To be petrified of my son having no school place - surrey :-(

[Lostandlostsomemore]

We have had to move ( renting ) 20 miles from our old address so have had to do a late admission.
I also requested the information of all schools with vacancies within 10km and have added the one and only school on there - woodmansterne in Banstead however ofsted is pretty poor however it was the only one with " possible spaces " That is 8 miles from our new address.
Will obviously go on all waiting lists for local schools but with a winter birthday he has to be in full time education come January so not much time to play with.
Feel really bad for him even though he doesn't seem phased at all about any of it, move included!
Just feel pretty shit

So if we get one of our prefernces, even though that may ne the only school with spaces ( looking at this vacancy list it is ) we would then lose the right to transport to that school as we opted for it rather than be given it as closest school, is that right?

I did application yesterday after receiving the vacancy list. I was allowed 5 schools so put this school 7 miles away as number 5 as it says they have possible places whereas every other school is full.

Phone schools direct to get on the waiting list.

Not sure about the circumstances surrounding your move. In my LA if you have moved by choice you will not get any support with transport regardless of how far away you are from the school. If you do qualify for support with transport I wouldn't bank on it being long term, some LAs only do half or one term.

I don't take a lot of notice of Oftsed reports. I moved my dc from one with an excellent report and it was anything but!

If the LA offers you a school place and it is over the acceptable distance then they are obliged to cover transport. You do need to call them and ask to apply for mileage though. Some London councils for example deem the bus as suitable transport and since children travel for free they consider their obligations met.

If you turn that place down though then the situation changes. But if you can defer and hopefully get a place from a school you are on the waiting list for, you won't have to worry about it.

Thanks for all uour info, but will they cover mileage even though it's now one of my preferences?
I panicked when I saw the list that had no schools available other than this one so added it so it wasn't taken by someone else!
But could they say no to mileage as we applied for it, they haven't just given it to us?
Surely people could put their 1st choice as schools miles away and claim mileage back if there isn't some way of managing it?

I am also a sahm. My dd attend the local school, my ds attends a specialised unit. Like many many children he has to travel miles to his unit (over 10 miles) and like many other children in need of specialist support he has to do this in a taxi. As I said, he loves his taxi ride and his escort and they are no longer strangers. His taxi picks up five other children. Unfortunately not all of us have the choice about using taxis or attending local schools.

Always look around a school rather than rely on Ofsted. You may be pleasantly surprised.

The council has to pay transport to the nearest suitable school if it is over 2 miles away (3 miles for children over 8). If you choose to take your child instead of using a taxi, they must refund mileage. If your child settles in the school, the council can't make you take him out and move to a nearer school if a place becomes available later. Obviously if it is, say, 2.5 miles away you would only qualify for help till the child is 8.

If you choose a school that is more than 2 miles away, the council can't refuse help with transport just because it's your preference - they would still have to show that there is a nearer school able to offer a place.

No of course I understand that and obviously special needs units are different, my nephew attends one and is also taken by taxi so I completely understand your position.
I just can't imagine trusting my son / someone else enough to put him in a taxi alone at this age.
Ah okay so is it likely that if another school arises slightly closer they will offer that rather than have to pay for mileage? I'm guessing mileage is the journey there in the morning and back in the afternoon rather than a round trip? That would cover us enough to enable me to do it as I would probably just stay in the area where the school is for the day

Please don't worry about the taxi. I used to go to school and back in a taxi at his age and throughout junior school - the taxi drivers became friends of the family by the end of school, they were fantastic.

It doesn't work like that OP. When putting in an on time application anyone is free to list any school in the country as their first choice. But you'd only get a place there if you qualify for admission.

Once the council has made you an offer then that's it. They can say look there's a place open at one of your other preferred schools but there's only a small window of time (maybe 3 days?) in which they can take the offer away if they have made a mistake. Otherwise all they can do is let you know when a place arises at a school you are on the waiting list for, and then you decide whether to take it or not.

I'm sure it's something you get used to, but the thought of car accidents on the way to school and me not being there etc is terrifying.
Anything could happen and I just wouldn't feel comfortable with that at all.
Thank god I learnt to drive as if I hadn't I had no idea I could be forced into this taxi service :-(

I think I'm confusing you.
I mean that if someone put their first choice as a school 10 miles away just because they really liked the school, surely they couldn't then go on to qualify for free transport?
So in my case, will they allocate me number 5 knowing they will have to pay for transport IF between now and when they write to me a school closer to home comes up? Do they give you your preferences over nearest when it comes to late admission even if they have to pay for transport?

Yes that's why I've taken that school off my list now, as I know they have spaces as it was listed on the real time vacancy list but if I ask for it I'll lose the mileage entitlement whereas if they give it to me I will get it. It's not playing the system, it's not being able to do that journey without some help towards it.
I am able to keep him at home until January and I would be happy to do so as my daughters application will be due in by January also for next year, so I would like him to be somehere I am happy ( happier ) with so i can put it her form.