Gutted, Did not get the school place we wanted

[Rooter]

There is a simple solution.Stop allowing parents to take their children out of catchment, force parents to send their kids to their local school, even if that school isn't deemed as 'good' as next doors.Contribute to making the school you assume isn't good enough for your little cherub better.

While in theory I agree, how can I improve a school where the problem are the pupils? Think benefit street and then think of their kids at your local catchment school. Want your kids going there being bessie mates with Chardonnay?

 

[Foxholer]

I have to say again that the problem is mainly driven by population increase. The chickens are coming home to roost.

Perhaps a little perspective should be brought into this highly emotive topic!

UK Population increased by some 400K in the latest year that figures are available. 46% was due to net immigration, while 54% was due to births exceeding deaths.The increase is 0.63%. Making the assumption that there's an even spread both geographically and by age group/need - probably not realistic, but nevertheless... - then in a secondary school of 1000 pupils, that's going to be 6 more pupils each year and in the seriously large Hospital trust area of Surrey, the 2 hospitals service a 380k population, which will grow by about 2000 and has 636 beds - which will need to increase yearly by about 3. In a Primary School of 300 pupils, the yearly increase is about 2!

None of those figures really suggests any need to panic!

What is needed is a commitment to provide the necessary services - rather than a token one as per Imurg's post. All governments have been guilty of failing to provide those resources, though they have been keen to sell off sports grounds etc to allow housing to be developed. That area, imo, should be contributing significantly - much more than it appears to be doing currently - to allow the services to be provided.That, to me, id 'proper' planning!

 

[Hacker Khan]

While in theory I agree, how can I improve a school where the problem are the pupils? Think benefit street and then think of their kids at your local catchment school. Want your kids going there being bessie mates with Chardonnay?

You could do as I did and become a school governor

The problem is not totally the kids but the quality of the teachers/staff/head. Yes I completely agree that it is much more difficult to teach a class full of hyperactive pencil eaters who have had a donut and can of coke for breakfast than a class full of attentive keen bight kids. But the quality of teaching will also make a huge difference.

 

[Alex1975]

The bit I struggle to understand here with the OP is how can they accept a child into
Reception get them settled in and start the learning process make friends and get comfortable at school a big challenge for a 4 year old then some jobsworth decides they have to do it all over again the following sept it's barmy!

This is the upsetting bit. She is at home. The other night I was putting her to bed and she said to me "I cant wait for school tomorrow I really love it there".

 

[Rooter]

You could do as I did and become a school governor

You cant fundamentally change people though, if 75% of the pupils at the school I am talking about are from families that don't give a monkies, like you say feed them donuts for breakfast (if they are lucky) fight in the playground (parents! And yes that happened), arrive to collect them either drunk or high, what chance do the kids have? We were very lucky and got our first choice school which is not this catchment one.

If we hadnt of got this, we would have got the kids christened catholic and got in the local catholic school. Not right as i am a confirmed atheist (wife is Catholic however) but we would have done it!

 

[Rooter]

This is the upsetting bit. She is at home. The other night I was putting her to bed and she said to me "I cant wait for school tomorrow I really love it there".

Its a real Shame Al, as i said in my first post, get on the wait list and phone up a couple of times a week to check your progress on the list. Ours actually ended up at our second choice school, but once we had the place we were very happy, confirmed the place. Early August got a call saying there was a place at the 1st choice and did we want it. we were not even on the waiting list!!

Another thing to do now, is find out who else has the school you have been allocated and get your little one on some play days with future classmates.

 

[Alex1975]

Its a real Shame Al, as i said in my first post, get on the wait list and phone up a couple of times a week to check your progress on the list. Ours actually ended up at our second choice school, but once we had the place we were very happy, confirmed the place. Early August got a call saying there was a place at the 1st choice and did we want it. we were not even on the waiting list!!

Another thing to do now, is find out who else has the school you have been allocated and get your little one on some play days with future classmates.

