Southwark Primary School Admissions for Sept 2013

[GinaG3]

I spoke to Liam from parent partnership last week, I'm sure he said appeals are being dealt with now so that will be affecting lists although few are successful. Judith Kerr site also got announced last week so should help somewhat with a shift. Waiting to check again on our positions as I still check fortnightly.

Forgot about the 2nd June deadline for Langbourne, wanted to reject against all advice, will I have been automatically accepted, rejected or what will have happened? Was advised to accept and defer but really don't want to even do that. Happy to wait out the year with hope in my mind and see what happens, if no budge looks like we are homeschooling.

[number 2]

yes, i think you have to have a very, very good reason to appeal like one twin getting a place and not the other, severe special/social needs, something like that.

hope something comes up for you gina!

[GinaG3]

How is everyone getting on? Southwark just let us know our latest wait positions. I'm feeling really disappointed there has been no shift AT ALL in the right direction for us since we first went on wait lists. This process is so disheartening, I feel completely on my own being so young. Its not easy. I know I have until the school year beginning year one for a place to come up for her but it seems so unlikely even to people with experience of the system I've spoken to. Yet, at the same time, everyone thinks I'm doing the right thing here and I'm going with my heart to do the best for my daughter and our whole situation.

The prospect of long term home educating my child if I don't get a 'local' place for my daughter is daunting but I would be determined to do it! At only 23 with no formal qualifications myself after leaving school at 14, how would Southwark see me as a home educator? Is anyone else still strongly considering it, should a place not become available?

[James Barber]

Hi GinaG3,

They'd need convincing. But a number of support groups exist: http://www.home-education.biz/support/Organisations/

You might want ot check with the Judith Kerr Primary school if they have places: http://www.jkps.org.uk/contact-us/

[bizzylizzy]

I've lost faith in the system somewhat. I am in a much better position on the waiting lists than you Gina, even though we live close (I'm near the Grove Tavern too) but we just seem to be up and down the lists like a yo-yo. I wonder why we are still moving down, surely all the late entries are in by now and people have got themselves on extra waiting lists by now but we still move down the list 3 or 4 places and then back up again, then down.... Last week I rang Southwark and was told that the waiting lists had gone to schools so to contact the school directly. I rang Goodrich but they never called me back. I rang Southwark again today and they never called me back either. The letter we got stated that waiting lists only went to schools on 31st August so I'm not sure what to think really!

[number 2]

maybe james or renata would look into the facts about who holds the waiting lists now for us? (please?) i work in a school and i'm pretty sure that we haven't got our list and the school administrator is having to ring southwark and ask for names when other people say that they don't want their place. she's had to ask people directly, when she's contacted them to ask them to enrol, to contact southwark and let them know and they've just given a vague "yes". these are presumably the places that suddenly become available in september and make my blood boil!

[Kes]

Pretty sure that the lists are still with Southwark. I had an email with our latest places from them yesterday.

[bizzylizzy]

Yes the lists are still with Southwark. I called them today and found out our latest positions. Not good news for us, we've moved down the list 7 places in a week and a bit. I don't get it. I expected places at this point to change by one or 2 positions but for 7 children to have moved into the area/got an SEN statement or whatever in a week seems very odd to me!!

[number 2]

Oh blimey bizzylizzy. That's a bit of a kick in the guts! I'm sorry! I really don't get how you can have gone down so much in such a short space of time and at this point too!

[bizzylizzy]

Tell me about it!! We were first last week and I genuinely thought we'd get a place soon but when I called again today I was told we're now 7th. I just don't get where all the new people are coming from! I'd have thought that everyone who was a late applicant etc would have applied by now and I find it hard to believe that 6 kids have suddenly got a statement or moved into foster placements in the area in the space of just over a week :-/ I'm not sure what is going on with Goodrich's list as we are pretty static on the other lists we're on although no hope of getting into those schools as we're a long way down their lists.

[Emski]

Completely agree, busylizzie. There seems to be something fishy going on with Goodrich's list. I emailed Admissions to ask if they could explain where these extra people have come from - how come they're appearing so late in the day and why seemingly only at Goodrich. Needless to say, I got the standard answer about SEN, moving closer, siblings... It still doesn't add up for me. Very little transparency.

