Social medical application for primary school of neighbouring borough

[wecanblue]

Hello all! My DD has a disability and we have just moved house. In preparation for the move, I submitted an in-year application to nearby schools. One of them, which also happens to be the closest one to our new home, has a curriculum that is particularly well suited for her disability so I applied under the medical social criterion.

Before the move they were considering the application with the evidence I submitted. However, after the move, I re-submitted the application with the new address as I had been advised to do. Before moving, we were residents in the borough, but the new address happens to be just one block over the boundary of the local authority.

As far as I am aware, it is perfectly possible to apply to a neighbouring borough's school (and this one is our closest one even if it's on a different borough) but I received an email today saying that they will NOT consider my appliation for social medical criterion anymore because we moved to another borough! How can this be
possible? My daughter's disability doesn't change because we move boroughs, her needs are still the same. Does anybody know if it is legal for them to refuse the application altogether just based on that? It definitely doesn't seem right, does it?

[Clairetree1]

of course they can, you are not in the catchment area any more

[Carrotcakeorchocolatemuffin]

You may have to apply via your current borough - even for this school. Try calling them.

[SuburbanRhonda]

You should put her on the waiting list for your preferred school but apply elsewhere in the meantime.

[wecanblue]

Thanks for the replies. Carrotcake, I have done a quick search and I cannot find anything about a social-medical criterion in my current borough, but maybe they call it something else?

Rhonda, thanks for the advice. I have applied to another school and she has a place for September at least. The problem is that the curriculum in that school is actually the opposite of this school, they hardly do the kind of work that helps my daughter with her disability.

[wecanblue]

I have tried to find information on applying to neighboring boroughs but I have found close to nothing. Does any of you have any expertise on what borough I need to be applying to? It seems to make more sense to apply to the borough the school is in, since they know and manage the school

[SouthWestmom]

What does the oversubscription criteria say? And is it an academy? Maintained school?

[SouthWestmom]

Oh hang on where you applying with an EHCP?

[wecanblue]

No, even though my DD is in the SEN register at her current school, apparently she doesn't have an official SEN statement (now called EHCP, right?). She did have some special needs educational plan that they showed me a couple of times in the past, but it is apparently something different from a SEN statement so we didn't apply via that route.

[meditrina]

I think you need to apply through your own Borough, naming the school in the other Borough as your first choice (and some further choices that would be suitable if that school was full).

As this is an in-year entry, if the school has a vacancy, you will get it. If it does not you will be placed on the waiting list, which will be ranked according to how well you fit the criteria for each school (so for other Borough school, you will be ranked in exactly the same way all applicants to that school). If you not offered a place, you can appeal.

The Borough has acted correctly in refusing to process an application for someone other than one of its residents. It is your home Borough which has the responsibility of coming up with a school place should all the schools on your preference list be full

[AornisHades]

Any student on a school's SEN register should have a IEP (Individual Education Plan). This is much less formal and does not carry the weight of an EHCP. An IEP doesn't carry any weight for admissions IME.

[Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar]

What parts of the curriculum helps your child with their disability?

[prh47bridge]

Agree with meditrina. You need to apply to your home borough. You cannot apply directly to the other borough. It doesn't matter whether or not your borough has a social/medical category for admissions. Your place on the waiting list will be determined by the school's admission criteria. If they have a social/medical category and agree you qualify for that category you will be at or near the head of the waiting list (if there is one). If they have a place available it won't matter which category you are in - you will be offered the place.

[OiWhoTookTheGoodNames]

We have to apply via our home LEA even if we're applying to a school in another LEA (fairly common here - I live pretty much ON the county boundary)

[PatriciaHolm]

As already commented, you need to apply through your own, new, borough. It doesn't mean she won't necessarily be accepted under the medical criteria, just that the new borough need to be your point of contact and application now. They will then be in touch with the admissions authority for the school you want.

[wecanblue]

Thank you for all your responses and sorry for the delay. I started looking into whether it was possible to apply through my borough when the council officer got back to me. He apologized and said it was a mistake, they do consider social-medical applications from other boroughs! I am so glad, and I also feel this made more sense, to be honest.