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?

I get the impression from your op that you only applied for the catchment school. Doing that won't guarantee a place and you will be sent to the next available school that still have places. It sounds like this is what must have happened. You should always put a few schools down close by even if you don't like them.

@Plumbear2

I get the impression from your op that you only applied for the catchment school. Doing that won't guarantee a place and you will be sent to the next available school that still have places. It sounds like this is what must have happened. You should always put a few schools down close by even if you don't like them.

I also get the impression that you didn’t look in to previous years and find out this was a popular oversubscribed school

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

If its a village school, is there even a safe walking route? Or is it walking along NSL country lanes?

I was going to mention this. My GC went to a village school, about a 2 mile walk if they were at mine. I got hit by a car on the narrow lane to the village, no pavement. Fortunately the car was going slow and I just had an injured arm, it would have done more harm to a child and would have done more harm to me if it had been going faster.

@Plumbear2

I get the impression from your op that you only applied for the catchment school. Doing that won't guarantee a place and you will be sent to the next available school that still have places. It sounds like this is what must have happened. You should always put a few schools down close by even if you don't like them.

In some rural areas the nearest school can easily be 2 miles away.

whenyou that as may be regarding popularity, but it’s a fair point.

You get three choices and they should all be different and all for schools that in theory you’d be prepared to accept.

Did you make another two different choices both also within catchment and not get these either. In which case this is really bad of your LA and you have a legitimate complaint here.

Schools are not allowed to refuse admission to children that are not toilet trained @ballsdeep it's discrimination.

I think your frustration is fair enough!

Also agree with you deferring for a year. My daughter is a June born and young for her age, though bright. She actually really benefited from the lockdowns in terms of having more time at home being a young child (it did absolutely nothing positive for my stress levels mind). If she had been a late August born, like your daughter, I’d have 100% deferred her.

Hope you have a happier outcome in the next round!

I think you need to seek more advice - from both schools and the LA.

Whilst we on here may offer, what we feel to be, sound advice some may be wrong or outdated.

Follow wrong or outdated advice and you may end up having serious problems.

The OP: “AIBU to decline..?”

Everyone: “Yes you are. Accept and go on a wait list.”

The OP: “I’M GOING TO DECLINE”

Yawn.

@EmbarrassingMama

The OP: “AIBU to decline..?”

Everyone: “Yes you are. Accept and go on a wait list.”

The OP: “I’M GOING TO DECLINE”

Yawn.

The op strikes me as very naive I suspect she put one school down but never researched the likelihood of actually getting in Nor the implications if she didn’t

If she so young summer born I would DELAY her starting not decline.

@x2boys

Schools are not allowed to refuse admission to children that are not toilet trained *@ballsdeep* it's discrimination.

@x2boys This is 100% true. I had twins - my DS wasn't toilet trained (and aged 12 yrs of age now - he still isn't) but he was diagnosed with SEN and attempting a mainstream school with a 1:1 (which didn't work out surprise surprise).

My DD was undiagnosed at the time - she wasn't clean but she was dry. Regularly had accidents until she was gone 5 yrs old. A few years later diagnosed with autism and a few other bits and pieces so all this history of difficulties made a lot more sense.

Obviously it's a lot more work for the teachers so not ideal at all but we did everything we could, and my two just weren't able to be ready in time. There could be lots of reasons why a child isn't fully toilet-trained and excluding them on that basis would be unbelievably discriminatory.

Deferring sounds good, although you could always put her on the waiting list for your preferred school

I think you should appeal as due process has not been followed if a child out of catchment with no sen not looked after got a school place at your catchment school. Unfortunately mistakes do happen. One of the children in my dd’s class didn’t get a place at high school despite being in catchment and having a sibling in the school. They appealed and got a place.
I would accept the place but appeal for the other school and decide if you want to defer at a later date. It’s amazing how much they grow and mature in the months leading up to starting school. My dd is August born and she only potty trained in the summer holidays before starting school! She’s now in year 6 and she’s doing great and is not behind her classmates. In fact she’s ahead of many!

