Parents of Ruddington children who will be starting Year Six this September are being told they can now apply for their secondary school place.
Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) is once again urging families to utilise all FOUR preferences to avoid losing out on their preferred school or academy in September 2024.
An NCC spokesperson says: “Parents sometimes think that selecting just one school will ensure that a place is allocated, but that is not the case. It is important that you make use of all four preferences for a better chance of being offered a preferred school. Please check carefully the admissions criteria of each school you are considering because they are not all the same.”
NCC adds: “If there are no places available at your preferred school, an alternative offer may be made but this is not automatically the catchment or nearest school. Places will be offered at the next closest school with places available after all on-time applications have been processed. This may mean your child could be allocated to a school some distance from where you live.”
It’s a warning which is already very pertinent to some Ruddington families. ‘Offer Day’ in March this year did bring good news for our longer-term village residents whose children were pupils in their final year at St Peter’s Junior School and had applied to go to Rushcliffe Spencer Academy (formerly Rushcliffe School) – Ruddington’s usual ‘feeder school’. It was confirmed all would be able to stay with their current classmates to attend ‘big school’ together in West Bridgford this September. However, many parents who have moved into our village more recently, especially if their child is still attending Junior School elsewhere, have recently found secondary school places being allocated further away – typically at South Wolds Academy in Keyworth.
There was originally cause for optimism for next year after Rushcliffe Spencer Academy’s significant expansion plans were finally given the green light in January. It was reported that construction could be completed within 12 to 18 months – suggesting 560 extra secondary school places should become available for Ruddington children who want them by September 2024.
However, a subsequent report to NCC’s Children and Families Select Committee on 20th March 2023 reveals it will actually be fewer places than that – and also that they won’t be available for a further TWO years…
In paragraph 13 the report states: “In West Bridgford, a 3 Form Entry expansion is planned at Rushcliffe Spencer Academy and 450 additional places will be available for allocation on completion. It is hoped that this project will be finished by September 2026. During the period of place pressure leading up to completion, the school has committed to Year 7 place allocations higher than the published admission number (PAN). This is being funded by a combination of housing developer contributions (HDCs) and a very significant contribution from Nottinghamshire’s Basic Need funding allocation.”
Meantime, as thousands of new homes continue to be built in Rushcliffe Spencer Academy’s catchment area, including here in Ruddington, only time will tell whether Year Six pupils at St Peter’s Junior School will continue to be lucky in securing their first preference before the Academy’s expansion is complete. For new Ruddington families with children still attending junior school elsewhere, the prospect of getting in at our traditional feeder school are even more bleak.
However, village parent Gwen Eyre says NOT getting a place at Rushcliffe Spencer Academy is far from a disaster! “Every child living in Ruddington and attending St Peter’s last year got their first choice school. 21 children from St Peter’s actually selected South Wolds as their first choice last year. Surely having a choice of senior school is a good thing as our children are unique and will thrive in different environments?”
Laura Ratcliffe of Ruddington Mums agrees, pointing out there’s also a school bus running from our village to the Keyworth school: “People are definitely choosing South Wolds over Rushcliffe and good for them! Most are doing the research and choosing what’s best for their kids. As a parent of two kids at Rushcliffe I really don’t think it should be treated as the holy grail, especially with it getting even bigger. I’m glad we have a choice to send to two schools.”
Whichever you choose, NCC’s advice to list four school preferences on the application looks more important than ever. It advises the easiest way to apply is online at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/admissions by the deadline of Tuesday 31st October 2023. It also reassures parents that all applications received by this date are treated the same; they are not processed on a first-come-first-served basis.
The authority says secondary school offers will then be made on the next secondary school ‘National Offer Day’, which will be Friday 1st March 2024.
