HELP! Moving house before reception starts but after school place allocated

[twinmumPS]

Thanks for your input. We have been allocated a school place for. reception start at our preferred school. The flat we are staying in is having to undergo major works and it would be very uncomfortable for us to stay throughout since my son has asthma and there will be dust. I would like to know when's the earliest we can move out (of course within the same area, but not necessarily within the same school catchment, since that's tiny) to a different rental place that is more comfortable to live in. We are due to start reception in Sept. Thanks loads for your help!

[Pud2]

It won’t make any difference if the place has already been allocated. This is a genuine reason for having to relocate.

[LittleBearPad]

Is it a permanent move or temporary? I would think the school may raise eyebrows if you aren’t at the application address still.

There have been issues with people renting within ‘catchment’ areas and subsequently losing their places.

[ChicCroissant]

I'd check with admissions at the Council if it is a permanent move from a tiny (proper) catchment area, especially if it is likely to be reported by other parents.

[admission]

Providing that you had a reasonable length of lease on the flat and you were resident on the 15th January, then you have been allocated a place correctly. Unfortunately some LAs are now putting in a clause about still being in residence on 1st September, when you child will start.
I think it would be best to contact the LA admissions team but maybe be not quite as blunt about whether you still have a school place. Tell them that you are having to move out of the current flat because of significant building work and could they note the new address for all correspondence to do with starting school in September. Not sure whether you moving is a temporary move or a permanent move.Clearly a temporary move you can also then say you expect to return to your formal address on *

[Lydial]

If the place was allocated and accepted whilst you were living at the current address, and that address was your permanent residence, it will stay yours regardless of where you move. You do not need to notify anyone regarding your move. When your child starts school in September you can change info with the school then. I moved 40 miles away and took my kids to that school for 4 years also tiniest catchment something like 300meters from the gate. There were parents that rented or moved in with family to get a place and even though they were reported motif is hard to prove and admissions office said that as they were at the address at a time of admission the place cannot be taken back. I am talking about greater London, so not sure if anywhere else is different.

[OverTheRainbow88]

I think it would be fine if it’s a temporary move, however not if it’s a permanent move. Otherwise it will look like you rented near the school with a school catchment to get in and then moved away straight away. The major works I assume would be done by sept any way so you could be back in your original flat by then?

[twinmumPS]

Thanks for replying to my query. We are in Haringey. No, the move would not be temporary - when we rented this place in October last year we had no idea of how bad everything in it was. The situation is so bad that once every 2 days something breaks in the flat and the landlord won't fix it. To give you an idea of the extent this went, a radiator FELL OFF the wall in February. It literally fell off, collapsing under its own weight. There was hot water everywhere and by the time we had a plumber over, the floor carpet and wood had lifted and was completely ruined. A piece of the ceiling also fell off in December. The repairs the landlord intends to carry out only include the roof, so she has no intention of repairing the things that make our quality of. life in here so miserable. So no, when we move out we would like to do it for good. I'd rather wait a bit more than having to come back. That said, I don't want to stay here one day more. than necessary, without compromising the school thing nonetheless. Thanks everyone - should I phone Haringey then?

[prh47bridge]

Unfortunately some LAs are now putting in a clause about still being in residence on 1st September, when you child will start

I doubt such clauses would survive contact with judicial review. It is a transparent attempt to get around paragraph 2.12 of the Admissions Code. However, most parents won't want to be the ones to take a case to the courts.

It is, of course, open to any parent where the LA has such a clause to refer the matter to the Schools Adjudicator. In my view they should overturn any such clause but I can't be confident they would do so.