Obviously depending on loads of factors (area, road safety, health of the child etc) I personally don’t think a 40-50 min walk to school each day is a terrible thing, my two are older however they could easily have done this when younger.

If it’s going to be a uphill battle, accept and appeal but I’d also defer a year.

@OrangeBlossom28

You do realise she will enter Yr1 and have missed out on her EY provision.

Nope not true. Summer borns can apply to start in reception a year later. We used the summer born legislation and my son is currently in yr 1 he should technically be in yr 2.

We had this but in our case because of how the boundaries are set up and the nearest schools were the ones outside of our catchment area and the nearest one inside our catchment area was over 2 miles away (the first bit of our postcode was the same as the school in our catchment area but was separated by winding roads and about a mile+ of fields)

I rang up and put the fact that I wanted to appeal for a place at the nearest school

The person told me there was no point appealing as that was the nearest school in our catchment area and my daughter would stand no chance of getting into a school out of catchment area.
I replied that in that case as it was over 2 miles away that I would need transport. I don’t think Dd being 4 years old affected whether she got transport or not at the time or if it did then I just didn’t know.
I explained that for the next 6 years we would need a taxi daily to get her to the school and back again. I also pointed out that as the roads were being rejigged and the school was moving to a new site the following year the travel would become 4 miles each way for 36 weeks per year for the 5 years after that at even 50p per mile (probably gone up now) that was another £720 per year or £3600 it would cost them to insist she went to that school and the taxi would continue after she had left for another 2 years as presumably her younger brother would be allocated the same school.

The person said he would get back to me.

About an hour later the HT of the nearest school rang me to say a place had become available.

Even over subscribed schools have children who won’t want the school place because they have decided to go private or they get into another school or the family move out of the area so I wouldn’t give up.

It was only when I got to the school in the September I over heard another mum (who was also outside of the catchment area but further outside than us saying that she had been given a place but then had the place rescinded (which was about the time Dd was offered her place) and then another place became available so was offered that place a few weeks later.

I think for us the thought of paying for a taxi for the next 8 years and beyond was too much and so they got Dd into our nearest school by bumping someone off the intake list as that was cheaper.

It was an impossible walk to make even as an adult as it was along a very busy 70mph dual carriageway with a pavement that in some parts is about 30cm wide.
It wasn’t a walk that I have ever seen anyone making probably because of the danger from cars and lorries doing 70mph within inches of where you are walking.

Check you can reapply for a reception place and get that in writing before declining that place.

For reception age, you are entitled to free transport (for the pupil) if the distance is over 2 miles by safe walking route and there was no school less than two miles that could have offered a place.

Councils are a bit cash strapped right now, and very few if any provide more than the statutory requirement

Look up the fb group Flexible Admissions for Summer Borns. They have lots of helpful information about delaying your childs start using the summer born legislation. I'm afraid mumsnet is awful for misinformation on this subject. However if you do delay her there is no reason why she would get a place at your preferred school as obviously it will still be oversubscribed next year (probably), so she would probably still have to walk to the other school. You must have an agreement with the schools and LA that your child can apply next year. Start with the fb group i have mentioned and find others from your area that have done it.

@Hankunamatata

If she so young summer born I would DELAY her starting not decline.

I agree.

Don't decline - accept and go on all the waiting lists. There is plenty of time to see movement and change over the next few months.
If no movement happens, defer your place to next year and again wait and see if you can get a closer school.

We had this but in our case because of how the boundaries are set up and the nearest schools being outside of our catchment area and the nearest one inside our catchment area over 2 miles away (the first bit of our postcode was the same as the houses across about a mile+ of fields)

I rang up and put the fact that I wanted to appeal for a place at the nearest school

The person told me there was no point appealing as that was the nearest school in our catchment area and my daughter would stand no chance of getting into a school out of catchment area.
I replied that in that case as it was over 2 miles away that I would need transport. I don’t think Dd being 4 years old affected whether she got transport or not. That meant for the next 6 years we would need a taxi daily to get to the school. I also pointed out that as the roads were being rejigged and the school was moving to a new site the following year the travel would become 4 miles each way for 36 weeks per year for the 5 years after that at even 50p per mile (probably gone up now) that was another £720 per year or £3600 it would cost them to insist she went to that school and the taxi would continue after she had left for another 2 years as presumably her younger brother would be allocated the same school.

