To think that School Admissions are a bunch of wanking timewasters?

[AnotherJaffaCake]

I've been trying to get a place at school for DD. We're prepared to wait for a place at the school she wants to go to and home educate while we wait. The school are fine about this and know we're waiting. Our LEA case worker said to email her to confirm we want to go on a waiting list. I did this 3 weeks ago, with a few questions also. Nothing. Not even an acknowledgement. I sent another email as a reminder this week, asking just for a quick acknowledgement otherwise I'll assume my emails are not getting through. Nothing yet again. I rang them today. Apparently we're supposed to write to them, and enclose an SAE so that they can write back with an acknowledgement that they have received our letter.

I am feeling that our case worker couldn't have told us that. It was her suggestion that we email her.

We don't even know if we are on the waiting list and no-one else can tell us. And we can't even phone her as calls don't get put through to her. What a pointless waste of time so far.

Same boat with our council.

We moved here mid Aug, applied for a school place for ds and still nothing.

Ds is 8 and has been home educated from the outset anyway, I am being forced into putting him into school by my ex who has said he'll fight me for full custody if I don't (despite the fact that he was pro home ed until i finally left him in April), so itl's no skin off for me, just irritating as ds has never set foot in a school in his life so I need to be able to prepare him

Seems little point in having an email address and then ignoring emails / demanding you write a letter.

Would it be worth contacting your local councillor to register a complaint at this lazy /high-handed treatment?

Yours sound useless but ours were fantastic recently when I needed to use them. Very helpful and encouraging (even if my DC didn't get in when/where I wanted them too in the end)

They stuffed up my son's place too when we applied for his senior school the other year.

The prospectus was practically begging parents to apply online...the 'selling point' was that we'd find out earlier via email whether our kids had been accepted or not.

I applied and got a reference number, then come March...everyone else knew if their kids had got in to their choice of school but I heard nothing.

I rang and was repeatedly lied to...one person telling me 'not all decisions had been made yet.' I told him I happen to know he's lying as I'm a School Governor so I know when decisions are made.

Anyway, the upshot was my application hadn't been passed to the right department and I had been completely missed.

Luckily my son got in on distance alone...but if I'd left it 'another couple of weeks' like they'd advised me, he wouldn't have got a place at all

IIRC the Admissions Code says that the LA has a legal obligation to provide information relevent to your application (I paraphrase but that's the gist). I'd be reminding my LA of that if I were you.

And YANBU, they're IME all complete arses!

Will have a look for the relevant info in the Admissions Code, hang on.

I feel your pain - My admissions team take about 10 working days to respond to an email and refuse to give you information over the phone.

Schools Admissions Code 2010 para 1.71 refers. It's WELL worth reading the whole Code and ensuring that your application is being treated appropriately.