Changing address after January 15

[Timeforaverynicecupoftea]

Hi

I’m going to be applying for a reception place for my child in January, to start September.

We’re in the process of buying a house, but unfortunately we won’t have exchanged by January 15. So we’ll be using our current address - a few miles away in the next London Borough.

We’ve accepted the fact that we’re unlikely to get a place at our top choices, but as you never know we’ll be putting them down alongside a safe ‘banker’ school in the area where we plan to live.

We plan to go on the waiting list for all the schools we like.

We’re likely to exchange at the end of Jan or start of Feb.

Is it worth updating the council as soon as we have our new address? What actually happens between January and April (when parents are informed of the place they’ve been allocated?)

Would our change of address have any impact whatsoever in that three month period?

Thanks for reading.

[prh47bridge]

You must keep the council informed. Most, possibly all, London boroughs will accept a change of address for 3 or 4 weeks after applications close. Check what the council you are moving to says about this in their admissions information. If you move after that date make sure you tell them that you want them to use your current address for deciding your application. If you ask them to use your new address you will be treated as a late application and go to the back of the queue for places.

[Timeforaverynicecupoftea]

That’s interesting, thank you. Do you mean that, if we complete within 3-4 weeks of the closing date we may be considered as if we actually had that address at application time?

[prh47bridge]

Yes. The LAs in London I've looked at will accept a new address and use it as if you had lived there at the time of application up to 10th February but I can't guarantee they all do.

[Timeforaverynicecupoftea]

I’ve just checked with them and this is indeed the case. Now we just need the house sale to go through ASAP!

Thanks so much for your help