Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Missed school application for reception

62 replies

Nice12 · 30/01/2020 07:34

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?😢

OP posts:

PawPawNoodle · 01/02/2020 17:48

Thought this was a nice site

Nobody on this thread has been nasty to you. You got support, which was advice to put the application in urgently and contact the LEA office, only one of which you have appeared to do.

Giving you a reality check that an appeal will likely be unsuccessful is not anyone being a big meanie.

PotteringAlong · 01/02/2020 17:50

It is a nice site. But telling you it will all be ok and you will get exactly what you want isn’t supportive, it’s a lie and actually support is sometimes opening your eyes to the reality of what might happen. You’re not the only working mum in the world, and you had 20 days after moving house to apply (and 3 months before hand).

Shamazing · 01/02/2020 17:55

Thought this was a nice site

You had so much support on this thread @Nice12 . Why would you take a couple of the less pleasant comments over the supportive ones, to declare it's not a nicr site? That hardly seems fair on the people who offered very good advice.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

General education Primary education

shamelessfamilyoverroad · 01/02/2020 17:58

You do realise the application process opened in November?

nixkix · 01/02/2020 18:04

If you are a working parent, mother or father, then you need to be super organised and get the dates for things like applying for school and put it in your diary and apply early. When I had to apply I was a single working parent who was busy, like us all, so I did my son's application on the day that they opened so there was no chance of forgetting. There's no need to have a go at people for the advice you were given, you just need to take responsibility now and move on from it.

itwasalovelydreamwhileitlasted · 01/02/2020 18:08

I see giving you realistic advice that you may not win an appeal and to start making other provisions has not gone down well with you.......would you rather we pussy foot around you telling you it will be ok??

(Most of us on here are also working mums with just as much going on if not more also with little to no reminders from anyone other than the letter you get from the Local Authority and we are still aware of schools application deadlines.......)

theendoftheendoftheend · 01/02/2020 18:08

Can you speak to the head at your school? Although they 'officially' might not have a say, they usually do have some clout.

FamilyOfAliens · 01/02/2020 18:08

Look, you messed up, OP, but all you can do now is put in the application and hope for the best. You can appeal but as PP have said, unless you can prove the LA made a mistake by not offering you a place, your appeal will fail. Think positive - this could be a low birth-rate year and you may get offered a place even with a late application.

But there’s no point blaming anyone else for not reminding you or saying you were disadvantaged because you’re a working parent.

MissEliza · 01/02/2020 18:09

I understand Op. There's so much admin involved with dcs these days. The only way I manage is to do everything as soon as I get it. My youngest dc is 11 and I almost forgot to confirm her secondary school place last year. Luckily I have a friend who works as a school admissions officer and she reminded me! One of DD's friend's parents actually forgot to and found out in July her dd didn't have a place anywhere! Luckily it was resolved.

CalleighDoodle · 01/02/2020 18:09

I agree not unlikely. I have three looked after children in a class.

theendoftheendoftheend · 01/02/2020 18:10

If it makes you feel any better I completed messed mine up, applied for DD (Yr6) to restart in YR and made no application for DS (EYFS) at all! Council called me and were lovely about it.

Wrongintherightway · 01/02/2020 18:11

Different LA's can have different criteria, but you will be offered what school has specs after all the other applications have been done.

The problem you may encounter is waiting lists can go if proximity to the school rather than time in the list (they do round here) so may go against you if you are out of the catchment area

Do you go to church regularly? If so this may help as a friend in the same position as you got allocated a place at a school out of the area (she has 2 siblings at another school) however church schools manage the waiting lists (no LA) and have different criteria do church attendance hit him in the school with his siblings

FamilyOfAliens · 01/02/2020 18:12

Can you speak to the head at your school? Although they 'officially' might not have a say, they usually do have some clout.

If it’s a maintained school, they will not have any influence at all because admissions are managed by the LA. If it’s an academy they do their own admissions, and if they are full the only way the OP would get a place is if the head teacher gives her someone else’s place.

Soontobe60 · 01/02/2020 18:20

@theendoftheendoftheend

No, Head teachers have absolutely no say in applications into Reception. This is a legal process, and if the LA did allow them to 'interfere', they're opening themselves up to allegations of mismanaging the whole process.

Awkward1 · 01/02/2020 18:20

Yes you can start the term after they turn 5. But if you want to keep a place (say op and another school) you need to start by Apr of reception year or they wont hold a place.

I presume the issue for op was that she needed to wait until she had moved before applying. So i think ideally she should have applied and submitted it when the applications opened then updated once moved. (As also that can be done later than the closing date in some circumstances).

I can see how people end up forgetting. (Some kids arent even 3.5yo). And although it's open a long time it does close 7m before they actually go. (With secondarys almost a year.)

Soontobe60 · 01/02/2020 18:21

@FamilyOfAliens

My school is an academy. The LA do our admissions, as do all the other academies I know of!

edwinbear · 01/02/2020 18:25

OP I’m so sorry you have all this stress, I’m sure you feel awful. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you get a place from the waiting list

EmrysAtticus · 01/02/2020 18:27

I would definitely be starting to look at what options are available to enable you to manage children at different schools as that is likely to be your reality.

EmrysAtticus · 01/02/2020 18:28

I would be starting to look at options which will enable you to manage children at different schools as that is likely to be your reality

GreenTulips · 01/02/2020 18:29

I had 3 kids in three different schools by choice. It’s doable.

Youngest had a breakfast club and dropped first - DS waited in the playground and DD was 10 mins early so I could get to work.

You work it out because you have to.

FamilyOfAliens · 01/02/2020 18:30

The academies in my LA do their own admissions, so clearly it varies with different areas.

I presume the issue for op was that she needed to wait until she had moved before applying.

No, the issue for the OP was that she forgot to apply at all. It’s shit, but she has to draw a line under it now and focus on getting the late application in for the preferred school and how ever many other choices her LA allows, to maximise the chances of being offered a place.

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 01/02/2020 18:36

Appeals will only overturn a decision if some part of the process has not been followed to the letter of the law
Not because someone doesn't like the result of the process

Louise91417 · 01/02/2020 18:57

Stop beating yourself up...sounds like you have had a hectic couple of months, moving any time is stressful never mind christmas. You have done the only thing you can do, applying late and then it will just be a case of going on waiting list. You may be inconvenienced for a while but you will work it out. Have you considered a couple of days at a daycare, like pp said, reception is not compulsary so you have got other options.

BlackeyedSusan · 01/02/2020 19:28

Practicalities: your Y5 child is a bit more independent and can wait outside school for a little while in the mornings. Lots of children do. There is usually a couple of parents around.

BlackeyedSusan · 01/02/2020 19:31

Ps start looking a secondary schools while your kid is in Y5. That application will be even earlier. There are a lot of schools to trail round.

Flip

1 2 3