In year admission in Harrow

[yuzabi]

We have just bought a house in harrow. We live in Enfield at the moment where my ds 9 and dd 5 are at school. I have applied for an in year admission giving 4 schools as our choices. They haven't given us any of our choices instead given us another school further away. I have looked at that school and am really not happy because it seems to be having lots of problems ... The offsted is not good at all and hasn't been for a long time ... My kids are at an outstanding school at the moment so I am reluctant to take them out... They are 3 on the waiting list for one of our choices.
I guess I am asking if anyone has any experiences of this and what should I do?

You need to come up with a short term plan: keep them at their old school, send them to the offered school, find another school with places, or home educate. This is a case of choosing the least bad option. Visit the offered school - it might not be as bad as you fear.

You can stay on the waiting lists for your preferred schools. And if you want, you can appeal. You haven't got much to lose by doing so - just your time and energy. You are more likely to succeed for the older child, where the rules about infant class sizes (ICS) don't apply. If that happens, you would then have sibling priority (if that's one of the criteria) for the younger one. An appeal would have to be based on what the school you are appealing for can offer your child that the offered school can't - not just that it's better or closer.

I think that is what I am struggling with. For now I am keeping them at the old school. I have looked into the offered school and am really not keen plus I feel like if I semd them there it will be a nightmare to get another school and I have 3 kids to think about. If I do appeal it would be for the school that they are number 3 on the waiting list for.. I just don't know how to word the appeal.

An appeal for your younger child is unlikely to succeed. It will almost certainly be an infant class size appeal which means you can only win if a mistake was made and your daughter should have got a place. That is very unlikely for an in-year application.

If you want to appeal for your son you need to explain why this is the right school for him. What does the school have that would be particularly relevant to him. For example, if he is very musical and this school offers lots of extra-curricular musical activities that would be worth mentioning.

So it's just a case of waiting then? Because even if he gets in then I will still be stuck for a place for my daughter?

If the school gives sibling priority it might be worth getting your son in if you can. That would probably move your daughter to the head of the waiting list so she would get in as soon as a place became available. But there is no telling how long that will take and in the meantime you will have to cope with them being in different schools.