Moving back to England: School registrations

[Nix01]

I see most of the schools are oversubscribed and many of the schools are closing registrations for September 2013 now.

How does one enroll a child into school without an address? I've mailed a couple of the schools but they haven't been too helpful really.

Do you just wait until you have an address and hope for the best? We're aiming to arrive in July for the beginning of new school year in September.

[mummytime]

If you go into the education topics you will get a lot more information.

If you are looking at State schools then the phrase "many of the schools are closing their registrations" is meaningless. For State schools in England there are two application dates, the end of October for year 7 (or 8/9 in middle schools ares, rare) in Secondary, and in January for reception and maybe year 3 in primary (I think it is this date too for middle schools). If you are applying after these dates for these school years you are a late applicant. If you are applying for any other school year you are an "in year" applicant.
For both late and in year applicants, you apply via the LA for the schools you prefer. You almost always need to have a UK address; there are some special procedures for returning armed forces or "Crown" services families.
If the schools are full (which is normal in most places in England), you will be put on waiting lists for those schools. The LA has a legal obligation to provide your children with a place within "a reasonable" amount of time. You can also appeal for a school place at your preferred schools.
If your child is going into any school year above years R-2; you may well have a reasonable chance with an appeal (eg. my DCs primary has a size of 90 children per year, but almost always has up to 99 children per year). There is a lot more advice on appeals in the Education areas.

If you are looking at the private sector, there is not a need to have an address before applying. Also if you are relocating from overseas, even if their admissions rounds are finished it is always worth talking to the admissions department if you are relocating from overseas, as there may be flexibility.

[Nix01]

Thank you mummytime, that's very useful information. What is R2? My eldest would be going to Year 2 in September.

[LIZS]

If year 2 (R = Reception) your dc would get allocated a vacant place on arrival not in advance. There is no flexibility in class sizes, max 30, until Year3 so there will either be a vacancy or not. If you have a child due for Reception this September then if you were to move in the next couple of months, before a specific "late applications" deadline (ask the Local Authority when this is) he/she may get allocated a place with consideration for your new address and preferences. Once they have a place (places are allocated around Easter) your elder dc could go on a waiting list and hopefully get sibling priority.

[LIZS]

Just realised you mentioned moving in July. Will be sheer chance to find one place (or more?) at a local school of your choice at that point, although there will be some changes over the summer so waiting lists can move about and odd places come up as a result.

[mummytime]

Oh the other key thing; if you go on a waiting list you go to the place you according to the schools entry criteria. So assuming all sibling etc. places are taken and it is not a faith school, you will be placed according to your distance. So you will go above those already on the waiting list who live farther away than you, and could jump to the top if your new home is the closest to the school. Then you just have to hope someone withdraws (normally they move, get offered a late place at another school, or decide to take up a private place).

[DoctorGilbertson]

Hi,

We moved back, and did it at quite short notice. My mum helped find a landlord who would rent us somewhere without us seeing it first, and once we had a contract for our house in the UK we were then able to make an application to the LEA for a school place.

I found LEA websites very helpful as by the time we were applying they listed schools with places available for September and I went through the websites of these.

[DoctorGilbertson]

LEA? Maybe not the right word - the council education office is what I meant here.