Finding a good primary with spaces in Y1 and Y4

[ChloeKM]

Hi,

We are probably moving to Dulwich just after christmas. Our two older children are currently in Y1 and Y4. We are looking at houses in Dulwich village and just to the east of Dulwich village. I am finding the proces of in-year admissions very daunting. All the schools I have contacted are currently full in Y1 and Y4 so we would need to join a waiting list but we cannot join the list until we move and then once we had movd we would have to wait for spaces to come up and that could be fast or very slow.

I would really appreciate help knowing which state primaries are good in the area and which might have places. I fear the answers to these two questions will be rather different.

Has anyone got experience with in-year admissions to the very oversubscribed schools? Did you home school while you waited for a place or did you move your children twice?

Many thanks for any help.

[scareyt]

Hi have you tried Bessemer Grange? It's a bit further West but is a brilliant school and has quite a large catchment area as its 3 form entry and is bordered by open space rather than housing on two sides. It wasn't very well regarded until the new head took over (4 years ago?) so year 4 may well still have spaces.

It's got fantastic teachers, big playgrounds, an active and very welcoming PTA and a huge nature garden created within the last 2 years that's full of really inspiring stuff. The head is great and her own son is in year 1 so she is clearly very committed to the school!

On waiting lists, the nearer you are to a school, the higher you go on their list, above anyone else who has been waiting longer but is further away. So your best bet is to pick a school you like and move as close as you possibly can to it, then you will be at the head of a queue for places. In east Dulwich you can easily end up nearish to lots of schools but not quite near enough to actually get in to any of them. Good luck!

[ChloeKM]

Thank you. I also received some lovely PMs re Bessemer Grange. Sadly it is one of the schools I have contacted that is full in both years. In fact all the follwoing are full in the years I need: Dulwich village, Rosendale, Heber, Goodrich, Bessemer. I also contacted three private schools (JAGS, Alleyns and Rosemead) and they are full too. I just don't understand how people move mid-year once they have school aged children.

[Renata Hamvas]

It's worth contacting Hollydale & Ivydale in Nunhead and St Francesca Cabrini (Catholic but does take non-Catholics) on Forest Hill Road. I know these aren't in East Dulwich/Village but may have spaces in year 1 & 4. Be aware if one child gets offered a place, you move up the waiting list as you are then waiting for a sibling place, except for DVI/Hamlet as these are separate infant and junior schools.

Renata

[mrs.lotte]

Have you tried Goose Green, Dog Kennel Hill or St Johns and St Clements? All ofsted good schools with loyal parent followings? I know Goose Green has an open day soon (tomorrow or day after I believe)

Good luck, it sounds very stressful!

On a seperate note it just shows you how important it is that local parents lobby hard for a new secondary school - all these children are going to have to find one sooner or later.

[DVnewbie]

Hello - nearly all the "good" schools will be full in every year as there is nearly always an in-year waiting list. I agree with scareyt - if I were you, I'd move as close as possible to a school or schools you are keen on and then you'll get to the top end of the waiting list (depending where other people live). But people living really close will have got in earlier, unless they have just moved to the area too, so you stand a good chance of getting a place quite quickly. There is a bit of movement - people move out of the area or some choose to move to private schools at "funny" entry points (i.e. not just at 7+, Year 3, and 11+). I know of a couple of children moving mid-way through the Hamlet (which is a junior school, so Years 3-6) (in Years 4 and 5) to go to private schools.

[scareyt]

Yes it's probably safe to assume no schools will have places free when you call, but that if you move close enough to get to the top of the waiting list then you should get places pretty quickly. Possibly even from the people who move out of your new house...? Im just guessing but would think being 400 - 500 metres away from a school gate could easily mean never getting a place there as there could always be new people moving nearer so you would go down the list instead of up.

[LalKJ]

If you are considering private schools, have you looked at Oakfield?

[mika1336]

I know is a bit further from what you were looking at but check Edmund Waller Primary School

[enjoy]

Hi,

You could try the judith kerr school in herne hill.

But l don't think they have a year 4 yet.

And l doubt rosemaed is full, my kids are there, classes are small

and often kids are leaving due to relocation or so.

You could try herne hill school too.

Good luck!

[vez]

How about dulwich wood? Think it's undersubscribed but I may be wrong.

[ChloeKM]

Thanks all. This is all very valuable advice. I hope that once I have a Southwark address things will get easier as schools will actually talk to me about their waiting lists. I need a back-up though, just in case no decent places come up so I am going to call round some more private schools today. Rosemead has a Y4 place but no year 1 place and same with HH. Alleyns practically laughed at me for asking!

[clux]

I'm not sure the schools are the best people to ask as even if there is a space it is still the Local Authority which has to allocate it. The LA should be able to tell you where you are on the waiting list for the schools you are interested in. If my friends experience is anything to go on I would advise ringing Southwark Council every day for updates!

[bluegoo]

As far as I am aware LA schools do not hold wait lists for years 1-6, nor does the LA. The wait list system applies to the entry points only, i.e. reception class. This does differ for academy-run schools like Dulwich Hamlets and free schools like Judith Kerr who organise their own admissions.

When you call the school they can tell you their current availability only, which is why it does pay to call your preferred LA schools fairly regularly. The LA have an obligation to allocate you a school place within 6 weeks of applying for an in-year place, and you are allowed to name just one choice on the form, but if no place is available they will allocate you a place anywhere. If you have found availability at one of your preferred LA schools, it is much better to let the LA know that so they can call the school and confirm it.

Confusing yes, but that's the way it is. Good luck.

[edanna]

Things could be really different by the time you move so I think all you can do is wait and keep calling. Something will come up but I don't think you can take up a place without a confirmed address.

[DVnewbie]

Dulwich Village Infants school (C of E) (as well as Dulwich Hamlet) manages its own waiting list too if you are still thinking of moving into the village. The schools themselves will know much more than the LA. Give the school offices a ring and ask how far away the next people on the waiting lists live. They might be able to tell you. Then you can work out what waiting list position you'd go in at (roughly) when you're considering offering on a house. People move from the private schools too - and if you can get one child in, they'll probably look sympathetically at trying to get the sibling in as soon as they can. Pretty sure Herne Hill only goes up to Year 2 though, unless it's no longer just a nursery and pre-prep?