Holbrook Academy bosses have refused to confirm if all pupils from the peninsula looking to get a place at the school in September have been successful.

Suffolk County Council revealed 97% of pupils in the county have received a place at one of their Preferred Secondary Schools in Suffolk on National Offer Day.

However, Holbrook, which estimated last April that it would be at near-capacity with 594 students attending in September this year, declined the opportunity to say if peninsula pupils would get a place, or if those from Felixstowe or Ipswich would get preference.

Currently it is estimated 50 per cent of pupils come from outside the Academy's immediate catchment area, and it is understood from parents that the current year seven was at full capacity, with pupils on a waiting list, meaning some with close peninsula connections.

 

One peninsula parent, who asked not tp be named said: "One pupil who attends Holbrook Primary who lived in Ipswich got turned down, even though she had done all seven years at Holbrook. She is devastated at the thought of losing all her friends."

This year, Suffolk County Council (SCC) received 8,047 applications from parents indicating which secondary school they would prefer their child to be educated from September 2020.

 

7,355 pupils received offers for their first preference school and 7,810 pupils received an offer for one of their three preferred schools.

 

Families who applied online are able to log on to the Admissions Portal from to see their child's offer. They will also receive an email to confirm this offer.  Letters will be sent to parents who made a paper application by second class post.

Councillor Mary Evans, Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education and Skills, said: "I am pleased that this year more families have once again received their first choice of school and that the vast majority of families have been offered a preferred school place.

 

"We use published criteria to decide who has priority for places so that the process is fair and clear. I appreciate that not all families will have received a place at their preferred school and where a parents' preference for a Suffolk school is refused, we will automatically add their child's name to the waiting list for that school. We will also send them information about how to lodge an appeal should they wish to do so.

 

"Starting secondary school is an important moment for any child, and the more we can do to make the transition to a new school smoother for them, the better."

 

Once school places have been confirmed, parents need to consider how their child will get to and from school. If their child is eligible for SCC funded school travel they will receive an email by the end of March 2020 with details of how to opt-in.

Holbrook Academy was given the opportunity to comment, but has so far not responded.

For further information on secondary school admissions please visit  click the red button below.

If the council were unable to offer your child a place at your preferred school there are three main options which you can take. 

Waiting lists

If your child was not offered a place at any of your preferred schools they will be automatically added to the school waiting lists. Names are placed on the waiting lists in priority order - this is set out in the school's admissions oversubscription criteria.

The order of the list can change when a new child's name is added or the circumstances of a child on the list changes.

The waiting lists for community schools, voluntary controlled schools, foundation schools, voluntary aided schools and academies who operate the same policy as Suffolk County Council, will close on December 31, 2019. 

You can find out when schools waiting lists close by contacting them directly if they do not fit into these categories.

Appealing the decision

Parents and carers can appeal the decision if their child is refused a place at any of their preferred schools. You can find out more about the appeal process and download an appeal form here. 

The form should be submitted to the Education Appeals Office by March 29, 2019, to be heard by June.

Applying for a different school

If you wish to apply to a different school then your new application will replace your earlier application and preferences. 

This means you must include any schools from your earlier application above your new preferences if they are still one of your three preferred choices and you still want the right to appeal or for your child's name to remain on the waiting list.