primary school catchment areas

[deedar]

Can anyone enlighten me as to primary school admissions policy please? We are planning on moving house to north London, but will rent as can't find anything to buy.

My DD is due to start school in 2011 so we will move into a catchment area near the school we want. But what happens if we then decide to buy somewhere between applying for a place at the school (Jan 2011 I think) and her starting school in September? Do we have to stay in the same address for the whole time before school starts?

You could speak to primary admissions at the relevant council on a no-name basis. They are bound to have policies in place re situations such as yours.

I know someone who moved last March/April, DS started this September. Basically the paperwork didn't go through until the week AFTER they moved in, so the council wouldn't give them a place at the local school just down the road as it was full. Even proof that they were going to move wasn't enough. They were given a place at the next nearest school with places. So they went on the waiting list, and got a place at the beginning of the summer holidays, so all was good in the end,.

It varies from council to council. The easy way to find out is to go to the council's web site and look at their primary school admissions booklet. That will tell you what they would do in a situation like this. It will also confirm the date for applications

I think it's done on your address at the time you apply. We moved in between applying and DD starting school, and that was how it worked for us.

Contact the LA's Primary Admissions and also speak to the Advisory Centre for Education who are very helpful.

No, it isn't necessarily done on your address at the time you apply. Different council's have different policies. Some will treat you as a late application if you move after the closing date for applications, for example. Check the council's website.

Whereabouts in north London?

We're applying at the moment too. Sometimes the catchment area is 200metres (ha,ha) - Haringey.
Ours is 0.4miles and we didn't get in even though the next door neighbours did last year. Siblings sometimes account for this because it can be 50% or more of the intake.

So it may be different next year.