 metres from the school

[mrs.lotte]

I'm so sorry to hear that the council won't let you free up the place at Goose Green when I know that there are lots of parents in the nursery who really really want to stay at the school have failed to secure a place. Madness.

[DawnSE22]

Mrs Lotte - yes so I understand and we have changed our mind since declining the place as we have heard some really good things about the school since then. We are arranging to go and visit it to see for ourselves. It was just a bit of a shock not to get one of our earlier preferences, two of which we are nearer to and thought we would be offered.

Now the dust has settled, and we have read some of the stories on the forum we feel lucky to have been offered a place at a local school!

[Coach Beth]

The whole system is crazy! Anyway, maybe I will see you at the tour on the 1st May - I'll be chatting to parents at the coffee morning and showing people around our wildlife garden/veggie gardens!

[citizenED]

DawnSE22, if this was offered by Southwark - then they have their sums wrong.

GOODRICH SCHOOL ? 90 PLACES FOR RECEPTION 2012

Siblings offered 39 children

LAC 0

Social/medical 0

Distance 60

SEN 1 child

That equals 100

[simplytash]

Hi if anyone can help how do you go about appealing Heber was my first choice and my children didn't get a place for reception and im really disappointed as they are currently in the nursery, i received goose green which i have declined and also been told it doesn't make a difference. I believed Heber was meant to be a community school yet i know of two families one in loughborough and the other in bermondsey who have got in yet i live a five minute walk from the school and didn't receive a place.

[Fuschia]

First step is to confirm how many m away you live, as the crow flies (check with the council)

[dharamsala]

Hi ,

I put Heber as well as a first choice , I live in Wathetely road and my daughter didn't get a place in reception . We've been offered a place in a school called John Donne in Peckham High street ! !!

I'm very disappointed :(

[magpiemonkey]

I live around 400-500m from John Donne and didn't get in (nor did a few others I know who live within last year's catchment area). Something is amiss here. I presume it wasn't one of your choices. I read on this forum that a bulge class had been created there, but thought that must be a mistake, otherwise the catchment would surely have widened. I wonder whether they created a bulge class late on to cater for children who didn't get a place anywhere else. Doesn't seem very fair on those who actually listed it as one of their choices and live close by! Sorry you didn't get your place in Heber.

[Fuschia]

That is weird

According to tools here

http://www.freemaptools.com/how-far-is-it-between.htm

It's about 4km from whately rd to John Donne

[Carbonara]

magpie monkey, that sounds very odd. If a mistake has been made that will give you cast iron grounds to appeal.

[Fuschia]

Or maybe 2km

Not sure that tool works well with my iPhone

Lot more than 500m anyway

[dharamsala]

I've calculated the distances between my flat in watheley road and the main entrance from John Donne and is 3km760m..... !!!!!!

May be they've made a mistake ?? I really can't understand that

[dharamsala]

I can't understand it as Heber is 259 metres from my flat...... this is crazy

[Indiana]

That must be a mistake..but as for Heber - the furthest non-sibling space this year is 191M (as per the first post) so at the moment you are outside of the current catchment area even at 259M. I hope you are successful on the waiting lists.

[Coach Beth]

It sounds like a bulge class was created at John Donne for all the people who didn't get a place at their 6 choice schools??? Although, as magpiemonkey points out this isn't fair on people who did want a place at John Donne in the first place and weren't allocated it! Hopefully magpie you will get a place at John Donne as people who didn't want the place will get a place at a school nearer to where they live through waiting lists and maybe appeals.

The problem the lists thing is that if you put down all 6 schools which all tend to be over-subscribed but other people fall higher on the criteria for each of those schools then it is possible for you to be sent to any school in the borough with a space. (Although I am unsure about the futherest walking distances however?) A few years ago, a number of people from East Dulwich were allocated spots at John Donne and Peckham Park Primary (this is nearish the Old Kent Road). However, parents were eventually allocated a place at an East Dulwich school. It's likely it will be sorted in the shake down but it's definately an anxious time.

[katyc]

Hi

I was in exactly the same place as you last year as our daughter had been at Heber Nursery. We were really disappointed to be allocated a place Goose Green even though we were just over 300m away from Heber. However, I wish I could have saved myself all of the stress!

My daughter has been in reception at GG since September. She loves it and we're so happy she's there. She is doing really well, the head, reception teachers and other staff are great, we've met lots of like minded parents and there are loads of opportunities for you to get involved.

Please feel to PM me if you want to chat about anything.

Cheers, Katy

[Carbonara]

I don't think they could put unallocated children to schools with a bulge class ahead of families who applied . Not unless the published admissions code states that that is what will happen. All other waiting lists have to follow the published admissions codes, and a bulge class is basically a class allocated from waiting lists, isn't it?

Go on to MumsNet into the Primary Education Board where there is a poster called prh47bridge who is a schools admissions legal expert and ask whether this would be a legal admissions decision.

Good luck on the waiting lists dharamarsala, did you put other more local schools on your list too? Go on the waiting lists for all of them.

[dharamsala]

Thank you Carbonara, she's in the waiting list for Goodrich , DKH, St. Johns and Clements and the one in Dulwich village apart of Heber. Fingers crossed !! I'm a single mum so I really need her to go to a local school as I don't have family here to help ..

Good luck to you as well x

[MelRose]

I am a bit confused about that too. We got in to john donne today after 3 days on waiting list but are only 300m away. Based on last years catchment we were really surprised not to be straight in. I did know they had a lot of apps this year, but have only heard about the bulge recently. if I find out more I will update

[Renata Hamvas]

dharamsala, I know from our correspondance that following some late applications that you made, you now have a place at a school closer to you. I do find it odd however why you were offered John Donne in the first place as there were people who applied for it and weren't allocated it, and also, it is far from your home.

Melrose, I am glad you have now have a place at John Donne. However, when a school bulges, the first people to be offered those places ought to be those who are at the top of the waiting list and not others who have been unsuccessful in securing a place at one of their chosen schools. I know that you are now sorted, but I would like if you could please email me your details as I would like to investigate this further.

For those of you on the waiting list for Heber. With such a small last place offered distance and large number of siblings, please be aware that they may be less movement than usual for this school from the waiting list. As people (without a child at the school already) who have been offered the school live so close to it, they are not very likely to turn a place down unless they go down the independant school path or move house. Any closeby late applicants (and also anyone who forgot to tick the sibling box and newly assessed under social or medical need) will cause current people on the waiting list to shift downwards in rank order.

Renata

[magpiemonkey]

I've also now been offered a place at John Donne after all. Yesterday, a couple of others I know (in addition to MelRose above) were offered places there too. They have confirmed there's a bulge class, but I couldn't get the full picture as to why we weren't offered this school originally, as with 90 places, I'd have expected to get in without going on the waiting list. I did get the impression the bulge class was added late in the day however, as it wasn't on the original list on Southwark's website.

[Michminx]

Hello all,

We have been offered John Donne and we live in dulwich, we didn't get our first choice Dulwich Infants school.

We don't live that far away from it (less than 800m) Is John Donne a good school?.

Any advice knowledge would be grateful.

Thanks M

[Sanne Panne]

(deleted, sorry misunderstood a message)

[magpiemonkey]

John Donne was rated Outstanding in October 2011 and it has a really good Early Years reputation. Their school choir was on BBC Breakfast a few months ago! I now know quite a few people with places, all of whom are very happy be sending their children there. Feel free to PM me if you want more info or would like to meet up.