Primary school admissions 2013 are you happy your offer ?

[Anna27]

Thought it would be interesting to see if Southwark had met the demand of primary school places this year, did you get one of your 6 choices?

We were lucky to be offered our first choice school which was Ivydale, from my group of mummy friends generally most seem to be happy/got their first choice school.

[honey_b]

We didn't get any of our six, so no.

[Ryekids]

Likewise. Possibly not a time for public self congratulation.....

[Anna27]

Sorry to hear that! I'm sure there will be a lot of movement between now and September, we only got in because Ivydale bulged we live in a bit of a non catchment area for any other schools so it was a worrying time.

Certainly not self congratulating just an honest interest in the outcome across ED/Peckham, most of my child's friends live in the surrounding streets to us.

So what have you been offered? I know a lot of people applied for the new Aske's school, it was a separate application so in theory quite a few parents will have been offered 2 schools possibly freeing up spaces if they accept Aske's.

[Otta]

Ryekids Wrote:

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> Likewise. Possibly not a time for public self

> congratulation.....

That's harsh. Appreciate you're not happy at the moment, but there was no self congratulating going on. Besides, how can you congratulate yourself on pure luck? That's like a lottery winner claiming there was some skill involved in their number picking.

[etta166]

Yes, I'm also one of the majority of Southwark parents who got their first choice of school and I'm happy with that. The council think that 82% of people have been given their first choice of school this year.

It's not entirely luck, Otta. Partly it's about having a realistic outlook about which schools you might actually get a place at. I'm sure that there are other schools that we might have preferred for our child, but with no realistic prospect of getting a place (i.e. living 100s of metres outside last year's furthest offer distance) there wasn't really any point in listing them as preferences.

However, I have to admit to finding the system utterly baffling. How can ot be OK for there to be school "black holes" where you aren't close enough to any of your 6 closest schools to get a place there?? Then you can be sent to a school several km away with no available public transport, while others who live nearer to that school are going to a school closer to you. It seems a bit uncoordinated to me.

[Otta]

Well yeah, all that too.

[LondonMix]

There really aren't that many blackholes... As badly as I feel for those parents living near the plough who didn't get any of there 6 choices, there was a school whose catchment they would have fallen into if they applied to it (Bessemer which is a good school as well). Some parents didn't know how tight the catchments are, probably because they don't have friends with older children who've been through it, and Southwark should make more of a point about educating parents about all of this so the put down at least one realistic choice amongst the six.

[Jessie]

The grove and up towards forest hill - not really that near to Bessemer. Black holes do exist.

[LondonMix]

I agree. It's not one of the your closest 6 in that location so in that sense there is a black hole. However its considerably closer than the undersubcribed school many have been assigned and I think if Southwark better prepared parents, many would have added it to their list as a back-up. My only point is that I hope Southwark underline how important it is to look at previous catchments when selecting your 6 choices so parents can make stragic selections. Just telling parents to put down their closest six isn't good enough for the reasons you've pointed out.

[Chillaxed]

I agree, to the point where offering a school admissions consulation service would almost make a viable business. And that can't be right.

[LondonMix]

Exactly- that your safest choice might counter-intuitively not be your closest school is something that needs to be discussed more openly. To Southwark?s credit they do provide the furthest distance information on their website but I am not sure if they highlight the importance of really looking and analyzing it to make informed choices.

[Chief Jeff]

We're in the black hole near the Grove pub, chose our six closest schools and were given Langbourne. Very unhappy cos of the fiddly drop-off - we'd have to use the car every day, probably - but we might have to lump it. We were initially also unhappy because of Langbourne's reputation but it seems like it's improved recently.

I think some better info about bulges would be good - if we'd known the Horniman (our closest school) definitely wasn't going to bulge this year (and known that there were only going to be 10 places available after siblings got places) we probably wouldn't have bothered applying! As it was, whenever we asked, we were told it was still a possibility that the Horniman might have another bulge class this year. And I know what you mean about analysing the info, LondonMix - the furthest distance place for our other local schools in the previous year isn't necessarily any help, as this varies with bulge classes and extra sibling places and whatnot...

Anyway, we're keeping Langbourne as backup, but also applying to other schools that are just as far away but easier to get to. Think we're on about eleven waiting lists now...

[LondonMix]

It does vary but its possible to find out what the furthest distance offer (i.e. non-sibling) was in the last year without a bulge at a particular school. Similarly, as you mentioned, getting information about likely future buldges would help in making a choice. It's not a criticism and no matter how much information we have nothing is guaranteed.

