Question about how school applications work

[hermionegrange]

Next summer we are moving to York. We will be renting for a year in order to finish saving for a deposit, and will be buying by Sept 2022.
Our DS1 will start school in Sept 2022 also.

In order to save to buy a property in central
York, we need to rent for a year a bit further out of York as it's much cheaper.

How would this work with primary school applications? We are catholic and would like our son to go to one of the Catholic schools in York
City centre which is where we will be living throughout in his time at primary.

Thank you

You can only apply for state schools from the address where you are actually living at the time you make the application (only exception is for Forces families, who can apply if they have valid posting order or CO's letter)

So if distance is the tie break criterion, and the school is oversubscribed in your category, you might not a school,at some distance.

You need to check the admissions criteria for the schools you are interested in

• do they prioritise baptised, practicing Catholics?
• do they prioritise particular parishes?
• do they have any other defined catchment area?
• what is the greatest distance offered for the admissions category you think your DC falls in to?

No state school is allowed to hold back places for families who might move to the area later, no matter how sincere the intention.

I’m not an expert, but as I understand it, you have to apply using the address you’re living in at the time of the application.

So say applications close mid-January, you have to use the address you’re living in then, regardless of whether you intend moving between January and September.

You can apply for any school you like, but your application will be ranked according to the address you’re living in January, rather than he address where you intend to be living by September.

Once you’ve moved, then tell the council your new address, but bearing in mind the closing dates for applications, this may mean you’re ending up on waiting lists, as school spaces may have already been allocated by the time you move.

One thing to check... Some Authorities have a second deadline for house moves. So you may have until February or March to move into the catchment area.

Check church criteria as soon as possible as well.