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Gumbo
post Mar 9 2010, 12:17 PM
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How is it possible for WBC to send out little Gumbo's confirmation of school place letter yesterday from Newbury to a Newbury address first class and for it not to arrive the next day. How is it also possible my neighbours have their letters?

Also, when calling WBC why can they not divulge the school my child has been allocated to today but can do if I call tomorrow if the letter has still not arrived?

Mrs Gumbo is not a happy bunny.
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Rachel
post Mar 9 2010, 12:56 PM
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QUOTE (Gumbo @ Mar 9 2010, 01:17 PM) *
How is it possible for WBC to send out little Gumbo's confirmation of school place letter yesterday from Newbury to a Newbury address first class and for it not to arrive the next day. How is it also possible my neighbours have their letters?

Also, when calling WBC why can they not divulge the school my child has been allocated to today but can do if I call tomorrow if the letter has still not arrived?

Mrs Gumbo is not a happy bunny.


I'm pressuming little Gumbo is waiting for a primary school allocation as secondary school places were sent out last Monday, & I know of several people who were faced with a similar dilema last week. I don't understand why WB can't divulge by email or phone when they've already divulged by letter? The information is either in the public domain or it's not, surely?
Good luck to you, anyway, I hope you get the place you want smile.gif
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Me-again
post Mar 9 2010, 01:22 PM
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I got my letter today........it wasn't good news! Home ed it is then!
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lordtup
post Mar 9 2010, 01:25 PM
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A slight tangent on the question , but it's one of those crazy situations were the mail goes from Newbury to Swindon and then back again ( what carbon footprint ?).
I guess yours has decided , with a little human help , to take the scenic route . wink.gif


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Gumbo
post Mar 9 2010, 01:35 PM
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I can sort of understand the post not turning up (although why it has to go on such a detour when it really only need to travel a few hundred metres is a bit baffling) but I can't understand why the people who are answering the phones at WBC have been instructed not to divulge the information they obviously have clearly in front of them!
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Bloggo
post Mar 9 2010, 01:45 PM
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QUOTE (Gumbo @ Mar 9 2010, 01:35 PM) *
I can sort of understand the post not turning up (although why it has to go on such a detour when it really only need to travel a few hundred metres is a bit baffling) but I can't understand why the people who are answering the phones at WBC have been instructed not to divulge the information they obviously have clearly in front of them!

It is because you cannot positively identify yourself to them over the phone.
It kinda makes sense to protect your interests.


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Gumbo
post Mar 9 2010, 01:51 PM
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QUOTE (Bloggo @ Mar 9 2010, 01:45 PM) *
It is because you cannot positively identify yourself to them over the phone.
It kinda makes sense to protect your interests.


So how can they do that tomorrow over the phone if the letter still has not arrived? they took my name, my daughters name, my daughters dob and my post code today.............what other security checks do they require? and if my daughters new school details fell in to the hands of some sinister organisation what could they actually do with that information?
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Bloggo
post Mar 9 2010, 02:01 PM
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QUOTE (Gumbo @ Mar 9 2010, 01:51 PM) *
So how can they do that tomorrow over the phone if the letter still has not arrived? they took my name, my daughters name, my daughters dob and my post code today.............what other security checks do they require? and if my daughters new school details fell in to the hands of some sinister organisation what could they actually do with that information?

Yes, I do see your point.


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Rachel
post Mar 9 2010, 05:08 PM
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QUOTE (Me-again @ Mar 9 2010, 02:22 PM) *
I got my letter today........it wasn't good news! Home ed it is then!


Whilst I wouldn't presume to advise anyone (education delivery is a very personal choice & I respect that), please remember your right of appeal. If you want a school place, it's definitely worth appealing the decision, you have nothing to lose & everything to gain. Good luck, hope it works out for you.
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Me-again
post Mar 9 2010, 05:45 PM
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Oh I am putting in an appeal! I was applying for a place at St Johns for my youngest as my eldest is at St Nics. They offered me somewhere else even though I explained that I can't be in 2 places at once. My only options are home ed for the youngest or trying to get through town in Newbury traffic to get between 2 schools. There are no schools in Newbury that I can put both of them together.
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Iommi
post Mar 9 2010, 06:19 PM
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Bring back catchments. Save on traffic as well.
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Me-again
post Mar 9 2010, 06:33 PM
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But what do you do if your catchment school is failing, on special measures and over half the children are behind the rest of the country on maths and English?
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Iommi
post Mar 9 2010, 06:53 PM
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QUOTE (Me-again @ Mar 9 2010, 06:33 PM) *
But what do you do if your catchment school is failing, on special measures and over half the children are behind the rest of the country on maths and English?

