To decline my school place?

[LG123]

I'm so cross, just want to yell at admissions (I won't).

My daughter got offered a place outside of catchment as my catchment school os oversubscribed. They wouldn't have to provide transport because she's under compulsory school age so my tiny 4 year old would be expected to walk 2 miles each way everyday.

Bet all the ones that drive got their place at a school round the corner.

AIBU to tell them to jog the fuck on?

@Whenyougonnalearn I had mentioned several times that the school wasn't bad, it was purely logistics that made it an issue if they were not going to help with transport because of her age. You also assumed that I only applied for one school out of catchment.

No problem, it's what minders do . I really think some posters could have factored in that you'd got the notification this morning and were working it through. The intent clinging to completely wrong information is incredibly bizarre

It is an absurd system that one reception child can have transport entitlement from day 1, but a classmate has none until ghe next academic year.

I didn't delay my summer born (much to my mum's horror as she was Scottish) and it's been fine.
I've also taken my LA to tribunal for a very expensive independent SEN school and won for my winter-born.

I work in admissions at Scc
if your child is able to start in Reception then you can apply for Travel assistance. But please don’t panic yet - you will automatically be put on waiting list for schools that are higher on your preference list and there will be lots on movement in next couple of weeks with people changing minds, declining offers, being offered a place from waiting lists etc - my advice is to accept the offer this keeps you in the system and you can always decline later if you want to. On May 12 all school waiting lists are available so you can see where you are on your preferred WL then if you feel decision is unfair you can appeal. If you want to hold child back a year this has to be agreed with the school.
hope this helps.

Accept place for time being and appeal. Also...have you considered keeping her home another year? Speak to the Childrens legal service. See if there anything you can do. I applied for ONE school only. But already have two in this school and its catchment area. Let us know what you do.

2 miles? Oh dear, there isn’t even a school within 2 miles of here, it’s not very far, but please yourself.

OP you know your own child. If you feel delaying another year is best then do it. I'm not in the UK so totally different I know but I can't imagine sending a just turned four year old to school. I've a March baby so she will start at five and a half.

@LG123 Is the school you want a council maintained school or is it an academy or a voluntary aided school?

If it is not a council maintained school, the admission authority will not be the council but instead it will be the school or their trust. This means they will have their own admissions policy including their own policy on delaying entry.

I would not refuse the place until you are sure you know what your next steps are. It isn't a decision you have to make now - you can wait right up before the academic year starts. You may find between now and September your child is offered a place at your preferred school.

You can also explore delaying or deferring without declining the place offered.

You might want to check the council’s measurement of the distance from your home to the offered school. Councils use their own systems for this and if they measure it as just under 2 miles (e.g. 1.999 or below) then you will not be entitled to transport assistance when your child is of statutory school age.

Getting agreement to apply for a Reception place for September 2023 will not give your child priority at your preferred school - is the school always oversubscribed? Will you be in the same position this time next year?

It is worth accepting the place for the time being and then talking to school admissions about your options. You can always decline at a later date

I’m not sure a blanket policy of providing transport from compulsory school age is altogether legal.

Legally, children are entitled to a full time school place from the September after they turn four. The ‘compulsory school age’ refers to the age by which parents must ensure their child is in full time education, not to the LA’s statutory duty to provide it.

Can you ask for a copy of the transport policy?

Having looked, it seems that it is legal. Madness.

Shes only little. Tell them you will have to wait till a catchment place is available as you are unable to walk that far every day. Then wait. I think its disgusting she hasn't got a place

I’m a late August baby and I went to school aged 4, it was fine. 4 miles a day is nothing

I haven’t read the full thread. If you decline the place you won’t be offered another school place (outside of waiting lists or an unlikely successful appeal, unlikely due to legal space requirements for eyfs children). Which means you would then have to
home school for a year, and then apply again for an in year place, at which time the schools are mostly full with children who accepted the reception spaces.
Accept the place. It doesn’t affect any waiting lists you may go on or appeals you may lodge (but it’s extremely unlikely that you’d win a reception appeal) and if you are offered another place you just decline the first one at that point. But declining now benefits nobody at all, except someone waiting on the school you’ve been given. There is so much movement, you will likely get a place on the waiting list. But don’t take the risk of having no place at all.