However, the more information parents are provided with that they can assess, the better shot at getting the best alternative one choosing which 6 to put down. That's all.

Good luck with your waiting lists and sorry you didn't get one of your preferred choices.

[Lacey]

When we were applying a couple of years ago, we were also in a 'black hole' (but in Lambeth). When it became apparent we wouldn't get into our two closest schools (because of bulges in previous years and the resulting increase in siblings), and to avoid being allocated our third closest school which we did not want, we researched other schools that would work for us, even though they were not particularly close. So, we put Bessemer, Goose Green and Jessop down on our list. We got a place at Bessemer and haven't looked back (we would have been happy with places at the other 2 schools as all three are doing really well). We have since moved a bit further away and it's almost 3 miles from where we live but practically it actually works well for us as we are able to drive (but we can also get the train or bus there fairly easily too) - we can drop off and then get the train from North Dulwich to work.

Obviously, distances have shrunk a bit since we applied (and it seems we were very lucky to have applied to Bessemer when we did!) but, if you are able to look further afield, it may be worth visiting other schools outside your closest 6 schools so that you have at least one 'realistic' choice that you would be happy with in your particular circumstances.

Good luck to those of you going through this for this year - hope it all works out ok.

[MsMaz]

Wondered how far you were from Ivydale to get in? We are definitely in a horrible black hole between the two Harris secondary academies by the park. All the kids from the roads around here are at different schools so there is no school community. Goodrich, Ivydale and Fairlawn are all very near in 10 min walks but they are out of catchment.

Others have had to go to Horniman from here, my oldest are at Dog Kennel Hill as we started there, so have had to drive every day as could only get 2nd in there as a sibling rather than in a local school. Don't want to have to drive there again for another 7 years with my 3rd child but can't see how we can get him in anywhere in walking distance.

There was talk of a new school based at Harris Girls, which would be great.

[simonethebeaver]

Just looked up Bessemer's entry in the Southwark applications brochure, out of curiosity as we are in the black hole. It says all applicants offered a place. Is that how undersubscribed schools are described?

Although there are school places available in these various schools, the children in these tricky areas will miss out on going to school in their own close community within walking distance of home. Bessemer is quite a hike, and most of the schools Renata listed are some distance away in very different communities. I think the Peckham Free Schools are the closest.

[Lacey]

Hi Simone

Yes that's right. are you looking at the figures for 2012 entry in the southwark admissions guide? I think in the doc James posted on the other thread it gave a last offered distance of about 1500m for Bessemer for this round of application. Worth noting too that it has bulged the last 3 years now.

more generally, as others have said, the bulging strategy of the various councils and how it is communicated is a big issue.

[simonethebeaver]

Thanks, Lacey. We're way further than that so not an option for us.

[Anna27]

We are 0.23 miles from Ivydale and got offered it as our first choice, Bessemer was also on my list because of the larger catchment and the fact I had only heard good things. My outlook was that I would rather drive to a good local ish school than take the chance of putting down 6 of the best in the area, for example Hornimans was closer but we were probably more likely to get into Bessener.

Sounds like decisions have to be made by mid May for the Aske's school so hopefully that will free up a few spaces, we were around number 70 on the reserve list!

[LondonMix]

Renata has mentioned in the past I think that Bessemer might permanently expand.

Lacey Wrote:

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> Hi Simone

> Yes that's right. are you looking at the figures

> for 2012 entry in the southwark admissions guide?

> I think in the doc James posted on the other

> thread it gave a last offered distance of about

> 1500m for Bessemer for this round of application.

> Worth noting too that it has bulged the last 3

> years now.

> more generally, as others have said, the bulging

> strategy of the various councils and how it is

> communicated is a big issue.

[etta166]

So it's really strange that you can go to a drop-in council-run session with a school preference advisor now, after the admissions deadline and places are announced. Why don't they run the sessions first, to teach us parents how to do our applications correctly to stand the best chance of getting a school that we'd be happy with?

Chillaxed Wrote:

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> I agree, to the point where offering a school

> admissions consulation service would almost make a

> viable business. And that can't be right.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Etta166, you can contact Liam any time of the year. He does go and visit primary schools to help parents with their Secondary school applications. I will contact Liam with your suggestion.

Yes, Londonmix, you are correct.

Renata

[number 2]

Liam came to talk to parents at my son's nursery and was a mine of information. I don't know how many nurseries know about the facility though and I guess for those children who've not been to nursery the information wouldn't filter through.