Primary School admissions help

kidbrookeaddick

Hi guys,

In need of some advice if anyone is in the know.

We applied for reception places for my son for this year. My wife done the application and didnt want to wait for me. She made a mistake and put the wrong school ad 1st choice. The school we wanted she got confused with and didnt even put it on the application form. We did however complete the supplement form for the school we did want (Eltham CofE) which our vicar returned but obviously as we hadnt put the school on the applicstion it doesnt matter.

We are both devestated as we made the mistake. My wife through her anger has now rejected the school we were given (against my advice). Will this mess things up for us even more?

Another issue is my younger son has been accepted to Eltham CofE nursery but the school my older son has been accepted to is in greenwich. I have no idea how.my wife is expected to get both boys to school in the morning in completely different areas. 


I have emailed both the council and the school we liked to ask what to do if anything can be done. 

Emotions are quite high right now and im not ashamed to say i have cried a bit tonigjt. My son was looking forward to going to this school as were we. 

Has anyone else ever been in this situation. Really could use some advice right now.

_MrDick

First thing you have to do is get yourself on the waiting list for the school of choice. You will also need to find out about the appeals process is. Not everybody offers a place will take it up so the sooner you get on the waiting list the better. As your younger child has been accepted into the nursery, this may hold some weight. Get your vicar to write a letter of support to the school and to the appeals panel. 

MrOneLung

Is the school you wanted over subscribed?

if not they may welcome your request to enrol. 

RodneyCharltonTrotta

Ah mate sorry to read that and  try not to get too upset.  Sure there are more on here who will have practical advice but best thing to do is stay calm and polite i.e. don't fire off any angry, ranty emails in the heat of the moment/ late at night.

Get in touch with them and explain calmly the situation especially re the impractical logistics of having to travel across the borough and plead if they can help.

Really hope it works out for you mate. All the best.

25May98

When my son started reception three years ago, he was meant to be in a class of 30 but the school had to accommodate two extra pupils because the application of one child was actually for triplets (sounds unbelievable that such an error can take place I know). 
I cant give you any advice but just from personal experience, do not give up. State your case regarding a nursery and a school in opposite directions and the impossible logistics of getting the kids to school on time. If you fail on appeal they may just consider an extra pupil. 

As said above, get on the waiting list and contact the vicar. ASAP. 

Very best if luck. I feel for you. 

Gillis

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate situation. I can't imagine how stressful it must be.

Although I work in a school, I have nothing to do with admissions, so I'm afraid anything I post here is guesswork and speculation on my part. You definitely need to get some advice from someone who actually knows what they're talking about, which isn't me.

I'd wait to hear back from the school and local authority, as they should be able to give the correct advice. I'd also try to win over whoever deals with admissions in the office of your preferred school: they don't have any power to get your son a place, but they're a useful ally to have.

I'm not sure you can appeal at the moment, as you haven't been turned down by your preferred school (you didn't apply for a place, so they didn't deny you a place). The first step may be to make a late application to your preferred school (the local authority should be able to advise you on this). That way, if they don't have any places and reject your application, you may be able to appeal against the decision. As above, all speculation on my part, though.

You do need to be aware that there are stricter rules about class sizes in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes, so if your preferred school have already filled up their Reception class(es) for next academic year, then there may be nothing that can be done to get your son in there for the time being.

You may be able to find some information or get some advice here:

https://childlawadvice.org.uk

Best of luck with it all. I hope you get the outcome that you want. Keep exploring all the options, and try not to get disheartened.

Dizzle

Have PM’d you @kidbrookeaddick

kidbrookeaddick

Dizzle said:

Have PM’d you @kidbrookeaddick

Thanks ive replied

addicktedjim

Best of luck @kidbrookeaddick !