Southwark Primary School Admissions for Sept 2013

[Abney]

.

[Abney]

Can someone explain waiting lists? Do you only go on them after you've declined your offer? OR, do you just get put on them anyway?

[Renata Hamvas]

Hello all,

I am really sorry to hear that some of you have received a school you are unhappy with. I am happy to help anyone who has problems with their primary school allocation (see my contact details below). If you haven't received any of your 6 schools it means that in the first round there were people who were higher up the ranking list than you up to the admission number. Over the next few weeks there will movement on all waiting lists, so if you have applied to your closest schools, it is likely that you will get a place at one of those schools eventually. You may also decide to be added to the waiting list of other schools that you didn't apply to in the first round.

To anyone who got their secondary offer resent. this was a glitch in the London wide computer system (the system is PAN London) ie not a Southwark issue. This was corrected by around 5.30pm. Notification was correctly sent out to those waiting on primary school allocations in parallel, so all on-line applicant parents should have received their primary allocation. Letters were also sent out as well, so a hard copy notification should be received by parents, most likely today.

Overall more parents than last year received their first choice and more received one of their choices than last year.

This is the letter that has been emailed out to all Councillors, with the details:

Dear Councillor,

Southwark has seen an increase in the number of children getting a primary school of their choice.

In addition all primary school applicants have been offered a place for September 2013 and more children than ever before have been offered a first preference school.

Figures to note are:-

? 100.0% of Southwark primary school applicants have been offered a place for September 2013

? A total of 3,411 applications were received, 57 less applications than last year

? 2,804 (82.2%) children received a first preference school a 4.6% increase on last year's figure of 2,692 (77.6%)

? 3,272 (95.9%) children received one of their preferences a 1.7% increase on last year's figure of 3,269 (94.2%)

? 139 (4.0%) families without a preference and offered an alternative school, this is a 1.7% decrease on last year's figures - 198 (5.7%)

? 3,328 (97.5%) of online applications were received, an increase of 36.8% from last year's figure of 2110 (60.7%).​

Please note that our School Preference Advisers together with members of our parent partnership team will be holding a drop in surgery at Cator Street. for two weeks, (19th - 29th April), on a first come, first served basis.

Renata

[James Barber]

hi Kes,

Yes, you're placed on wiating lists but it helps to keep tabs on that and potentially ask to be placed on other schools waiting lists. Huge shake out will occur.

[Renata Hamvas]

Jennifaah and those wanting to contact admissions:

Tel: 020 7525 5337

schools.admissions@southwark.gov.uk

I would wait a few days though as there will be some people who will turn down places very quickly eg if they have a place at an independent school.

Ryekids/Kamath/Bizzylizzie/LizzieF/Kes etc You are automatically put on the waiting list for schools on your list (higher than an offered one if you got offered a preferred school). You can get the waiting list information from Southwark Admissions. Movement on waiting lists can happen well into the next school year (eg some children don't turn up in September).

Vez/Tomskip/Ellandi

it is certainly a good idea to put down 6 schools as last place offered distances can vary a lot from year to year (eg sibling no fluctuations) and sometimes bulges occur due to demand after the closing date. If you have put a school down that has a late bulge class you may get it and not be in with a chance any more if you apply later, once the allocations are released.

Gina3, do you live on East Dulwich Grove, if so, the schools you would have had a greatest chance to get into are Goose Green and Bessemer Grange. You don't mention these two schools as ones you have applied to. I would suggest requesting to go onto the waiting list of these two schools if you do live on East Dulwich Grove.

If you were allocated a school place, this would be the closest Southwark school where there are places. This may not have been the closest school where there were places. If you live close to the boundary with Lewisham or Lambeth, it may be worth requesting to go onto the waiting list of schools that are close to you over the Borough boundary. Some of you have been offered Langbourne. Due to demand it bulged last year and it has also bulged again. Its normal admission number is only 30. This will have been the closest school to you that had places available.

If you live near a C of E or Catholic school it may be worth adding your child's name to their waiting lists, as after the allocation to practicing C of E or Catholic applicants, remaining places are allocated on distance. C of E schools typically have 50% community places, but if there are not enough C of E applicants, or places come up on the waiting list, these could be allocated to non C of E applicants.

