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?

Think I would defer if possible but wouldn’t that get you a place in your allocated school but just next year? Or would you have to reapply.

2 miles isn’t much to be but I have a car so obviously very different. I’m considering driving 13 miles each way for mine! Must be crazy. Hope you get what you want.

If you post in education there a few admissions experts who can give you proper advice as opposed to well meant but potentially wrong advice.

Good luck. Its stupid they can wriggle out of providing transport. My DD was on the school bus at 4.5yo, and she wasn't the youngest... there was an August born child in her class. They loved it.

How would she feel when all her peers are doing the usual off to school graduation celebration preparation stuff. Though ds is December born half his mixed aged nursery class swanned off to school while he had to wait a whole year for his turn. He’d have gone happily then at 3 months off 4.

Please do not decline the place even if you feel it’s unsuitable . Accept it and go on wait list for your preferred school. If you decline it the LA will have no obligation to find a school place for your child . Wait lists do move for all sorts of reasons. I am a governor at a massively oversubscribed primary school - A lot happens between now and Sept .

There are some amazing experts on here and I would wait for them to come along or post in primary education. Most councils have a policy about summer born and how to apply as they don’t want this situation happening e.g. apply for a school, don’t get the one you want and then decide to defer. Although your council might be one of the ones that say yes no problem, they may still have rules about deferrals at a late stage and the process you have to take. (It will play havoc with their school place planning if this became widespread so they may well have something in place.)

However don’t make a knee jerk reaction, accept the place, see where you are on the waiting list, double check abut deferring and whether you can defer now after the places have been allocated. (Get this in writing) and then make a decision.

I would go through the appeal process before declining the school place.

Do you work OP? Only asking as you could use it in your appeal to state you cannot get your daughter to school at such distance and be at work on time.

If come September the appeal hasn't gone in your favour and you still feel strong about your daughter not attending the school out of catchment, at that point you could decline.

@Dontfuckingsaycheese she is in a room where she is the only child due for school this year. She wasn't ready for the next room when moving.

Accept it and then let them know you're deferring. You can go on wait list for preferred school. You can of course decline it later down the road, when she'd be about to start.
If you decline it, then she'll need to go into the default cohort which would be year 1.

Surely you knew this was a risk when you applied to an oversubscribed school.
We all make choices. Mine are almost finished school now, but for primary I had 6 choices of local schools. And I drive. You can't complain if you made choices before, that resulted in this.

@Wheelz46 I'm a student nurse so have placement etc to get to.

There’s a Facebook group for delaying the start of children of a similar age to yours. Late August I would delay personally. My son is July born and it took two years for it to equal out and he’s extremely gifted academically or I would have delayed. Reception was rough. I’d decline, appeal and go on the waiting lists of your local school. Then write to your local head and get their permission for a reception start next year? Go on the Facebook group who can advise you how to do it

No, I would not just tell them to jog on because that's accepting a highly unsatisfactory situation. I would call Admissions and talk to them.

You won't yet have applied for school transport so I would triple check what you have been told with the transport team. There may be enhancements to the statutory provision for children under 5 needing transport (which will be hardly any children!). You should also write to your MP. School transport is a very political issue and you have not chosen to send out of catchment.

We got a petrol allowance paid, as our over two mile journey was not possible to walk because there was no pavement. If I didn't drive, it would have been taxi as there is no bus for primary children.

For my second child I decelerated him, he was August born. I can highly recommend it, but I wouldn't have done it because of transport. I knew I wanted to do it for him way before we applied in his normal cohort. I went through the application because the process was that I needed to whilst also applying for his deceleration.

I can drive and I don't know if you can. I personally wouldn't have liked the idea of sending my child to school in a taxi so in your situation, unless J wanted to decelerate for other reasons (which you may) I would have put my child on the waiting list (which I did for one child, for our catchment school). We got a place on the first day that people needed to decline unwanted spaces by. For example private school applicants tend to also apply for state school places then decline them.

@Oblomov22 I applied to my closest schools.

It is absurd that your LA won't provide transport until CSA, if that's the case then I would defer.

[quote LG123]@Hallyup89 I have one, wasn't sure if it was socially acceptable.[/quote]
Who cares if it's socially acceptable? Do what's best for your child. I have a child in reception and there are kids who come in buggies, kids who ride on their parents' mobility scooters and kids who walk. Nobody bats an eyelid.

I'd also appeal tbh. If the journey is deemed too long for a 5 year old, then that's grounds for needing a closer school, or transport. You've got to fight it. I wouldn't defer a summer born child though, even if they're slightly behind their peers. You'd be surprised how quickly they come on in reception.

Though I would double check because my LA doesn't officially provide SEN transport when part time but they did for one of my DC.

@09needmorethanthis I wouldn't decelerate purely on transport. I don't think she's ready anyway.

I had same problem. School 2 miles and no bus through our village. We walked there and I walked in afternoon and got a taxi back. Expensive while it lasted. Then got a small cheap car as no other option.

[quote LG123]@54ballsdeep people should educate themselves on summer born legislation before chiming in on this matter.[/quote]
I have a summer born, late August like yours too. I am also a teacher so I am very well versed in this, but thanks for the info 😀
Op, you have clearly decided what you want to do. Anyone coming on here disagreeing with you or offering you other suggestions is getting shot down.
As a previous teacher on this thread has pointed out, they would be at a disadvantage socially and would probably struggle. All for the fact of walking or scooting every day. And the previous poster who said their child can wipe their own bottom now after being kept home, many can. Do you think recpetion teachers spend their days wiping bottoms?!
Utlimately op, you know what you want to do. Just don't be hasty.

I would go on the waiting list and stay at nursery until next Easter - or when a place comes up at the preferred school. You would only get a term of reception but it used to be fairly normal for summer borns to do that. If nothing else at least transport would be provided at that point. I wouldn’t drop out of the system. It might even be worth speaking to the schools directly. The one with the place to see if they could help with transport and the one you want to see where you might be on the waiting list.

Do you still get 30hours funding at nursery if you defer or would you have to pay?

Can't you just keep on her the waiting list for the school you want and defer her until September 2023? Hopefully by then she'd be too if the list no ?

Appeal!

@Whenyougonnalearn I was surprised yes, another mum out of catchment, no siblings, no SEN, not looked after (afaik) and doesn't work there got my catchment school.

@Russell19 yes I still get funding.