[mrs.lotte]

Oh I don't think it's just at Goodrich, I heard that there were lots of late entries to Goose green wait lists. It will be the same people on all the wait lists, they can only go to one school in the end. Hang on in there and good luck

[number 2]

I also think that there's something funny that goes on with who you speak to or who replies to your email. I seem to get very different answers. I think maybe email might be the best option. 1st to 7th is utterly rubbish!!!

[Abney]

I've gone down the lists in Lewisham too. Very frustrating.

[Renata Hamvas]

Many of the local primaries have places in the junior years. If families new to the area secure a place for an older primary child, than a younger sibling goes to the top of the waiting list. There are also instances where parents forget to tick the sibling box on the original application and parents who assume that they child having a nursery place means they don't need to apply for reception. There are also children whose waiting list status is altered due to social/medical need that may not have been apparent at time of application.

Renata

[GinaG3]

I haven't even checked my Lewisham lists since they released them, they were so far fetched I gave up from the off. I might check, just on the off chance, then again it could make me even more irate.

[AllyMcB]

Just wondering if anyone appealed, and of they did if they had heard the outcome of their appeal as yet?

[number 2]

Oh blimey I am now soooooo fed up. We've gone from 5th to 6th at ivydale which is our first choice and we only live about 50-100m from the last house to have been offered a place. How? How????

Then from 12th to 19th at St. John's and 13th to 17th at dog kennel hill. Grrrrrrr. So fed up of the whole thing.

[bizzylizzy]

Oh no number 2! It's so frustrating isn't it? I don't know where all these extra children are coming from - if we believe the admissions team that means a massive number of families are moving house in this last couple of weeks - or getting statements for SEN, which just doesn't add up to me! The bit I don't understand is why is there suddenly so much movement in the last couple of weeks. From what I've heard about appeals it is extremely rare for them to be won as the only reason you win is if you get an SEN statement or your distance between home and school has been incorrectly calculated.

[number 2]

Yes appeals are extremely hard to win. We even had siblings at our school who didn't win their appeals as the numbers are so strict. The only thing I can think of is that the schools are having a big push on filling up spaces higher up the school which would put any siblings coming into reception right to the top of the waiting list. The thing is with where we are is that there are great big bits of land in a 600m radius of the school that don't have houses on them so there seems to be so little scope for people going ahead of us, but going ahead of us they are. I just wish I knew who the 6 people above us were. I've tried to ask for some clarification of where they think our house is but I've not had much luck yet. Don't really know how to go about it....

[GinaG3]

I feel for you number 2. It's really hard to be optimistic in this whole situation. We've still had no movement at all, up or down. I don't know whats more frustrating, I think its all on par to be honest.

I'm trying not to think about it all at the minute, been constantly ill through all of this unfortunately and now battling bad wisdom infection myself whilst helping my daughter get through a severe skin infection. Hellish few months for us.

[number 2]

oh gosh gina, you poor things! hope things pick up soon.

so many people have said "oh, 5th? you'll DEFINITELY get in" - erm, not if the 5 or 6 people plus one who already has a place change their minds we won't!

let's hope it all gets sorted soon for all of us.

[cazbee]

I'm not sure if this has been posted elsewhere but Southwark has now published figures for last place allocated on distance for the community schools for September 2013 admissions. Thought it might be of interest to other parents.

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/download/3414/table_of_community_primary_school_place_allocations_for_september_2013

Also, with regard to the new Harris Free School proposed for East Dulwich, now is the time to make submissions about which areas should be considered for the three nodal points. The consultation is now open and it is local parents' opportunity to get their area considered as one of the 3 notional "front doors" for the new school. Once decided, these will be a permanent part of the admission criteria and not shift year on year based on need.

[number 2]

I've just heard back from admissions. They have about the right distance down for us - 604m we missed out by 87m. I still find it hard to believe that there are 5 other children of the sa,e age living in such a small area!! I think it must be people who've just got older siblings in. That trumps most things!

[simonethebeaver]

Hmm. Just found out this year we'd have been 7m beyond the furthest offer from our nearest school. I wonder whether we'd have got in from the waiting list. Am feeling a bit more positive about our chances when the time comes that we might have the tiniest chance.