In year admissions advice

[crazystar]

Looking for some advice from anyone who knows about school admissions or has been through an in-year application.
My child is going into Year 2 and we’re looking to move schools. The school we want is also our nearest school.
We’ve been told there are currently no places available in Year 2, so I’m trying to understand where we stand.
Does the council have a legal obligation to offer a child a place at their nearest school, or is their legal duty simply to make sure they have a school place somewhere?
I’ve read that being at your nearest school can be relevant to admission criteria, but I’m confused about what happens when that school is full.
If anyone has experience of an in-year application, waiting list or appeal, particularly where the preferred school was their nearest, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.

Your post feels very AI. But I have experience, in that I lead admissions in my school.

You have no guarantee of a place at the nearest school.

Your local authority will place your child at the nearest school with places available.

If nowhere has places, you enter the Fair Access Protocol (FAP) and this gets you place anywhere that the LA can force. you don’t get a real choice - your choice is, do you want your child in school, or not and home educate.

I’m sorry if English isn’t my first language is the use of ai re the process take away from the question - not sure the relevance of stating this other than belittling

thanks I guess

For year 2...
A class cannot normally go over 30 children.
The council has to find you a place. This dkesnt have to be in a school you chose, or what you may consider a "good" school. If you turn down that place, they dont have to help you find another.
If the place is over 2 miles, you shluld be entitled to transport... but thus can be a taxi alone, or a free bus pass.
If there are no spaces within a sensible travelling distance, than can ask a school to go over 30.

Could you explain what you mean by this?

I’ve read that being at your nearest school can be relevant to admission criteria, but I’m confused about what happens when that school is full.

I’m not quite sure I follow.

As above there is no guarantee of nearest school.

You can only be offered a school where there is a vacancy as In Year, usually if the class is under 30. You can apply for your preferences but if none has a space you would be offered closest school with a space available even if not on your list or convenient. The exception might be if your dc has an EHCP naming your nearest school or if no space is available within a reasonable distance a local school may be asked to take your dc under Fair Access Protocol, even if it takes the class over 30.

You can accept a place at another school and be on wl for nearest in hope of getting a place eventually. Appeal at year 2 is usually Infant Class Size(restriction of 30 pupils per class) and very few arguments can overcome that. Year 3 classes may be more flexible on numbers but no guarantee, and the success depends on the strength of your argument for the benefit to your dc outweighing the school’s.

@crazystar you can apply to any school. However, if any school you apply for is full, they will refuse the application.

Year 2 is an infant class. The rules governing infant class sizes are that they are capped at 30, except for in certain circumstances.

If the number of children in the class is under 30, your appeal would be a standard prejudice appeal. However, if it's a class size of 30 then it's an infant class size appeal and there are very few situations where an appeal will succeed.

The LA has a duty to place your child in a school, but it will be the nearest school with a place.

But you can appeal ?

Yes, you can, but to win you have to have to show that the detriment to your child in being refused a place is higher than the detriment to the provision of efficient education and use of resources that the school faces by taking an extra child.

Some admitting authorities will present a very weak case at appeal, so it is easier to win. Some will present a robust case so it will be only be possible to win with very compelling grounds.

If the school/s you want your child to go up are full you can apply to go on the waitlist/s. We did this - 5 closest (decent) schools were all full so I ‘homeschooled’ for 2 months until we were offered a place at one of them - it was our catchment area school and we were 1st on the waitlist based on the schools admissions criteria.

They have a duty to get you a place somewhere. Could be miles away.