Renata

[LondonMix]

Where is the Grove? All those schools have rather tight catchments and all of those schools are quite some distance from each other (Fairlawn and Heber).

GinaG3 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> We didn't get any of our preferred 6 either, have

> been offered Langbourne (2.4 miles away). What do

> I do now if I don't want to accept a place unless

> its in my top 6?! I did pick Horniman, Fairlawn,

> Eliot Bank, Goodrich, Heber and Dulwich Village.

> All perfectly reasonable if at the Grove, no?

>

> In a daze today, just returned from surgery and

> spaced out on Morphine. Will figure it all out

> tomorrow, struggling to even type. All advice

> welcome though. :-)

[Cora]

Could it be kelvin grove school?

[snowboarder]

Isn't it that bit of Lordship lane by the south circular - that pub on the corner was the grove wasn't it? thought Gina lived up there...

From friends it is this area that's been a bit of 'black hole' this year...

[Anna M]

Hello there

Our son has been offered a place at a faith school which is close to us, but wasn't in the six we applied for. Our other six were largely the next closest schools to us - all community schools. If we want to hold out for waiting list places at other schools, how do we proceed? Do we just wait without doing anything and see if we are offered places from the waiting list (will this happen automatically?)? - And who do we contact to find out what position we hold on the waiting lists?

Thanks for any help. I guess this info might be in the letter in the post but I may have no nails left by the time the letter arrives... A

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Anna,

the details of Southwark admissions are in my post above, they will know your waiting list position. If you email then, be aware that they are dealing with many emails at the moment and it may take a couple of days to get back to you. You will automatically be on the waiting list of the schools you applied to. As the school you have been offered is close to you, maybe contact the school and visit it.

Renata

[shirl]

The Grove pub towards Forest Hill I think re Gina.

Shocking for you, Gina - hope it gets sorted.

[LondonMix]

Oh, I see. Sorry Gina that's a tough one as that area is a bit of a blackhole. Unfortunately, except in a bulge year quite a few of those schools would be out of reach in that location. Did you look at Bessmer? Not sure what its situation is this year but its a good school that historically has been undersubcribed given its a little tough to get too. It might be a better option that what you've been offered though. Good luck sorting it out.

[jennifaah]

I emailed Southwark admissions and they had come back to me on waiting list positions by 9.10 this morning. So the lady running that seems very efficient at least! Good luck everyone!

[Renata Hamvas]

Ok, from above posters info, If Gina, if you live near the Grove Tavern, your closest school I think would be Horniman. You would automatically be on the waiting list on this and the other schools you applied for. The Grove Tavern is 1.8km from Langbourne (distances are all done as the crow flies), and this must have been the closest Southwark school to you with spaces.

Renata

[j&m]

Do you automatically get on the waiting lists for all schools on your list above the one you have been given, even if they are in a different borough? I seem to remember at an open day being told you only go on the one's in your own borough?

[kennarro]

One thing to bear in mind about the waiting list is keep your mobile phone ON and check emails etc. We were on holiday in 2009 and had our phones on by chance when we were offered a place to our 1st choice preferred school and had to confirm it in 4 hours. "Use it or lose it" was the message.

I believe the system has a funny way of sorting itself out but you still need to be fully alert.

[Emski]

This is hideously traumatic. We didn't get any offers from our 6 choices (we picked our 6 nearest schools - and are only 420m ish from Goodrich) and have also been allocated Langbourne (extremely difficult to reach without a car - I seriously don't know how I'd be able to do drop-off and have a job). I only stopped crying at 4 this morning.

The letter this morning from Southwark does contain plenty of useful info, as well as contact details for phoning to find out your place on waiting lists (supplied by Renata above) - I've found out we're 6th for Goodrich, which sounds promising but I'd love to hear from any of last year's parents whether that gives us a realistic chance of an offer at some point.

I'm also confused about whether or not we're automatically put on waiting lists. The general info that came with our letter says we are, but our specific information on our letter says that we've been put on the waiting list for three of our six, but not for the other three. They weren't able to explain this to me on the phone - just suggested I email and request to be added to the lists. Two of these three are in Lewisham, so I then phoned Admissions for this borough, where they suggested that I would be on the lists (but couldn't give me more info for 3 weeks) and it was just Southwark's wording that was misleading.

