Missed school application for reception

[Nice12]

Hi. I've just joined this site. Feeling so stupid and now extremely concerned. I missed the online application date to get my son into school. In the chaos of moving house over Christmas, one of the most important things I had to do, I forgot. What makes matters even worse, is that we have moved out of the catchment area where my daughter is in year 5 at the school I would like my son to go. I also assumed my son would go to the same school as my daughter. I work every day, and the logistics if they are separated is going to be a nightmare. I'm crying writing this because I know I'very been so stupid. I know the schools are always heavily oversubscribed in our new area also. Any suggestions, please?😢

[RNBrie]

Call the local authority immediately. As in, 9.01am this morning. You'll have a late application but you need to get in the system.

I know two people this happened to and they both got places at their preferred schools but not until the first round of offers had been sent out and people had accepted/declined places.

[FamilyOfAliens]

All you can do is put the application now. You will be considered as a late applicant and put on the waiting list. However you will be higher up on the list than people who haven’t got a sibling already there.

We bombard our parents with texts about applications right up to the deadline because we’ve had siblings not get in when parents forget to apply. We have 18 siblings this year and a PAN of 30, so anyone who hasn’t applied is stuffed really. Sorry, OP.

[KnifeAngel]

Contact the council this morning. Depending on the admissions criteria you might not have got a place any way. Many schools now don't give priority to siblings if you move out of the catchment area.

[Patchworksack]

Phone the local authority and ask how to make a late application. I think unfortunately you are going to be given a place at the nearest undersubscribed school unless your daughter's school is not full. Once places are allocated put your son on the waiting list for any school you find acceptable. Sorry can't be any more hopeful but the LA will be "them's the rules" if you missed the application date. 💐

[palindromeam]

Birth rates have fallen a bit (well they have round here). Reception at our school hasn't been full last two years and it is the same across the town (medium sized town in north west England).

Hopefully you'll be ok. But get tat application in and be prepared to go on a waiting list.

[ShowOfHands]

@FamilyOfAliens We don't have sibling priority at our school. Lots of schools don't.

Put in your late application ASAP, consider other schools and visit them because you might find yourself having to use whichever school has a place and use the waiting lists. Good luck!

[Oblomov20]

One mum from our school forgot to apply for secondary! She thought the deadline was .... say 30th November, rather than 30th October!!

Have you spoken to your school office? Surely the admissions lady knows you and might at least be sympathetic?

Maybe ring up some of the other better local schools, explain the situation and try and get a rapport going with the admissions person just so she remembers your name?

[FamilyOfAliens]

We don't have sibling priority at our school. Lots of schools don't.

The OP mentioned it, which is why I did.

All the schools in my LEA have sibling priority unless they’re an academy, when they can pick and choose which pupils they offer a place to.

[FamilyOfAliens]

Have you spoken to your school office? Surely the admissions lady knows you and might at least be sympathetic?

We’re a maintained school, so it doesn’t matter how sympathetic we are, a late application will always be dealt with as such because its the LEA who manages admissions.

[Nice12]

Thank you everyone. Application in. I'm just assuming the worse scenario now and getting prepared to work out things logistically. But I'm not going down without a fight first. I will appeal any unwanted decisions.

[KnifeAngel]

@Nice12 Good luck with getting the place you want. The only way you would win an appeal is if a mistake was made by the authority. You not applying on time won't win you an appeal.

[itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted]

Unfortunately appealing has low chance of success - the application was open for about 3/4 months and you missed the deadline by 2 weeks not 24 hours. late applicants don't go above siblings - hope for the best but definitely start putting a plan in place for doing two school drops - Childminder's etc

[WaterSheep]

But I'm not going down without a fight first. I will appeal any unwanted decisions.

You can appeal, but unless the local authority have made a mistake you won't be successful. It would just add to the stress of the situation, as unfortunately the outcome would be inevitable.

[AdachiOljulo]

keep breathing and don't panic. loads of people forget to apply for younger siblings. there is always lots of movement on waiting lists between March and September. as soon as a place comes free at the older sibling's school, you will get the place unless there is a child In Care or with an EHCP who needs it (unlikely).

don't waste you energy on appeals. they will not be successful in your circumstances. just make sure you are on the waiting list for every acceptable school and keep fingers crossed.

[NoWordForFluffy]

Our LEA is apparently accepting late applications until 28.02.20. I can't find anything which says if they'll deal with these as if they were made in time or not as it was in our school's newsletter and there's nothing mentioned on the LEA website.

Did you speak to anyone or just put in a late online application?

[LIZS]

Appeal on what basis? If the intake is filled with on time applicants, even non siblings or those living further away, then your case is very weak.

[Equimum]

as others have said, contact the LA or whoever deals with admissions immediately and submit a late application.

This does not mean your child won’t get a place. If you are in catchment with a sibling you will be very high on the wait list.if the school is undersubscribed you will get allocated a place. If not, there is often some movement between applications and starting school (people moving house, people getting places from the waiting list of another school, people going private etc), so there is still a good chance your child will get in.
Good luck

[KindergartenKop]

If you don't get the school you want get your child on the waiting list. There's a lot of movement in reception. Additionally, if it would make logistics easier and if you have money you could hire a nanny to look after the kids until the school place comes up. They don't have to be in school until the term after they are 5.

[Crunchymum]

You are going to appeal because you messed up and missed the deadline..... by weeks? You'll be unsuccessful.

[ManiacalLapwing]

Won't your DD be able to get herself to and from school in year 6? Then it's only one year before she's in Secondary anyway.

[PurpleCrazyHorse]

Also. If you do end up on a waiting list, remember it's fluid, so the priority changes based on who joins the list. A looked after child will go above you if they join the list for example. Also, in our LEA, you have to re-apply for the waiting list every term. Check what happens in your area so you don't think you're waiting for a place when you're not.

Also be very clear of the admissions criteria so you have an idea of where you fall on the waiting list. In our LEA, it goes LAC/EHCP, sibs in catchment, new in catchment, sibs out of catchment, new out of catchment. So you would be below all the in catchment admissions. Ours changed in the last 2 years, so I'd really suggest you check your school's admission policy.

There is lots of movement in the early part of the new term as people don't get the places they want and then get in on appeal or through a space coming up, so it frees up their child's place at another school.

Get as much info as possible on what to do when you get allocated a place. If it's unsuitable, don't barrel in and refuse the place without being 100% sure of what you're doing and the consequences.

[FamilyOfAliens]

as soon as a place comes free at the older sibling's school, you will get the place unless there is a child In Care or with an EHCP who needs it (unlikely).

Not unlikely at all - we have five children with an EHCP in our Yr5 class!

Also the on-time applications will get in before late applications.

[PotteringAlong]

But I'm not going down without a fight first. I will appeal any unwanted decisions.

I suspect the answer will be “you can’t be that arsed or you would have applied at any time in the 4 months applications were open” (probably not given to you in those words). This is your fault. If you wanted it that badly you should have applied like everyone else!

[Nice12]

Thought this was a nice site. I am a working mum who, moved house on Christmas Eve and had no reminders, including the nursery my son was at or from anyone else . I do not see other the other mums as I work late. I would die for my son and I feel like the worse mother in the world at the moment. It certainly was not because I don't care. I really don't need anyone else telling me I've failed my son. I wanted support not criticism.

[Nice12]

Thank you.