If one cared about this, the chances are that one wouldn't be living in this sort of catchment anyway. Notwithstanding that going to a school that isn't on special measures and aren't behind the rest of the country, doesn't guarantee one a good education either.
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Me-again
post Mar 9 2010, 07:06 PM
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I quite agree regarding the good education. My parents were quite dismayed when the fee paying school I attended got beaten by the local comprehensive in GCSE results. Even paying for schooling doesn't guarantee the best education.
We were in the catchment for St Johns when my eldest daughter started there. We then inherited my husbands family home which happened to be in the catchment for another school. Now the council declare that my youngest cannot follow her sister and the only available space is at the failing school just down the road. So I could end up with 2 kids at 2 schools at different ends of the town. And I can't put the elder one in the failing school too as they aren't taking any more admissions into her age group.
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Iommi
post Mar 9 2010, 07:16 PM
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Please don't take my posts as a criticism of you, it's only that I am sceptical of this notion of choice. For me, all schools should by law, be at a minimum acceptable standard, but I don't trust the way they measure performance in any case.
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Me-again
post Mar 9 2010, 07:20 PM
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I agree on this too. They should really start looking hard at why some schools have over 50 people on their waiting lists and others have empty seats.
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user23
post Mar 9 2010, 10:49 PM
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QUOTE (Gumbo @ Mar 9 2010, 01:51 PM) *
So how can they do that tomorrow over the phone if the letter still has not arrived? they took my name, my daughters name, my daughters dob and my post code today.............what other security checks do they require? and if my daughters new school details fell in to the hands of some sinister organisation what could they actually do with that information?
Surely it's in you children's interests that the council doesn't give out information about them to anyone who already knows their name and their birthday?
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Gumbo
post Mar 9 2010, 11:15 PM
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QUOTE (user23 @ Mar 9 2010, 10:49 PM) *
Surely it's in you children's interests that the council doesn't give out information about them to anyone who already knows their name and their birthday?

These are standard security questions and if they wanted to ask more e.g. what we put as our 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices I would have been happy to inform them. Although as I said previously what use would knowing what school my daughter is attending be of any interest or use to anybody? and your point Mr WBC has not answered why they can tell us this info tomorrow over the phone and not today.
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Gumbo
post Mar 10 2010, 10:59 AM
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QUOTE (Gumbo @ Mar 9 2010, 11:15 PM) *
These are standard security questions and if they wanted to ask more e.g. what we put as our 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices I would have been happy to inform them. Although as I said previously what use would knowing what school my daughter is attending be of any interest or use to anybody? and your point Mr WBC has not answered why they can tell us this info tomorrow over the phone and not today.


Quick update. Letter did not arrive again today, however, Mrs Gumbo phoned council and they told her the details. Only security questions asked were daughters d.o.b and address, both of which I gave yesterday!!!!! really they are muppets down there.
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Ziggy
post Mar 10 2010, 11:08 AM
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QUOTE (Me-again @ Mar 9 2010, 05:45 PM) *
Oh I am putting in an appeal! I was applying for a place at St Johns for my youngest as my eldest is at St Nics. They offered me somewhere else even though I explained that I can't be in 2 places at once. My only options are home ed for the youngest or trying to get through town in Newbury traffic to get between 2 schools. There are no schools in Newbury that I can put both of them together.

My advice would be to appeal and then hang on if you can. Your child doesn't have to be in school til the term after they are 5. In my experience, most people drop off the waiting list by the start of September, as they want their child in school somewhere. If you are patient and pick your moment, you could be lucky. However, you need to remember that St Nic's won't be your catchment either and attendance at St John's doesn't guarantee a place at St Nic's, so this whole thing may be repeated in 3 years' time. Good luck!
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