Wiltshire primary admissions - help!

[namechangeadmission]

Hi, name changing regular here asking for a friend who lives in Wiltshire.

Friend applied for 3 primary schools for September, missed out on all 3 and has been allocated a school she really does not want her DS to go to.

I have told her to: (1) Accept the place she has been offered, as the council do not have to offer her another one, (2) Ring the council and make sure she is on the waiting list for all 3 schools she missed out on, and (3) Ask if she can go on waiting lists for other schools as well - especially her nearest school (which she did not put down as one of her original 3 choices, but which is better than the school she has been offered!).

I would be grateful if any Wiltshire admissions experts can let me know if this was correct/good advice?

Also, she has found a small village school with a few spare places, which she loves. The council have told her that she can apply for a place there but they can't tell her until June if she has one - and even if no-one applies for one of them except her, she still might not be given one. Can anyone shed any light on what they mean by this?

She is v v stressed about this and I am trying my best to advise her so she has a good chance of being offered something better, so would be grateful for any advice. Many thanks

[namechangeadmission]

I should add I don't live in Wiltshire so am not sure if their processes may be different to my local area! Thanks.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

Your advice sounds spot on.

The council have told her that she can apply for a place there but they can't tell her until June if she has one - and even if no-one applies for one of them except her, she still might not be given one. Can anyone shed any light on what they mean by this?

This from the council sounds odd though. If there is a space i.e. the school is below PAN, then they have to give it to her if she applies and no-one else has applied for it. I thought they had to process applications in a timely manner and June seems a long way away. If the school was full and there was a waiting list, it might be different because waiting lists are ordered by admissions criteria. If there's a space then it is likely to come down to whoever applies first.

[titchy]

Your advice is correct. The issue with the school with spaces is a pain. However if there genuinely are spaces she should apply NOW. She would be sensible to have something in writing that shows there is a space now, and something that shows the date she makes her application. That way if the space suddenly disappears she could appeal and provide a paper trail that shows there was a vacancy at the time she applied, and that it shold have gone to her. The LA would then have to demonstrate to an appeal panel that the space filled up between her being told there was a vacancy, and her applying for it.

[namechangeadmission]

Thank you both, that is helpful.

Rafa the school is a very small village school. They admit far fewer than 30 each year, so I was wondering if maybe they have enough pupils for any legally required minimum, although this is fewer pupils than in previous years. Therefore the council don't have to give them more pupils - would that make sense maybe?

In any case, I will tell her to apply now, and about the paper trail, thank you titchy.

[DeeWe]

Could the small school be along the lines of there are so few in the school that they may have only one (or two) infant classes, rather than the full 3.
If they do have only one (or two) then they will be deemed to be full (ie 30 in each class). However they were hoping to have a form per year in which case there will be spare spaces.
That's the only thing I can think of.

[namechangeadmission]

Hi DeeWe no I don't think it's that - they have a lot less than 30 per year. But I don't know what their PAN is. Friend is speaking to council right now so hopefully is getting a bit more information on it!

Thanks all, this board is so helpful.

[prh47bridge]

even if no-one applies for one of them except her, she still might not be given one

If they are below PAN for Reception in September they must admit anyone who applies. However if they are up to PAN they don't have to admit any further pupils even if they are below PAN in other years.

[namechangeadmission]

Thank you prh47bridge I suspected something like that.

I have looked up the school's PAN and it is a small number higher than admitted so far so there must be places.

Friend has now spoken to someone a bit more helpful at the council who says she has a good chance of getting one of these places.

So I guess she has to wait until they find her application (which they have already received but which I am guessing is in a big pile somewhere with the squillion other late applications) and get round to processing it? Do they have to do this within a set time?

[admission]

I am afraid that this is about a waiting game because you quite rightly say the LA will be swamped in requests for schools and appeals and going on waiting lists.
Please make sure that you have formally asked to be given a place at the small primary school and confirm that you know that there are places available as of today's date.
What you are doing to putting down a marker. The admission code says that requests for places should be carried out without delay. One has to be sensible that at this time of the year that will take a little time but what should not happen is that you request is ignored / forgotten about etc and others gain the free places. By putting it down in writing to the admission office you will have put down a date after which you should always be considered for every place at the school. If they do not and the school is then full you would have a reasonable chance of success at any appeal.