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Original poster

how to find a place in oversubscribed school mid year

135 replies

Spanielmad · 09/08/2017 15:48

Hello, we might be moving house in the coming year - to south Buckinghamshire. My kids are about to start Y6 and Y8. If we move in the middle of the school year how are we supposed to find school places? Pretty much ALL 'good/outstanding' secondary schools and grammar schools are oversubscribed. So even if we find a house near a good school how do I get my kids in??
thanks !!

OP posts:
Original poster
Spanielmad · 09/08/2017 20:12

OMG this sounds complicated. There's no way we'll get an address by October - we're more thinking next spring/summer. There is an amazing lack of 'good'/outstanding schools in south bucks it seems. even if we find one it is usually oversubscribed and the next nearest one is 'inadequate'. I suppose waiting lists is the only way to go but I would hate to move my kids 3 times!
Good point SweettheHalls on the oversubscribed referring to Y7.
Once we know more for certain I will make some phone calls to some of these schools but it doesn't sound very promising.... the house hunt will be very limited if we can only look at areas where there is a good school with places....
And if the kids are in separate schools the school run would become rather impossible...LOL... how on earth do people do this?
Thanks everyone for your helpful answers and Tiggytape for your long answer. I don't feel very hopeful..... :(

OP posts:
LIZS · 09/08/2017 19:25

Ideally you need an address in time to apply for secondaries for your younger child in October. Otherwise you may face another struggle getting a place for year 7.

NancyJoan · 09/08/2017 19:22

Buy a house as close as you can to the school you want, and wait it out, putting them into a less desirable school for a term or two if needs be.

BlessYourCottonSocks · 09/08/2017 19:19

tiggy put it all much better and more clearly than I did! I know it's probably not what you were hoping to hear, but actually 5 miles away isn't considered far. My DC go to a school 6 miles from home; admittedly we are rural, but even with the bus they are expected to be able to walk up to 2 miles to catch it. Every parent (generally) wants a Good or Outstanding school for their children and so these tend to be oversubscribed.

LIZS · 09/08/2017 19:19

If you apply and are refused as the school is at capacity then you could appeal. However this takes time and it probably preferable to take whatever place is offered, for short term at least.

SweepTheHalls · 09/08/2017 19:15

Oversubscribed generally just refers to the current year 7. There is often movement in Year as families move.

tiggytape · 09/08/2017 19:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tiggytape · 09/08/2017 19:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Spanielmad · 09/08/2017 19:03

uhh. thanks BlessYourCottonSocks... there seems to be no undersubscribed schools except some 'in need of improvement' or 'inadequate'. In Marlow for example, the nearest 'undersubscribed' is over 5 miles away....

OP posts:
BlessYourCottonSocks · 09/08/2017 18:53

Erm. You don't, if they are oversubscribed. I'm afraid if the school has no places left that's it. You'll need to find the nearest school with free places, which might not be one you want unfortunately.

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