Secondary School Admissions

Zara33

Got first choice of school for my DS delighted!!

loveandlight

Posted by Becles
I'm glad you think your children ok, but I'm not sure how this is helpful to the other people posting in this thread

Well I think it's very helpful because from reading this thread some parents are obviously so distraught emotionally that it's good for them to be aware that there is actually another way to educate and that it may actually be more preferable for them and their children without all the incredible highs and lows and lack of power and control that go hand in hand with traditional schooling.

silvercar

loveandlight wrote: »

Well I think it's very helpful because from reading this thread some parents are obviously so distraught emotionally that it's good for them to be aware that there is actually another way to educate and that it may actually be more preferable for them and their children without all the incredible highs and lows and lack of power and control that go hand in hand with traditional schooling.

Home schooling is not something that should be decided on a whim based on failing to get a particular school when you are emotionally distraught.

It should be a decision made with full and propert thought because it is in the best interests of the child and having regard to the family situation.

The vast majority of people posting on this thread about their school allocation have already made a decision not to home school and hence their application. Throwing in the idea that you can home school as a reaction to not getting the school of choice is naive.

seven-day-weekend

Congratulations to all of you who have got your first choice.

Commiserations to those who haven't. Please do appeal - the outline of how to appeal mentioned above is a very good guideline. I hope you eventually get a place.

I still remember how stressful it was waiting to hear about my son's place (he's now 28). We had put him down for the local C of E school (by far the best school in the area, with results up with some of the selective schools and a good Christian ethos. Very oversubscribed.). Although we are practising Christians we are not C of E. As most of the places were given to C of E Christians, I was convinced he wouldn't get a place and had buffed up on the appeals procedure.

When a letter came in December in a little brown envelope I thought it was from the nit nurse who'd been in his primary school a couple of days before. I thought we would not hear about the Secondary School place till after Christmas.

When I opened it, he had a place! We had to accept it within a certain time otherwise the place would be offered to someone else.

Seeing as we only lived around the corner from the school, the acceptance letter was in ten minutes after we knew he had got a place!

Anyway, hope you all get what you want in the end. It is a very stressful time that I can still remember after all these years!

laineyc_2

I don't think the idea of home schooling as an alternative to the school place offered is naive. I do admit it is not an ideal situation but to some people the prospect of sending their children to a failing or unsuitable school is a frightening prospect. For a number reasons homeschooling may not be an option, parents working etc, but if you are able to do it and research the resources etc, available it is an option, even for the short term.

We sent our eldest to the allocated school when our appeal for our chosen school failed. I was determined to keep an open mind and make a go of it. I attended meetings, kept in touch with the school, put my name forward to be a governor. But in a matter of a couple of months the negative transformation in our son was heart breaking. I made appointments with teachers who were very approachable but more or less said all they could do was control behaviour in class. Meanwhile our son became a stranger - in his attitude, the way he spoke and his behaviour deteriorated. After 7 months, we took himout of school. It was not a whim, I had been researching homeschooling because of the problems we were having. OH was sceptical at first but even he realised that we had to do something. Sending him to another school in the borough was not an option as they were all facing the same challenges.

The 2 months homeschooling was not all plain sailing. We applied to a school outside London and he was given a place. The 2 months at home allowed him time to get back to normal. Duriong this time he opened up to us and told us more about how he found being thrust into such a hostile environment. His change in behaviour was basically to survive sucha challenging environment.

I am happy to say, ds son is thriving in his new school. In hindsight, I wish that I had homeschooled him for a few months until we found a more suitable school rather than believing that by being involved in our local school , everything would be alright. That was naive of me.

HiJACKer

We got an email last night ~ 11.30pm to say that our DD has been allocated a place at her first choice.... Third generation going to the same High School, sorry it's actually called a Technology College now....

laineyc_2

Thanks good news.

Penny-Pincher!!

Still not heard from my SIL!

PP
xx

mrcow

Really happy for you Becles

Jet

I see that some areas are doing "lotteries" in over subscribed schools meaning that if you live next door to the school, you may not get a place.

Is it likely that this "lottery" idea is going to be rolled out across the country or just in certain areas?

I live in quite a rural area, so the next nearest school would be about 12 miles away. What if you can't afford the transport costs?