Year 1 Class Size

[Ruthsambeth]

Hello,
I need a bit of advice regarding my 6 year old son, who is now in Year 1. All the local schools are full, which means for the last year we've had to drive 6 miles to his school. We're obviously on waiting lists for all 3 schools in our town (Beaconsfield), but keep on going down the list as other people move into the area, closer to the town. It's ridiculous, since we live a 10 min walk from the town centre. I now need to apply for a school place for our younger daughter and I'm faced with the prospect of two children in two different schools in two different towns.

I therefore really need my son to move to a local school. I'm in contact with the LA, but they just say that we have to wait until a place becomes available. I've written to our MP and have a meeting at the end of this month. I've also got a meeting with the head of our catchment school this week.

I've heard that it is possible to admit a 31st child into Year 1 or 2. What are the key things that I need to do / say so that I can make this the case for us?

Thanks for any advice - as you can see I'm pretty clueless!

Sorry but I thought that KS1 classes are capped at 30. I'm probably wrong....

I know that when we were on the waiting list for a local school for dd, I was discussing the future with the admissions woman, and she said if I was successful in getting ds1 into reception a couple of years later, dd would be squeezed in as would be a KS2 class so no cap at 30 pupils.

When we moved house in June, DS was admitted as a 33rd (I think) child into a Year 1 class. The school had already taken the decision to split the classes from this September and now he is in a year 2 class of 17. I'm not sure how the class size went over 30 in the first place though.

You probably need either admission or phd47bridge to see this thread (I imagine they will) as they know much more about admission than most people on this site). It seems possible/likely to me that unless someone does leave, it is unlikely your DS will get a place in a nearer school until Year 3 when the infant class size regulations wouldn't apply, although schools will have an overall class size which they won't be able to go above - i think there is a volume of space per child or something like that.

All classes in reception, year1 and year 2 are subject to the infant class size regs, which state that the maximum number of pupils with one school teacher is 30. There are some very limited exceptions to this rule.

The rules regarding admission to schools has also changed since September 1st and it is now the LA Admission team who will deal with all admissions that are mid-year. I am sure that the head teacher will advise you of this when you meet them. You need to confirm with the headteacher what the published admission number for the school is. I would expect it to be 30, which means that the school will have one class of 30 for the Year 1s. The school and the LA are not legally allowed to admit further pupils to the year group above the 30, unless the child has a special needs statement or one or two other very specialised situations.

You can appeal for a place if you wish to, but the panel no matter how good a case you have is also constricted by the infant class size regs and your chances of success at appeal are very slim, unless you can prove that a mistake was made in the original application. That sounds from your post to be unlikely.

I completely sympathise with your situation but the only logic thing to do with regard to your daughter is to put your son's current school as first preference so that you have a possibility of getting a place at this school. Put down two local schools as your other preferences and see what happens.

When your son is in year 3 then the classes can have more than 30 in the class and this may well be where you have heard about the number being 31 or 32. You can appeal and maybe lucky but then you would have the same problem with your daughter of the conflict with Infant Class Size Regs.

Thanks very much everyone for your advice. I've got a better idea now of the questions that I need to ask the headmistress.
Thanks again
Ruth

Agree completely with admission. Sorry you find yourself in such a difficult situation.

If you are applying for a reception class for a second child then put your nearest school as first choice. This school should also then take your older child as a sibling. You will not be expected to have them at 2 different schools. Do know of several people (applying to popular oversubscribed schools) for whom this has worked so don't give up on your local schools yet!

Crazymum - this will only serve to (probably) bump the boy up the waiting list (assuming siblings take priority over catchment, they don't always), not give him a place if one doesn't exist. The class size regs still apply; if no-one leaves, there isn't a space. Many people are expected to, and do have children at different schools!

PatriciaHolm is right. I would also add that you need to check how the sibling rule (if there is one) is worded. My LA only take older siblings into account, so a younger sibling would not give any priority.

The younger child would be treated the same as everybody else so distance from the school would be most important and then the older child could be transferred under the sibling rule when a place is available. In my LEA siblings do have priority over area. Your older child would probably move to the top of the waiting list - though you could still have to wait until Y3 before he gets a place.

Crazymum - The sibling rule works differently depending on where you are. In some LAs younger siblings don't give any priority.