People owning up to not needing a school place. Likely or not?

[number 2]

Ok, we are in the reasonably happy situation of having been offered a place at our 2nd choice which was Hollydale. I thought it was quite a nice little place, but it is VERY little (playground and classrooms) and that worries me. As far as I could see there was no other option for a 2nd choice school as we're in a little bit of a black hole for schools once you take Ivydale (1st choice) out of the equation. We are 4th on the waiting list for Ivydale, which I really like. We're .34 mile away from Ivydale. What I want to gauge is people's opinion of whether, if they had got a place at an independent school, free school, were moving out of the area, whatever, would people notify Southwark by 2nd May to let them know they don't need the space. I appreciate that I am slightly guilty of this in that I would rather we had a place at Ivydale but I don't want to give up Hollydale if that place never arises. I'm just aware of the fact that not everyone great at thinking of others and the fact that they might be sitting on 2 school places when some people don't even have 1. What do people think?

Thanks

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi number 2, Hollydale is a good school. It is small, but then it has no nursery and a smaller intake than other schools in the Nunhead area. I would suggest you accept Hollydale, you will still stay on the waiting list for Ivydale and if a place come up, you turn Hollydale down at that point. On factor that could impact on you Ivydale waiting list position is that as it's first year of the school, Haberdasher's free school had an independent application process. People who have been offered this school will also have been offered another primary school via the CAF system. I don't know what the deadline is for parents in this situation to respond, but they could accept their CAF place while deciding about the Aske's one!

Renata

[number 2]

Thanks Renata. I know we are lucky to have the place at Hollydale and some people have not been so lucky. This situation with the Aske school is the sort of thing I'm worried about. We will accept the Hollydale place, I just have huge reservations about the actual physical size of the playground/classrooms having a lively boy!

Thanks for your advice.

[Hollybush]

You have a good chance of getting Ivydale as you are so high up the list, if not before the start of term then during first term (although you might not want to move once settled at Hollydale. YOu are not 'guilty' of sitting on a place as that is the nature of the system - you would of course give it up straight away if you got a place higher up your list, as would everyone else.

Can't judge how likely people are to 'sit on' places but I imagine most would let the council know once they were sure of their intentions.

I hope that there there are the 4 rejections that you need to get in! Of if not, you come to love Hollydale - it all looks different once term starts and you get to know faces, I promise.

[number 2]

I think I am a little bit over emotional about the whole thing (or premenstrual) because your lovely reply just made me well up a little bit Hollybush. I'm sure we would come to love Hollydale too. It's all just so emotive. I promised myself I wouldn't get het up about this whole thing!!!

[Zephy]

We've got two places and the deadline for Aske's is 6th May. (Might be why Lewisham aren't giving out waiting list info until the middle of May...?)

Anyway, information evenings are being held this week for Aske's so those with offers will be better placed to make their decision. Given the location of the new school I should imagine this will have the biggest impact on Edmund Waller, John Stainer and Ivydale waiting lists... Fourth sounds very promising though, number 2 so good luck with that!

[number 2]

Thanks Zephy, that's really good information. Seems like you really have to be in the know to find stuff out!!

Also, meant to (but actually didn't) say thanks to Hollybush. I know I said your reply was lovely, but then didn't say thanks!!

[Hollybush]

You're welcome - it just is an emotional time, and I think part of it is just the upheaval of the children starting school - any uncertainty on top of that makes everything harder. I was really worried about my lo settling in to reception anyway as he was so young - we were in the same situation as you and I was upset not to be able to start telling him where he was going and what colour uniform etc to prepare him over the summer. We stayed on waiting list for our 1st (were further down than you though) but in the end we stuck with 2nd choice which in our case turns out to have been brill - he loves it!

[number 2]

where did your little person end up then? or would you rather not say?

[njc97]

Number2: do you think Hollydale was that small? I thought the playground was a bit "tardis like" and kept spotting other bits, and classrooms about average. It was noticeably smaller than Edmund Waller's site, but I thought that was EW being exceptional not Hollydale. I've heard of other schools that are apparently v tiny (to the point of not having corridors, so access to one classroom is through the one next door etc).

(obv this is all relative for London)

[number 2]

njc, i've always thought of the classrooms in the school i work at as small and i was really concerned about how much smaller the rooms felt at hollydale. it was chucking it down the day that i went to look around though so we didn't see a whole lot of the playground. maybe there were bits that i didn't notice. i guess the same goes for the classrooms. it was such a dark, horrible day that it can't have shed a positive light on the building!