The person said he would get back to me.

About an hour later the HT of the nearest school rang me to say a place had become available.

Even over subscribed schools have children who won’t want the school place because they have decided to go private or they get into another school or the family move out of the area so I wouldn’t give up.

It was only when I got to the school in September I over heard another mum (who was also outside of the catchment area but further outside than us saying that she had been given a place but then had the place rescinded (which was about the time Dd was offered her place) and then another place became available so was offered that place a few weeks later.

I personally wouldn’t give up the school place but say that you are deferring it because of her age then see if you can be on a waiting list for your nearest schools. It isn’t set in stone that everyone who starts reception will be there at the end of year 6 let alone the first term of reception
At least 3 people left the school in reception 2 because they were moving away (one to Australia and one to another area of the town) and one because although they were at the school which was in their catchment area they were also on the waiting list for a school nearer to them.

I agree, it's a loop hole that needs closing. If it's the nearest school that offers a place, you should be offered transport. Why should she miss out?

Having read your other comments i presume you are in Hertfordshire. Please remember the automatic yes is only for LA schools not Academy's

Just to add if you decline the education department then don’t have a duty to get your child a school place anywhere.

Defer and go on waiting lists and explain the costs if they expect you to go to a school miles away.

@Kennykenkencat

We had this but in our case because of how the boundaries are set up and the nearest schools being outside of our catchment area and the nearest one inside our catchment area over 2 miles away (the first bit of our postcode was the same as the houses across about a mile+ of fields)

I rang up and put the fact that I wanted to appeal for a place at the nearest school

The person told me there was no point appealing as that was the nearest school in our catchment area and my daughter would stand no chance of getting into a school out of catchment area.
I replied that in that case as it was over 2 miles away that I would need transport. I don’t think Dd being 4 years old affected whether she got transport or not. That meant for the next 6 years we would need a taxi daily to get to the school. I also pointed out that as the roads were being rejigged and the school was moving to a new site the following year the travel would become 4 miles each way for 36 weeks per year for the 5 years after that at even 50p per mile (probably gone up now) that was another £720 per year or £3600 it would cost them to insist she went to that school and the taxi would continue after she had left for another 2 years as presumably her younger brother would be allocated the same school.

The person said he would get back to me.

About an hour later the HT of the nearest school rang me to say a place had become available.

Even over subscribed schools have children who won’t want the school place because they have decided to go private or they get into another school or the family move out of the area so I wouldn’t give up.

It was only when I got to the school in September I over heard another mum (who was also outside of the catchment area but further outside than us saying that she had been given a place but then had the place rescinded (which was about the time Dd was offered her place) and then another place became available so was offered that place a few weeks later.

I personally wouldn’t give up the school place but say that you are deferring it because of her age then see if you can be on a waiting list for your nearest schools. It isn’t set in stone that everyone who starts reception will be there at the end of year 6 let alone the first term of reception
At least 3 people left the school in reception 2 because they were moving away (one to Australia and one to another area of the town) and one because although they were at the school which was in their catchment area they were also on the waiting list for a school nearer to them.

You lived in a house you knew was out of the catchment area for the school closest to you

You applied to the school knowing it was out of your catchment area

This is what I don’t get. We wanted a specific school for our children and we wanted it to be walking distance

So when you bought, we bought having researched the admissions criteria with a fine tooth comb and looked at last data re distance allocation.

This was before children.

When we wanted our eldest to go to a particular secondary school, we looked in to admissions and disregarded because we weren’t in the admissions criteria. It was disappointing but we weren’t prepared to move to for the published admissions criteria

We didn’t apply and then get annoyed when we were told what we already knew