Thanks mate, we will do exactly that. Mel posted on a local FB page and got 34 replies saying good things about where she is due to go so that's great.

 

[Rooter]

Thanks mate, we will do exactly that. Mel posted on a local FB page and got 34 replies saying good things about where she is due to go so that's great.

Awesome! Oh and I have now played golf with 4 different dads from my kids school! none of which i would have met any other way!

 

[Hacker Khan]

Thanks mate, we will do exactly that. Mel posted on a local FB page and got 34 replies saying good things about where she is due to go so that's great.

You can also try https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/ but in some cases there's not a lot of feedback unless an ofsted visit is imminent. Also http://dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk/ should give you a decent overview of the school, plus you can see the full ofsted at http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/

But 34 replies on FB is as good a recommendation as any as well.

 

[pbrown7582]

This is the upsetting bit. She is at home. The other night I was putting her to bed and she said to me "I cant wait for school tomorrow I really love it there".

Feel for you and your daughter that's how my lad was in reception, luckily we have been able to follow through from playgroup nursery reception to year 1, the school is top notch but isn't grim and is improving ESY and KS1 are excellent and KS2 is progressing but stability was our main concern.

The play days and visits are a great idea :thup: up here there is a set day in july where all the children go to next years class school for the day to meet teachers and surroundings

 

[Slab]

The bit I struggle to understand here with the OP is how can they accept a child into
Reception get them settled in and start the learning process make friends and get comfortable at school a big challenge for a 4 year old then some jobsworth decides they have to do it all over again the following sept it's barmy!

Is it really a big challenge for a 4yr old though?

I have some sympathy for the OP but not sure I understand the scale of this issue (& I don't mean nationwide) is this also logistically a problem for the family or is it solely about the child's experience

Also wondering if as parents we naturally want to protect our offspring from any negative experience (even if the negative is perceived) and maybe don't appreciate their resilience (or even lack of concern) that they're capable of

What is Reception? I'm thinking its some level of pre-school so I'm wondering how many forum posters went through 'reception' and to what determent or harm did we come to

I really don't want to trivialise the issue but what if you move home, would you stay put simply to have a seamless transition from pre-school to primary 1 (we're not talking about a the most crucial stage in education)

I'm sure I cried/thought my world was ending plenty of times at that age but I don't remember even being 4 let alone have scars. So I'm sure it wont be pleasant news to break but there's a chance we make more of it that really exists

 

[pbrown7582]

You could do as I did and become a school governor

The problem is not totally the kids but the quality of the teachers/staff/head. Yes I completely agree that it is much more difficult to teach a class full of hyperactive pencil eaters who have had a donut and can of coke for breakfast than a class full of attentive keen bight kids. But the quality of teaching will also make a huge difference.

Fair play to you, my wife is employed by council as clerk to school governors taking minutes and advising at committee and governors meetings so I understand a little what a highly responsible job volunteer governors have these days.

 

[Alex1975]

Is it really a big challenge for a 4yr old though?

I have some sympathy for the OP but not sure I understand the scale of this issue (& I don't mean nationwide) is this also logistically a problem for the family or is it solely about the child's experience

Also wondering if as parents we naturally want to protect our offspring from any negative experience (even if the negative is perceived) and maybe don't appreciate their resilience (or even lack of concern) that they're capable of

What is Reception? I'm thinking its some level of pre-school so I'm wondering how many forum posters went through 'reception' and to what determent or harm did we come to

I really don't want to trivialise the issue but what if you move home, would you stay put simply to have a seamless transition from pre-school to primary 1 (we're not talking about a the most crucial stage in education)

I'm sure I cried/thought my world was ending plenty of times at that age but I don't remember even being 4 let alone have scars. So I'm sure it wont be pleasant news to break but there's a chance we make more of it that really exists

The core of this is... correct. A large part of this will be about my wife and my perception. My little one is amassing and will make it work but the school she is at now is... feels special. Its a mess but its full of life and smiles. I just wanted her to stay is it feels right.

