We Didn’t Get Our School

19th April 2016

So yesterday we woke up to find the email from online admissions to tell us what school A had got into had arrived. For some reason I didn’t expect it that early; I thought I would check in a slightly blasé way a few hours later and be like ‘oh the email’s here!’, and then open it to hopefully see that we had got our first choice.

we didn't get our school

Unfortunately we opened the email to see that we had in fact got our third choice, which was a bit of a shock. I really didn’t think we wouldn’t get our first or second choice, and to be honest I was really clinging to the hope of getting our first.

Our third choice and the one to which Ava has been accepted is actually the Primary school that I went to as well as my mum and other family! It’s not that it’s not a decent school, because it is, and I know people will remind us of that, but I still don’t want her to go there.

I know Ava will settle in and flourish wherever she goes. She’s a clever, kind, caring girl and she’ll do brilliantly at any school. I feel like it is kind of more about the lifestyle a particular school brings and the friendships we might both make that is the biggest reason I am upset.

The school we want her to go to is in a really lovely village; the village we hope to move to soon, near family, and is where she goes to nursery now. We can go for a walk by the river or play on the park after she’s finished, or take a little walk up to Grandma’s house and spend some time with her after a day at school. It would also mean that her Grandma could pick her up from school very easily sometimes as the school is just round the corner from her, as it is from her Auntie and Uncle.

I also think – and it’s based on experience – that she is much less likely to fall into the wrong crowds at the school we would like her to go to. I know we just have to bring our children up the right way and hope that they will make the right choices, but I know all about peer pressure and how hard it can be to keep making the correct choice when faced with that.

I will be going to the school twice a day, five days a week and I want to be going to a place I love, where I feel happy. Not a place that doesn’t bring back the best memories from when I went there.

Of course the most important thing is that Ava will be happy, and I’m sure she will be wherever she ends up going. I’m just very sad right now that what I had pictured for her, and for us may not happen now.

We are going to appeal though; I can’t just accept our third choice as I am really not happy with it and I really don’t want my daughter to go there. It’s not a very nice thing to have hanging over us for the forseeable future and having no idea what the outcome will be, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end.

6 responses to “We Didn’t Get Our School”

  1. Mell says:

    When is she five? Would it be a possibility to hang on until the term after her 5th Birthday and appeal it anyway?

  2. Kim Carberry says:

    Aww! Bless you! I am so sorry!
    Good luck with the appeal x

  3. Kerry says:

    Ah that sucks huni! I hope you’re one of these people you hear about that end up over the moon with their allocation in the end. It’s a shame parents have to go through the stress of admissions nowadays, I’m not sure it was the same when I was younger. I think we’ll be in the same boat as you are now when Charlie moves up to middle school as our first choice will be the second closest and also the most popular of our town. Keep hoping we’ll be bestowed with a little pot of gold by then, enough to buy us a house that doesn’t need work on the other side of town. You never know, pigs may indeed one day fly. Best of luck with the appeals process, chin up (as you lift it to guzzle comisoratory wine!!) 😍😍😍 x

  4. Jo says:

    Aw what a shame, I wanted my son to go to the local school so was lucky we lived close by and in Scotland they have to offer you a space in your catchment. I think it’s so heartbreaking when I read people’s posts, tweets, etc about them being unhappy about this. Can we not start a revolution and get everyone into the schools that they want! I’ll back you!

  5. Hannah says:

    Really hope the appeal process is successful things can and do change and I hope that’s the case for you and little miss. X

  6. Elena says:

    Put yourself in the waiting list of the school you want. Remember it was your first choice but it might not be other people’s choice and they might not want their place.
    It’s very stressful, good luck xxx

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