Comments

• Does anyone have any stories to relay from the 2011/12 intake that would be useful to hear for people who are gearing up for the 2012/13 year?

  It would be really interesting to find out what the process was like for you, how long you had to wait to find out, where you ended up having to go (compared to where you live) etc

  Glen Collins on 2011-09-23 12:05:19 +0000

• Report on primary admissions for 2011/2012:

  The Forum considered a report that outlined the process and outcomes of the primary admissions round for September 2011 entry. As it was the first year of a fully coordinated pan-London scheme for Reception admissions, it had been difficult to predict whether more or fewer places would be available for Richmond Borough residents at the initial allocations stage, given that in previous years three of the neighbouring authorities including Hounslow had made their offers a month later.

  The online take-up figure of 92% in the borough was the highest in London, due to paper forms only being issued to parents on request. The breakdown of initial outcomes was noted. 74 % of borough-resident applicants had received an offer at their first preference school; 72 children had been allocated places at schools that their parents had not stated as preferences; and 169 children had not been offered places at any school. 240 extra places (30 in each of 8 schools) were provided:

  - Bulge classes: Heathfield Infant; Holy Trinity (on top of their permanent expansion to 2-form entry in 2010). - Permanent expansions: Buckingham; Chase Bridge; Lowther and St Mary's & St Peter's. - Shared form of entry: St Mary Magdalen's ( with St Elizabeth's and St Osmund's); and The Vineyard (with Marshgate and Sheen Mount).

  Since the initial allocations, 3 more classes had been added - at Hampton Wick Infant, Orleans Infant, and St Mary's - as the waiting-lists would not otherwise have moved far and fast enough for all in-borough children to have been placed by September. All children who had initially been unplaced had been offered places by the end of July.

  A member of the Forum thanked the Admissions Team for their efforts to help and reassure parents living in St Margarets/Twickenham this year. Another member of the Forum asked if it was known when the DfE would be inviting bids from LAs for the next round of Basic Need funding, but there had been no indication to date.

  • From the minutes of the Richmond upon Thames Admissions Forum, Sep 21 2011 www.richmond.gov.uk/adfor210911minutes.pdf
  Chris Squire on 2011-09-24 11:57:07 +0000

• Thanks Christopher - useful info as ever.

  Of the 241 children that either did not get a place at all or did not get a place based on their (up to) 6 preferences in the initial allocations, how did you allocate the extra 240 places that you created by adding the temporary places at the 8 schools?

  Was it by looking at their preferences again and then again doing it by distance or is stage 2 via some other mechanic?

  What does the Council/forum envisage is likely to be the situation in the 2012/13 academic year? Stats I've shown do not indicate any lower levels of children in this year so I assume we will be in the same situation?

  Any further learnings that parents of children going into 2012/13 can take from this year?

  Thanks

  Glen

  Glen Collins on 2011-09-26 14:44:22 +0000

• Glen: I am just a local resident, not a Cllr or Council officer, so I have no further knowledge of these matters to share and I cannot answer your questions. The report I posted was taken from the Council website.

  I suggest you write a letter to the RTT via lettersrtt@london.newsquest.co.uk asking these questions; this may force the hapless Cllr Paul Hodgins, cabinet member for education, to provide more details. He has already been caught wrongly claiming that the council had provided enough reception places this autumn: see the story ''School places corrected' on p. 4 of this week's RTT - not on the RTT website yet.

  I think it's obvious that the extra places provided at each school belong to that school and are allocated by it according to its own admission criteria.

  I think that those in the know expect 2012/13 to be less over-subscribed that this year: the numbers may fall a bit and some new extra places will be ready to replace this year's bulge classes, including the modest 1-form extension of St Mary's on the Amyand Road [St John's H] site. Orleans Infants is being expanded but St Stephen's is not. Money is tight and may get tighter yet.

  Locally, however the problems will remain, as the demographic change continues unabated: oldies like me die or move out and new young families take their place, confident that they have found the ideal place to breed.

  Your best plan is to start saving up so that you can go private. If this is not a option you should let your local Conservative Cllrs know: they are in charge for the next 2 ½ years.

  Chris Squire on 2011-10-05 12:12:48 +0000

• Private isn't something I would be keen on.

  When you say its obvious that extra places will be given out based on schools 'own admission criteria' do you mean the Councils admission criteria as the schools (in theory) do not have one, its all run by the Council and based on their criteria - which is essentially siblings then distance.

  Interesting re. Orleans Infants, I thought they had resisted adding another permanent form. I knew about St Marys, shame its only 1 form.

  Also, Chase Bridge will have extra capacity too I believe, albeit its a bit further out.

  If St Stephens isnt being expanded then are we at the stage where children leaving Orleans will not all get into St Stephens, just basically just delaying the problems?

  I had thought you were involved with the council from previous postings and your link on your name - am I mistaken?

  Either way, good knowledge, so thanks for keeping us all up to date.

  Glen Collins on 2011-10-06 17:22:40 +0000

• The story that Christopher refers to is now online if anyone's interested

  www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/9281707.School_places_error_prompts_council_correction/?ref=mc

  Glen Collins on 2011-10-06 17:28:01 +0000

• Both St Stephen's and St Mary's are voluntary aided church schools which set their own admission criteria:

  St Stephen's CE Junior (Year 3 onwards):

  1. Children in public care 2. Siblings 3. Attendance at Orleans Infant School 4. Regular attendance at St Stephen's church 5. Distance.

  St Mary's CE Primary:

  1. Children in public care 2. Siblings 3. Children for whom St Mary's is the nearest school and who have an exceptional medical need 4. 16 foundation places for children living within local parishes with one or both parents regularly worshipping at St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham or another Christian church 5. Distance to Amyand Park Road site. Note: Category 3 - parishes of All Hallows, Holy Trinity,St Mary the Virgin, St Stephen's.

  So places at St Stephen's will be offered to the expanded output from Orleans Infants by distance. From: www.richmond.gov.uk/home/education_and_learning/schools_and_colleges/school_admissions/primary_school_admissions/primary_schools_admissions_criteria/church_schools_admissions_criteria.htm

  The RC church is seeking to set up a 1-form primary school on the Clifden Road site in addition to a new secondary school. So conversion to the RCs is another option.

  Chris Squire on 2011-10-08 14:26:19 +0000