admissions advice please

[cinderellasmummy]

we are hoping to move but want to make sure there is a school place before we commit to new property as this is the main reason for us moving (daughter not currently in school due to lack of places in our area). when i spoke to local authority in place we wanted to move to they said there was a space at school we wanted but that i would have to have proof of local address to apply. however the lady then went on to say that if i applied to my current local authority and they passed the application on to them i wouldnt need proof of local address. i called yesterday and she said there was still a place available, however they called my husband today and said they couldnt offer a place without proof of address as they had to priotirise local residents. is this right? i understand that we would be bottom of waiting list if there was one with address from such a long way away, but surely if there is a place available at the time of our applictaion we should be able to have it?

[academyblues]

Is the new school in the same LA as where you live?

Someone who knows more than me will be along soon.

[BeattieBow]

you usually have to have the address first - its a crazy system! I moved in the summer and had to have a rental agreement, utility bill and council tax bill before they'd even consider my application. There is no priority given to people moving into the area over people moving within it. Sorry!

[meditrina]

If there is a place available and no waiting list, then the place should be given to the next applicant irrespective of where they live. They cannot hang on to spare places in case of some undefined and possibly illusionary future local resident.

If there is a waiting list, then you will be put on it according to the entrance criteria for which address is likely to be relevant.

[PanelMember]

Yes, where the school is over-subscribed and there's a waiting list, LEAs won't usually give a place unless you have clear evidence of an address. Otherwise, they would be faced with people saying 'but I intend to move right next door to the borough's most desirable school' with nothing to back it up!

However, as meditrina says, if there's a vacancy then they should give it to you, even if you haven't yet moved.

[cinderellasmummy]

thanks all. i totally understand why they are reluctant to give me place without a local address as it is likely that if they give my daughter the place someone else will come along next week with proof of address and want the place and they will have no places available.i dont expect them to hold the place for me forever - when I first spoke to them they said they would hold it for half a term which i thought was reasonable.

[admission]

That is more than reasonable cinderellasmummy, many LAs are far stricter. But just to confirm you can apply for a school place that is vacant from any where in the country. So there is no reason why you cannot apply via your LA for the place now. I think you will need to tell your LA that the intention is that you moving to the other area and that you will commute to the school applied for in the interim. Also given the time of year where the admission office will have lots of requests for places in reception, you need to emphasise that you are looking for an in-year admission, so there is no confusion