I can’t be the only parent in this position this morning. Heard on Saturday (logging in to online admissions service at 7am on the dot)  that Surrey CC have offered DD a place at a primary school that wasn’t any of our three choices.

It’s technically our nearest school but because of lots of stuff like it not feeling right when we went round, not warming to the head, huge focus on special needs, behavioural difficulties and poor language skills (great for parents who need support in those areas, obv, but so far we don’t), bad reputation, well below average maths and English results and dodgy Ofsted, I abandoned my liberal pre-child pontificating about going to one’s local school in favour of panicking about precious DD like some Boden-wearing Surrey yummy mummy Mumsnetter or something equally ghastly (and largely fictitious…).

I know we don’t have any grounds for appeal and we’re on the waiting list for all three, so you never know. Anyone else out there in the same position? Anyone got in to a primary of their choice through a waiting list? A friend suggested ‘pulling the home schooling card’ as the council will probably find us a place somewhere more preferable sharpish, but that doesn’t feel very authentic as I have a business to run and I really don’t think I’m up to the job.

I’ve had lots of reassurance from family, friends and the team at nursery that my bright, funny, friendly, generally well-behaved and eager-to-learn DD will be fine wherever she goes, particularly with our support. I just want her to be happy. She’s already so excited about going to school this Sept as they are starting to step up letter and number work at pre-school, and I certainly don’t want to take the edge off that with any negative vibes from the grown-ups. Whatever school she goes to, seeing her in new uniform having only celebrated her fourth birthday at the start of August will be a Big Day and hopefully the start of an exciting, fun adventure for us all.

I just wish it felt like the ‘choice’  it’s supposedly meant to be, especially after taking all that time and care to look round all the local schools to make that choice last September.