Secondary School places allocated today [sad]

Gillybob

I am wary of posting the fact we are very happy today as DGD has a place at the secondary school of not only our choice but hers too.

I believe I am correct in saying your experience has not been particularly good with your DGD so far with regard to her education , forgive me if I am mistaken. I don't know if you remember my posting once or twice how unhappy we have been with our DGD education thus far. I gave up talking about it as there always seemed to be a handful of posters who challenged or were more interested in standing up for teachers than accepting we were experiencing genuine problems.

We are a tad concerned that in our opinion our DGD will be in for a a bit of a shock when she moves , for example her school has had a 'No Homework Policy' (at 10 years old?), they do very little about disruptive behaviour etc. We can only assume her level of education is at least where it should be but I am sure her new school will quickly ascertain that and inform us.

I can only imagine how totally exasperated/annoyed/tearful all of you are feeling today. If I remember correctly on another thread this was a 'dread' hanging over your heads and I send you my sympathy today Gillybob and for your little one too.

The problem is ( and I'm not defending it) is that all schools have to have published agreed criteria as to the priority in which places are allocated. I personally really don't see why feeder schools have such a high priority. Then of course there is the sibling rule - you can understand that at primary level but why at secondary. Some schools of course have some places based on church affiliation. So by the time all that's done, closeness to the school is the least important in the priority list. Several years ago my sister's dgc was allocated to a very poor secondary school as his primary was not a feeder school and he was the elder. I helped my DN appeal but the grounds for appeal are incredibly limited - in general you only win if there has been something like a factual error - they had the wrong address down or didn't know an elder sibling was already there. She needed to appeal as she wanted to feel that she'd done everything possible. In the event my sister stumped up 7 years of private school fees. However, what my DN did also do was put her younger son on all the feeder schools waiting lists and mid year a place come up, he moved and then had an automatic place at the school she wanted. Absolutely ridiculous system - any chance that's possible for number 2 gc?

Oh gilly that is so awful for your GD. Didn't the same thing happen to one of your other GC and you went through the appeals process to no avail? I simply cannot understand a system which seems to have so little regard for the children it is meant to be serving.
I am dreading the time when my DD has to apply for a primary school place for her little one. There are two schools within walking distance - God help her if she doesn't get one of those as she is a single mum and doesn't drive. The next nearest school is over 2 miles away, and not on a direct bus route.

That is awful for the family and stupid beyond belief that a child would be expected to do that amount of travelling! Are any of her friends going to the same school as her? You do wonder what sort of people are running the education offices or wherever they sort these things out.
I would appeal again and be a nuisance to them.