The wording reads: "Your child did not meet the school's oversubscription criteria so could not be offered a place."

Is j&m correct that you only get put on the lists in your own borough?

This whole thing is a mess.

[Abney]

I don't get this 'automatically' on waiting list thing. There will be so many people who will surely 'slow things up' ? My neighbour got a school they are happy with but will stay on the waiting list just in case they get a better offer. While I've not been offered any of my 6 and would be grateful for any of mine! Seems a bit odd.

[Cora]

I would think 6th on Goodrich list gives you a very good chance....

[GinaG3]

I'm a little more with it today so had a re-read of the thread. This has shocked my greatly, I didn't think that any of the schools I put were impossible at all. I doubted getting Horniman, but it was my first preference. Thought if I didn't get any I necessarily wanted I would at least be put into Goodrich or Heber. Dulwich Village was put on the list as a stop gap, to fill up a preference in final place.

By the way, yes The Grove is the top of Lordship Lane/Dulwich Common where the Harvester is no longer.

Langbourne I have looked into as much as I can, their website isn't even live (at admission time of year)! So little information found but I wont be taking the place anyway even if it means educating my child out of school for a while. On the road, it is a distance of 2.4 miles, to walk this with a 4 year is too much to me, 10 miles per day for drop off and collections and back is 50 miles a week! We don't drive and buses would cost me money I can ill afford as low income family. I have health issues too that would mean somedays I cant walk far, or very quickly without tiring a lot, I thought to try and get a freedom bus pass (in eventuality we got Fairlawn or Heber especially as up hill) through southwark but no-one understands the underlying needs of my medical conditions so cant be bothered with another argument.

All in very unhappy and disappointed, trying not to think about it now as too much on my plate right now and hoping there is light at the end of this road.

[Fuschia]

I am afraid that a good part of the problem is current govt and its focus on free schools

Expansion of school places to meet increased demand is in chaos

[GinaG3]

Waiting for a call back from admissions to see where we are on the waiting list etc, IF we are. Advised it could take a few days.. Got everything crossed over here!!

[LondonMix]

How many bulges are there this year Renata? 96% of applicants getting one of the 6 choices and 82.2% getting their first choice with 100% being allocated a school is pretty impressive but how much bulging is being done to achieve this?

Also, where do things stand regarding the funding for expanding Dulwich Hamlet and the other 2 Southwark schools you've mentioned in the past.

I feel terrible for the 4% who didn't get any of their 6 choices...

[Renata Hamvas]

To clarify, you only automatically get put on the lists for your own Borough's primaries .

For most of the posters above this is Southwark. The actual application process is PAN London, but the waiting lists are maintained initially by the LAs. If you live Lewisham and have applied to Southwark schools, you need to contact Southwark admissions. (Sorry, I am not very knowledgeable about Lewisham's processes!).

Waiting lists do move. If you have been allocated a school too far away eg Langbourne I would suggest being added to additional school's waiting lists eg St Francesca Cabrini (does take non-Catholics who live nearby), Ivydale as it has bulged, Hollydale, Rye Oak, Bessemer Grange, Lewisham schools, Lambeth schools, ie whatever other schools are in close proximity to where you live.

Abney, if someone gets a place from a waiting list, this frees up one at another school.

In terms of proof of address, the welcome pack will come from the school and you will need to provide the school with proof of address, this may be council tax, child benefit etc.

I agree with Cora, 6th on a 90 entry school gives you a good chance. Things that will impact on this are things like new residents moving in closer to the school than you; families securing a place at the school for an older sibling or children being recategorised on the waiting list eg due to social/medical need. So warn people that movement on a waiting list can be up or down.

Renata

[Saffron]

Indeed, very disappointing, as the two issues (ie, free schools and expansion of school places) are not mutually exclusive hypothetically, but the government seems to be doing a fairly decent job of bungling both! The thought of applying for reception places in autumn (for 2014-15) actually makes me feel a bit ill. And it's definitely driving me to look for alternatives (not that we can nec afford them!).