School application

[kobesmum]

Am looking for some advice!
I have sent off the application for my sons primary school admission for september.
I have now received a letter from Bromley requesting a copy of a council tax bill and a utility bill from my previous address (have only been in current home since January 2010, We used to live at my parents) I do not have either of these in my name and am now concerned they will refuse the application because I cannot produce them. :(
Any ideas what to do?

[ballstoit]

Have you applied at your previous address or the current one?

If you've applied at previous address then you would have to change it to the address you are living at.

I suspect that your council's admissions know that you have moved and are giving you a polite opportunity to inform them. It does state clearly on the admissions paperwork that you should inform immediately if you change address.

[misskeith]

If you applied from this address which I assume you did, just tell them you don't have them in your name as you were living with parents. If you have the bills for this place that should be the one that counts. Unless admissions have some rule you have to have been there 2 years? I know some places want proof of prev address to check you have really moved out and are not just renting - presumably they asked you on the original form how long you have lived at this address which is how they know. Ring up the admissions people and ask.

[admission]

If you were living permanently at the address when you applied and can prove it and you will still be in residence on the day that the places are allocated then the LA has to use that address. It is only the current address and where you will be living in the future that is relevant. Where you lived previously is of no relevance other than some petty bureaucrats wish to make thing more complicated than they need to be.

I would just go back to them by email and confirm the address you are living in permanently, say that the previous address was your parents and you have no proof of living there and ask them to confirm that you have met completely the legal requirements for admissions based on your new address. You need this in writing just so they can't start trying to say you have not met the criteria.

[admission]

I have just had a look at Bromley's admission book and it does go on about having no connection to previous addresses a lot!
You do need to ensure that they are happy with your explanation and that you get that confirmation in writing.
Their ideas of what is right and wrong are very interesting. I really like the statement in a big green box


You may be asked for proof of continuity of address throughout the application process.
If it is discovered that a place has been offered on the basis of a fraudulent or intentionally misleading application (for example a false claim to residence)
that offer may be withdrawn.
It is also reasonable to withdraw a place if it has been offered by Bromley admissions in error.
DfE Admissions Code

The last bit about it being reasonable to withdraw a place if Bromley have made a mistake is simply not correct, there are legal cases that substantiate that they cannot do this other than within hours of it happening. I would also be really interested in where it says this applies to Bromley admissions in the DfE Admissions Code. Firstly it is the DCSF admissions code not the DfE as they have not issued any admission code yet, secondly I would be really interested to know where it says it is reasonable to withdraw places and thirdly i would be very sure that any admissions code does not mention Bromley!

[nancy75]

Hi, we live in bromley and moved and then applied to schools soon after. Get your parents to put in writing that you no longer live at their address. Bromley are strict about aplications, we ended up having a phone call to check our address and a home visit!

[Panelmember]

I hesitate to disagree with Admission, but it seems to me that the change of address (and the date of the change of address) could be relevant.

Have I understood this correctly: you applied from your old address - your parents' - which you have since left and Bromley are asking for proof that you lived there? If that is so, it sounds like the move into parents' home for a few months to be nearer a desirable school, get a place and then move back to the family home scenario which local education authorities see time and time again. That is not to say that you did that - I am sure your reasons for living with your parents were genuine and so too were your reasons for moving home in January - but you need to understand why Bromley may be looking closely at your application and wanting confirmation of your previous address. Much may also depend on when you moved. Depending on dates, Bromley may treat your change of address as a late application.

On the other hand, if you applied from the new address and will be staying there then - as Admission says - the previous address is irrelevant.