School have revoked offer - not sure what to do next.

Of course it makes a difference. People who move out for a few weeks/months will have all their admin, post, electoral register, etc at that address. They can prove they have been living there normally for X number of years. OP has never lived in this house.

OP, is there a reason why you are ignoring many people asking where you are living at the moment or whether you have made any effort to do any change of addresses to the new home? It's beginning to look like you are still in your original home and as far as the school is concerned this property is just a ruse to get you into the reception class, particularly as you are expecting them to believe that it suddenly needed more work once you purchased it.

Why are you not answering the questions about where you are living now? and where is that, just out of catchment?

There were places at your school though. OPs school sounds oversubscribed. She will have to wait for a place to come up and that depends on someone dropping out.

I imagine OPs problem is that she has two addresses. That looks very suspicious from the admission team's point of view.

OP you need to make a plan.
Phone the school, tell them you are moving into your new house, and ask them what evidence they need to prove that. You will also need to speak to them about what other schools have places that your son can attend until a place comes up at your preferred school. (or home school till then if that is an option for you).
Get all of your mail, banks/ driving licence etc, switched to your new home.
speak to you builders about accommodating you living there whilst they do the work
Get your existing home on the market/ give notice on your lease etc depending on where you live,
Contact a removal company to move the furniture you need in your new home and arrange storage for the rest.

Over-subscribed schools are very strict about their admission rules. Local ones to us ask you to confirm your offer with proof of address (bank statements etc), proof of registration with local GP, ID etc.. and you have to do this in person within 48 hours of receiving the offer. Sorry, you have fallen foul of their stringent processes, but after the scandal of families renting tiny flats close to outstanding schools, the whole system has had to be tightened up.

I would officially move in before the summer holidays.
We moved my sons school just before the summer because we moved but noone was available to process our case from the last two weeks of term until they came back.
We had to wait about 4 weeks then for them to process it and he missed 6 weeks of term. It was a nightmare.
Be prepared that noone will be available to deal with your case from mid july to september.
We were also told we were bottom of the priority list for the council as over summer and early september they prioritise the high need cases, children moved due to care arrangements, or moved for safety etc. So you go to the very bottom of the pile. Had to eing them every day.
Council are working over summer need the school to sign off so nothing gets done until september, then they deal with priority first. Then deal with your case and if there are places then you can get one. But thry said there are movements with kids higher priority over summer so the waiting list expands and then you just have to hope for the best.
We were actually living i n thehouse too

What address does the primary school hold for you?

I'm amazed that people are surprised that the school found out - If there's high demand for places, some parents will try to cheat the system by giving false address, using parents/friends addresses, or renting a flat out then sub letting it etc.
Schools will run checks to combat this, dare say they can access databases for council tax/electoral roll etc.

But it seems the OP hasn't ever lived there.
So that address doesn't yet count for admissions purposes.

They know because someone has told them that you know

What about people who have been living in a house then start doing renovations so move out for a few weeks whilst say the kitchen and bathrooms are being done.

it’s still their residence. Does it make a difference that the OP has never lived there? I’d tell them it’s your house. You live there but have moved out for a few weeks whilst work is being done. I can’t believe councils would see temporary moving out fireworks would render you ineligible

Can you borrow a friend's caravan and pop it on the drive and live in it while the work is finished?

Schools presumably check these things - if one of you had set up council tax payments at the new address, and registered on the electoral roll at the same time, then that should of been enough.

I have always thought it is odd that the application is based on where they are living 6 months before the start of the year. It should be based on where they are living the day they start school. On the first day the parents need to sign a declaration that the child is living in the address they had specified and the council reserves the right to check.

I think if the school is really the one you want I'd be doing everything I can to move in, even while it's not ideal. What about the current situation of the house feels "unsafe"? Or is it just not a pleasant idea of moving in is it is? What work is left to be done?

For context we have two young children and are in the middle of a 13 week build. We've had prolonged periods with no water during build hours. Noisy and dusty environment with live wires hanging about the place (i.e a typical build site!) We haven't had a kitchen now for four weeks, unlikely to until five weeks time. Limited access to a washing machine. We haven't got family near by and can't afford to rent anywhere else. I'm not going to pretend it's been easy and without it's challenges, but we're seeing it as a necessary situation to get us the house we want long term. In your situation I would be questioning whether losing the school place is worth it if it means moving in earlier that you'd desire.

It sounds like the school are saying if you move in now they will look to reallocate the place to you? So I'd be inclined to take a few deep breaths and then seriously work out when is the quickest you can move in to try and resecure the place. Hope isn't lost yet, but it's not likely to change if you don't fulfil their criteria of you living there.

I doubt it. Local Authorities have really wised up to all the scams people use to try to get their kids into popular oversubscribed schools they are not really entitled to go to. I remember looking up the admissions page where I used to live and they were really clear about their rules - they had thought of just about every wheeze parents could come up with and described how this was not permitted and the child's place would be revoked. House prices in good catchment areas are so ridiculously high, so many parents try to find work arounds to get into the schools without having to permanently live in catchment. If I remember right, I think our old authority would even revoke a place if they believed you only temporarily bought to get a school place. They would certainly kick kids out of school who had started if they had evidence parents had scammed their way into a place. So I am not sure about what pp said about just needing to move in until your son's place is accepted is always correct. I presume the school you want is highly oversubscribed so they probably are strict on the rules.

As PP said, from the LA point of view you may have decided to buy this property to look like you were in catchment but intended to do it up and sell on and never live in it as your main home.

There isn’t flexibility because there is another family equally keen on the school who live a few metres further from the school, and they have the place now.

v curious how the school /LEA found out - perhaps someone on the waiting list told them

There is no flexibility or discretion allowed- school have to apply their admission criteria precisely.

Where are you currently living? With family? Rented accommodation? Do you own another property?

Just move in. Loads of people live in properties whilst having renovations.

Tbh OP I think you knew work needed to be done and this is now the consequences of your actions. You’ll have to move in and plead your case.

Where do you pay council tax?

Note; you only need to move in for as long as it takes to get the offer and accept it. Then you can move out again if you need to.

NB there are no guarantees a WL place will come up at this stage, even if you move in and become first on the WL. It might be worth asking the school about their usual WL movement over summer, before moving into a building site.

Yes of course.
What did you imagine?

Does the Primary School provide a data record or report to the new school presumably they send over SATS results?

Where ARE you living at the moment? In another property which you own or in some kind of temporary arrangement? Where is your post being delivered? Have you changed anything - bank statements, driving licences etc - to the new address?

I can kind of see the school's point of view tbh, people do all sorts to get a school place and as far as they are concerned you might put this house up for sale again as soon as the work is done without ever having had any intention of moving in.