In Year Admission for Year 1 children - how long did you wait until offered a place?

[Challen]

I'd be interested to know if anyone can tell me how long they waited to be offered a Year 1 place under the In Year Admission procedure, so I can work out an average waiting time?

I have moved from a nearby village into the nearest town. The infant school is at the end of my road. Unbeknownst to me it is the best infant school in the town. Needless to say my Year 1 daughter was refused a place, and instead offered the only available Year 1 space, which happens to be in the 2nd worst Ofsted rated infant school in the town.

It is also not as close as other infant schools, but they are all full anyway.

My daughter is on the waiting list which has to be renewed each term, but it's costing me a fortune bussing her into her old school every day ( I don't work at present).

I also have the dilemma of my son due to start Reception next year, and have put him down for the infant school near us as first choice, but am flummoxed as to the possibility one child may get the local school, whilst the other has to stay at the old school, and I just can't get them to different schools at the same time.

I wonder if I should put him down for his sister's current school back in the village as second choice, to at least solve that dilemma.

I am a single parent and left their father due to DV issues - the father is aware of this predicament but does not wish to pay towards the bus fares, and offers only the minimum £5 a week for both children as he fraudulently claims no income. £5 pays for one day's return bus fares for myself and one child.

I have kept my daughter at her old school as I thought it would pose least disruption to her with the house move too, but had no idea school places would all be full in the town we moved to.

The stress is unbelievable, every day it is preying on my mind. I realise if the 30 places in Year 1 are full there is nothing I can do about it, but if I had some idea of waiting times, I could at least try to budget bus fares better, or something, maybe conisder the futility of it all, I don't know.

I have posted in previous threads about this, but start a new thread here to attract fresh views and hopefully some ideas of waiting times.

Thankyou :)

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

That's a 'how long is a piece of string' question I'm afraid.

A place may not come up at all. If no one leaves, then there is no space.

And are you first on the waiting list or do others have priority?

Re your ds. I would apply for the good school at the end of your road. Depending on the criteria the la uses for admission places, if you are very close to the school then you have a good chance of getting him in there.

[RillaBlythe]

It's impossible to say, isn't it. If no families move out of the area, there will never be a place available.

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

Also get your dd name on the waiting lists for the other schools closest to you.

[Challen]

They can't tell me where she is on the waiting list, just how many children are waiting for the Year 1 place. It was 3 in September, but has now goen up to 4, including my daughter.

I don't know if it is a peice of string question though if I get a few replies from people who have waited for In Year admission at Year 1 level - if several people reply, and most of them say they waited a few months or a few weeks or at the worst, years, it will at least give me an idea of how to proceed I suppose :/

[Notquite]

I've no experience of this, but would your circumstances make it worth appealing for a place? Anyone know?

[RillaBlythe]

I'm not expert at all - you should post in Primary Education for those - but I think no case at appeal. You have to demonstrate that an error was made in your application e.g. they calculated the distance to your house wrongly, or that sufficient harm is being done to your child in not attending the school that it outweighs the harm done to the rest of the class in increasing the pupil numbers. I think.

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

We're still waiting for a reception place for ds1 in our preferred school.

He is 4th on the waiting list at school choice 1 and 2nd at our school choice 2.

He has just started year 1!! So we've been waiting well over a year.

[mummytime]

They should be able to tell you where you are on the waiting list. I would ask again, and if they can't/won't tell you, ask how they will know who to offer the place to if one becomes available.
I would also put your DD on the waiting list for any other schools which are suitable near you.

I would apply for a place for your son at the local school. Do you have to reapply for Junior school at the end of year 2? If so what is the entry criteria for that school?

If the worse comes to the worse, then see if a local parent can help with the school runs. I have known parents manage to get help to ferry children to two different schools quite a distance appart across town.

[Challen]

Thankyou for all your views so far, but what I am actually hoping to attract are people in a similar situation using In Year Admission for Year 1, to learn how long they waited before being offered a place.

I'll try again in the education forum, although there is far less traffic there.