Currently on a secondary school waiting list - moving child a few weeks into the start of term?

Oh, that’s really interesting. I didn’t think they were allowed to withdraw a place that was fairly offered.

If you move out of catchment before the 1st day of term, I was advised that the council should reassess the application and withdraw the place if someone else meets the distance criteria ahead of them.

An admissions authority cannot withdraw a place simply because someone has moved. That would be against the admissions code, which has the force of law.

They can only remove it if they believe the original address to be fraudulent, or an address of convenience.

A number of LAs do threaten this, but as I say, It's not legal. Anyone who had a place removed simply because they moved would be able to appeal, and should win (assuming it's a genuine move of course. I do appreciate not all are!).

Op - most people I think who do move, wait until mid September after their child has started the school, are you sure some families moved over the summer?

Also I haven’t read the full thread but are you in the catchment area? Where we live the outstanding schools are oversubscribed so we moved into the catchment area a few years ago to increase our chances of getting a place.

This is what my county does - so no places are withdrawn if a child moves after the application date, but if they are allocated a place and then move, then they can go on waiting lists with their new address.

If your child is offered a school place based on where they live, it is conditional on them living at that address on the application closing date (or a different date if specified by the school). An exception will only apply if we have accepted a change of address that has taken place after the closing date (see further information below). A new address can only be considered once a move has taken place and we reserve the right to seek further information from you.

If you do not tell us about a move, or about a declared move that has failed to take place, we may withdraw your application or any offer of a school place we have made.

Moving within XX county after the closing date: if you applied by the closing date and you move within XX after 31 October 2023, but on or before 12 December 2023, let us know the date you moved and provide us with evidence of your new address by 12 December 2023, for example a copy of your tenancy agreement or the date of completion. As long as the move took place on or before 12 December and you send us evidence by that date, your new address will be used in the initial allocation of school places on 1 March 2024 (the national offer day).

If you move within XX after 12 December 2023 or if you provide us with evidence of a prior move after this date, your previous address will be used for initial allocation purposes on 1 March 2024. Your new address will be used for waiting lists from 1 March 2024, or the date you move if a move has not yet taken place.

Do you actually know of people who have done this or are you just assuming that some people have?

I think that is quite unusual. Perhaps your LA does this, though. Who advised this to you?

How are they fraudulently keeping the place?

my question about “restricting moves” maybe wasn’t well phrased.

At present, for most schools, if you live at the right address on application day and certainly if you still live there on allocation day, then it’s not fraudulent to move afterwards.

Is this what you would change?

It’s really not that simple. Believe me. The information isn’t all kept in the same place. Not all SA depts have access to Council Tax so not all SA depts check Council Tax.

My personal opinion is that it shouldn’t be hard to cross reference. They are using computers after all.

Ignoring your assumption that LAs have the software in place to link information in this way, it wouldn't just be about checking would it?

They would need to follow up on every discrepancy and make a decision about whether or not the place should be withdrawn.

Most LAs rely on people being reported for school place fraud and dealing with those cases. I know a few people who have been reported, all renters whose landlords ended their tenancy and who had to move a bit further from the school. None of their places were withdrawn.

A lot of students where I teach, join a few weeks later or a term into year 7. They soon settle and you'd never know they joined later, I wouldn't worry too much x

Might be worth asking what the mid year intake is like generally in that school though. But it shouldn't really be an issue, teachers and students can make an effort to welcome the child.

'I said there should be checks made when people sell up and keep their place. Or if there is a change in council tax name. The council have access to this information but chose not to use it. That’s what is not fair'

That would be a massive job. House sales don't often show up anywhere until months later, changing names on council tax the same. Admissions departments deal with thousands of applications. Each September the applications process for the following year starts again so they start working on that.

How long do you think it would be fair to restrict moves?

There is a wildly popular school near us that will take places away if moves happen within something like 6 months of the start date, but it is semi fee paying so a bit different to a standard comp.