Ballot on Reading Grammar and Kendrick

[R3ad1ngDad]

Found out our school not on list as the 2 boys who start this sept do not count towards the 5 in 5 years and also there were 2 zero years so only 4/5

[readingshrew]

Holme Grange were emailed and sent letters today on this telling us that the lists will be sent out at the end of this week unless they hear otherwise.

[R3ad1ngDad]

I did hear that initially the electoral reform commision tried to charge the 2 schools for running the process

[Bailey]

Parents at Robert Piggott CE Junior School have been contacted, but I have to say, the letter is very complicated, and does not make it easy to understand what is really happening. I had to read it more than once to fully grasp it (although I admit that might just be me ) but I fear that some parents will just ignore the letter either because they don't fully understand the situation, or because they aren't interested if it won't affect their own children.

[Goldens Mum]

I've heard from another parent that St Joseph's have sent letters out.

[Complete Novice]

Readingshrew was it the case with the Holme Grange letter that if you didn't reply, you were automatically on the list or the other way round? My dd's school letter came and it was definitely the case that if you didn't actively ask to be put on the electoral list, you would NOT be and would not be elible to vote.

Because it required positive action, I don't think many people have bothered.

CN

[Goldens Mum]

DDs school was the opposite, you had to opt out of being on the electoral list. (and by the look sof it more understandable).

[Complete Novice]

Can these inconsistencies be acceptable to the ERS? It makes a huge difference whether you are automatically in or out.

[Goldens Mum]

I agree. Every school should be sending out the same standard letter. Preferably in plain English. I also think it should definitely be the opt out system proposed at DDs school. Parents are going to disenfranchised by their own apathy or their DCs failure to take a letter home from school and that can't be right.

[Complete Novice]

Absolutely, about half the people I spoke to on deadline day had not yet even heard of the letter as their children hadn't remembered to give it to them yet.

As far as the opt in/opt out is concerned, I have now heard that someone queried this and the school secretary said that the school were not given the choice to make it opt out and that their instructions were quite clear on that. However the letter itself was completely incomprehensible and contradicted itself at one point with the words in bold "if you do not want to have your name on the lists, you must let us know by return" but then in ordinary type at the end of the letter it said "if you do not reply you will not be put on either list." Brilliant!