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Still, system stinks, as far as I'm concerned...Haringey needs to work on increasing places in parts of the borough where there is most pressure, ie, around SG and Crouch End rather than attempting to fill places halfway across the borough.
If you've got lots of parents being offered places miles away from where they live, there's clearly still an issue of there not being enough places where there is demand and too many places where there isn't.
While that probably changes to a certain degree on an annual basis, I don't think the general trend does. Look at the pressure around schools like Weston Park and Rokesly, too.
Every year parents are led to believe they have a choice about where to educate their children, but in reality, there are very few that do (not just in Haringey, but across the country).
That's why I think the system stinks. Rather than spending time allocating and re-allocating places to people that are unhappy with what they've got, perhaps resources would be better spent on improving the schools that no-one wants to go to and ensuring that there are places in areas where there is most demand (because there are more children there).
I have to say that Islington admissions team are brilliant. You can talk to them whenever you want and they will provide you with info straight away. Haringey won't speak to you and can't provide any info on things like waiting lists. Top marks for Islington, I say!
Primary school places in Haringey under threat
9:29am Wednesday 7th July 2010
FEARS are mounting that a £8.57 million budget cut earmarked for expansion of Haringey's primary schools could throw the plans in jeopardy.
As part of the coalition Government's reigning in of public spending, Haringey will no longer receive funding that would have played a major role in plans to create more primary school places.
Many of the borough's schools are at maximum capacity and the population is still growing.
Council leader Claire Kober has now written to education secretary Michael Gove, after two meetings to discuss the removal of funding were cancelled by Department of Education officials at the last minute.
In her letter, Ms Kober wrote: "The decision, and inability to clarify, despite our repeated requests, is a barrier to the council's prudent planning for primary school places in the borough."
She addded: "This is causing a significant amount of anxiety amongst our parents, teachers and governors – as projects we have developed to meet the demand are now at risk."
She closed the letter with a call for an urgent meeting between department and council officials to resolve the situation.
Demand for reception places is projected to rise from 3,059 this year to 3,478 by 2020 - significantly outstripping the 3,131 places expected to be available by 2020 if no further capacity is created.
We got a place at Christ the King in June, but the school refused to let us visit for longer than five minutes, we were never allowed to meet any of the teachers, it didn't give us a uniform list and didn't even give us a start date. Not very promising. And very hard to prepare a young child for what to expect if you don't know yourself.
A week and a half before term started, we got a call from Islington saying we had a place at Ashmout. Hurrah! Daughter now there and we are all so happy with the school. Lovely environment, very welcoming for children and parents, excellent headteacher, strong parental involvement, good mix of kids, very well organised...I could go on.
This whole process has taught me a number of things:
1. Waiting lists can move a lot. We went from 23 to getting a place (eventually).
2. The most popular schools are not always the best fit for your child. A school like Ashmount is rarely top of people's lists because it's surrounded by others with better reputations/OFSTED reports (hence us moving so much on the waiting list), yet for my daughter, it has proved to be absolutely right on many counts.
3. Reputations are often out of date. Those with the best OFSTED reports/reputations can become complacent. I've spoken to a couple of parents who moved their children from St Aidan's to Ashmount and said that they were far more happy with Ashmount as it was an improving school and there were greater efforts to work with children and get parents involved.
4. Parental support is almost as important as the school's input, so even if your child doesn't get into the school you'd like, you can still make a difference at home (as well as being proactively involved in the school).
5. Educational standards are important, but possibly top of the list is whether your child is happy in their environment. If they're not in an environment that suits them, they won't progress as well as they could.
In all, our situation has worked out better than we could have imagined, particularly as it was a hugely stressful process for us. Good luck to anyone that is going through the process this year and beyond!
Great news you got into Ashmount. Ive heard great things about it.
I've just started to look in case we move as we are in no mans land for primaries.
I have it all to come. Eeeeeeek.
Bridget x