Haven't been able to read the whole thread but as someone who works in admissions, speak to your LA about what their deferral process is, some are not automatically agreed unless significant issues - not just due to not getting the school of choice. By applying for school for September you have requested a place for the next academic year. We see so many deferrals that are ready for school and then are kept back unnecessarily and the headteachers look to move back into their chronological age group in y1/2, something to consider.
I would also be mindful of deferring, you could have the same result next year. If your child is ready for school keep her on the waiting list and defer the place to later in the year. You also have the right to an appeal - if it is an infant class size appeal you will need to demonstrate the unreasonableness of the offer or that there has been an error. It is a high bar to jump unless a 2 stage appeal where the panel can consider your personal circumstances.
Hope it all works out for you

Or maybe they cycle on to work after dropping their child off? I do, and so do loads of working parents I know. It may not work for OP but it’s hardly unusual.

I don’t think the admission board necessarily judges where kids go on whether they can be driven there or not, by all means appeal or be on a waiting list but beyond that there’s not much you can do

I’m an admissions officer in a primary school.
I have also appealed for a place for my secondary school child.
Please don’t reject the offer. Accept it & go on the waiting lists for schools you prefer.
some people may reject their offer for your preferred school, some may move house.

Speak to your admissions team. They will have advice about your local area procedures.

Good luck.

My granddaughter is the same age, late August. She's been walking a mile to and from her brother's school since last September. She'll be going there this year too. It's hard going in the rain etc, doable though. It's a shame that she's losing out to others outside the catchment, appeal and just put her on the waiting list. It may be shorter than you think.

Just be aware that deferring (which you are entitled to do as she is a summer born) means that when she does start next year she will go in to year 1 (unless there are particular circumstances eg death/illness of parent, SEN). Some schools may give permission for her to go into reception but it’s not common. It will be difficult for you to arrange this as you won’t have a place allocated until next year so won’t know which school she will attend.
The reception stage of school is really a important transitionary stage that you may not want her to miss. You may also find that she won’t be able to attend preschool age settings during that year as some will consider her too old (hopefully not as they should allow her), it’s worth a conversation if she’s currently attending a setting. They may feel that she’d be better prepared for school in a year.
varing in mind that it’s likely they will put her into year one in a years time, if that year group is currently full in the school you want then it’s likely it still will be next year and you may well find yourself worse off as other nearby schools may also be full for year 1.
Just check it all out.
There can be benefits to an individual child’s development to deferring but I wouldn’t do it just because I didn’t get the school I wanted.
If I was in that situation I would appeal.
Good luck. I hope you find something you are happy with.

Just one other thing, KS1 classes are not allowed to go over numbers as KS2 classes are.

I do wonder if some people have read the OPs posts.

Definitely speak to your admissions office. Procedures do vary across LAs, some of the advice being given here is not correct. Good luck!

I would accept and go on the waiting lists for nearer schools.
My LG is 4, her nursery is a 3 mile walk. I bought an electric cargo bike that her and her 6mo brother both go in (I'm a single mum btw so no DH to help with school run). Absolutely bloody brilliant. I don't drive so it's the next best thing. We get there in 10 minutes.

@Honeyzest

Just be aware that deferring (which you are entitled to do as she is a summer born) means that when she does start next year she will go in to year 1 (unless there are particular circumstances eg death/illness of parent, SEN). Some schools may give permission for her to go into reception but it’s not common. It will be difficult for you to arrange this as you won’t have a place allocated until next year so won’t know which school she will attend. The reception stage of school is really a important transitionary stage that you may not want her to miss. You may also find that she won’t be able to attend preschool age settings during that year as some will consider her too old (hopefully not as they should allow her), it’s worth a conversation if she’s currently attending a setting. They may feel that she’d be better prepared for school in a year. varing in mind that it’s likely they will put her into year one in a years time, if that year group is currently full in the school you want then it’s likely it still will be next year and you may well find yourself worse off as other nearby schools may also be full for year 1. Just check it all out. There can be benefits to an individual child’s development to deferring but I wouldn’t do it just because I didn’t get the school I wanted. If I was in that situation I would appeal. Good luck. I hope you find something you are happy with.

This is not correct information. Deferring certainly does not mean starting next year in year 1.

If you are telling them to 'jog on', what are you planning to do after? Do you think but doing do, or by refusing a place, you will somehow put pressure on them?

@riceuten you haven't read have you.