[happymummy12345]

Sorry for jumping on op, I have asked this before but I'm still concerned.
My son is starting school in September. We have lived at our current address since September 2017. However we need to move ASAP. The new house we will hopefully be moving to is literally 5 minutes away from where we live now. We didn't plan on moving but we really don't have much choice, and don't want to pass this house up as it's perfect.
We really don't want ds to be unable to keep his place as it's the best school for him. I'm not sure exactly what the catchment area is. The school admissions are decided by the school governors not the LA. And it's undersubscribed (there are still places available) if that makes a difference?
It's not like we moved recently so he would get in and now are moving further away. As I said we've lived in our current house since 2017, and the new one is 5 minutes away from where we are now. (I remember moving well over an hour away from where I lived and my primary school and was able to keep my place).
I thought we could check with the school and see if moving would mean he can't go there anymore if possible before we agree to move. Or should it be fine as we didn't move just to get his place? I'm really worried because we want to move, but also want ds to keep his school place.
Thanks

[prh47bridge]

The Admissions Code is clear. There are only very limited grounds under which a place can be withdrawn once it has been offered. Moving house is not one of those grounds.

Even if they believe that your house move means your original application was deliberately misleading, the Admissions Code requires them to assess whether you would have got a place from your new address. Since the school is undersubscribed the answer is clearly yes. And, as they are undersubscribed, they won't want to take your place away as it will result in them receiving less funding.

You are absolutely fine. Go ahead with your move.

[Wolfiefan]

How do you prove you didn’t move there just to get the place? Surely they can remove the offer if they feel the application wasn’t honest.

[happymummy12345]

@Wolfiefan sorry is your question for me or the op?

[Wolfiefan]

OP. Sorry.

[admission]

Any Local Authority can remove a place if they feel that the application was not honest. However it has to be based on more than they feel the application was dishonest. They have to be able to prove it because the first step if this does happen is to go to appeal where an independent panel will decide whether the evidence is strong enough. The guidance says "where an offer is withdrawn on the basis of misleading information, the application must be considered afresh, and a right of appeal offered if an offer is refused."

[OverTheRainbow88]

Can you move but stay in the same catchment area? I would be concerned about loosing my place in my preferred school, lots of local authorities want a year min rental contract.

[BrieAndChilli]

I have to say moving in in October and then moving out again so soon will look like you moved only for school application purposes, no matter what the truth is. If you had lived there for years and now was moving it would look a lot better. All the other parents will be espcially if they know other people who didn’t get in who have lived nearby for years.
Each council is different, if it’s a highly wanted school and the council is bothered they could remove your place for a fraudulent application. Probably depends on how many people complain about you.

[TeaAndHobnob]

Do you have to tell the school that you've moved straightaway? Couldn't it wait until September?

I work in a school and all our admissions stuff for our incoming children is being done online, no paperwork. Nothing is being posted to parents unless they request it. Have you had stuff on paper posted to you? Could you request that they email it instead?

[OverTheRainbow88]

Suggestions of not telling the school and the fact this thread was even started shows to me that moving 3 Month prior to application Into an area with a small catchment and then moving out of that area before the child has even started the school isn’t morally right... probably not even Legally right

[twinmumPS]

I thank you all for your answers. No, we did not move just to get into the catchment. Please, don't judge if you don't know. We were living in Italy before and did not understand much about catchment in general. We have simply had really bad luck with this flat, as it looked 'nice' when we came for viewings and we could not imagine a week into moving in a part of the ceiling came down on us, which was only the first in a series of problems that made life really hard to manage, especially with an asthmatic child. We have decided to stay another few months, so we won't be moving until this autumn and will be upfront with the school as to the reasons of our move. I thank all of you who helped with genuinely nice words as opposed to say we were deliberately breaking the law. One of the things that saddened me the most during the pandemic is how prompt people are to judge and assume the worst. We have one child whom we were told to 'shield' as much as possible yet take out for fresh air one a day, and honestly the hardest part was some people who would not move when we asked for some space in the street, or who would puff away when they saw a child under 4 wearing a mask or us changing side of the road when we'd meet people :-( If only we tried to put ourselves in other people's shoes sometimes and try not to assume the worst, life would be SO MUCH easier.

[TeaAndHobnob]

I agree OP. I've seen a new side of people since all this kicked off - assuming the worst like you say instead of considering people have the best intentions, quick to judge.

You've obviously tried to do your best for your family. Good luck with everything.