 

[Slab]

The core of this is... correct. A large part of this will be about my wife and my perception. My little one is amassing and will make it work but the school she is at now is... feels special. Its a mess but its full of life and smiles. I just wanted her to stay is it feels right.

And this is where you have a lot of sympathy, a change for change sake to something you didn't even want would be harder to take




P.s I appreciate you taking my post in the context it was intended. I thought more than once whether to post at all given it may be read negatively :thup:

 

[Alex1975]

And this is where you have a lot of sympathy, a change for change sake to something you didn't even want would be harder to take




P.s I appreciate you taking my post in the context it was intended. I thought more than once whether to post at all given it may be read negatively :thup:

Your post is without emotion where mine (this subject) is very emotional. It is very important to be pragmatic where possible. May will be educated and possibly very well. She might not care at all where she goes and the move might not make a jot of difference.

Me as a daddy wants to ensure I am doing the very best thing in my power to make life good for her. I have never been trained as a father so I go with my gut but try and keep an eye on the fact that my gut may be overly emotionally driven. She needs to be pushed or she will be a princess but she also needs to be looked out for as she is an innocent. Its a fine line. In this case life will push(in the fact that this is a change).

No one died, Al did not get what he wanted.... Yet.

 

[Hacker Khan]

You cant fundamentally change people though, if 75% of the pupils at the school I am talking about are from families that don't give a monkies, like you say feed them donuts for breakfast (if they are lucky) fight in the playground (parents! And yes that happened), arrive to collect them either drunk or high, what chance do the kids have? We were very lucky and got our first choice school which is not this catchment one.

If we hadnt of got this, we would have got the kids christened catholic and got in the local catholic school. Not right as i am a confirmed atheist (wife is Catholic however) but we would have done it!

But again it is not the kids fault, especially at primary school age. The logical extension of your argument may well be that all the kids with feckless parents go to one school and all the kids with nice middle parents go to another. But then what chance will the kids have with feckless parents? If they are allowed to integrate more with other types of kids then they might make more of their lives. If you put them all together then there will be a much greater probability that it is just a continuing circle of decline. Which will lead to even greater problems for us as a society later on.

I know that every parent wants what's best for their child. But you may be surprised how many of the admission panels and governors at these types of religious school are well aware of this practice of claiming you are Catholic/Buddhist/a Jedi just to get in. And take great delight in testing the parents/child and telling them to do one when it's clear what they have done just to get into a school.

If parents want a special education for their child surrounded by other kids who will grow up to be cabinet ministers so much then go private. But if for whatever reason you don't want to do this then yo have to some extent take your chances in the maintained sector.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Fair play to you, my wife is employed by council as clerk to school governors taking minutes and advising at committee and governors meetings so I understand a little what a highly responsible job volunteer governors have these days.

And fair play to your wife. Clerking is an often undervalued role, I know ours is very useful and keep us on the straight and narrow a lot of the time.

 

[NWJocko]

The whole "school choice" thing is interesting.

Went through it a couple of years back with my older daughter, circumstances a little different than most others.

Interesting that there is a "popular" school that parents were waiting up until midnight to see if their kid got a place.

The town I grew up in had one school (well 2 but religiously segregated) and everyone went there.

I often wonder what parents would do if there was only one school in their town? Would they be afraid that kids from less well off families or estates go there aswell?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

If there is only one school then you just go to it. If there are 2 or 3 then you look for the best and feel disappointed if you don't get it even if they are all better than the 1st one in the first analogy. The point is you want the best for your kids, not second or third best. Having children makes you very protective of everything that they are involved in. That is parenting.

 

[Alex1975]

If there is only one school then you just go to it. If there are 2 or 3 then you look for the best and feel disappointed if you don't get it even if they are all better than the 1st one in the first analogy. The point is you want the best for your kids, not second or third best. Having children makes you very protective of everything that they are involved in. That is parenting.

Yep!