Transfer from infant to linked junior school

[journey2013]

Hello

I'm looking for some advice on transferring from a infant school to a linked junior school.

The criteria for admission to the juniors is:

1. LAC
2. Children from the linked infant school
3. Children with a sibling already at the school

In order of distance from the school

My ds is already at the infant school however since starting in reception we have moved house and are now further away from the school. I am a little worried about securing a place in the junior school. If a LAC applied, would the child living furthest from the school be denied a place even though they attended the infant school?

Does anyone have experience of this? Would the local authority allow a class of 31 in juniors - assuming it was only 1 LAC that applied.

I have tried calling the education authority however i was not able to get a straight answer from the person i spoke to.

Thanks in advance !

Irrespective of the criteria used, the LEA essentially puts all the children applying into a long list. The children in the list are then put in order from those who qualify under criteria 1) then 2) etc etc. Until all of the spaces are filled. If they reach a criteria say 3) where there are 17 children who qualify but only 11 remaining spaces, they will usually then order the children under criteria 3) by distance to the school.

So in essence a child who qualifies under criteria 4) but lives closer than a child under criteria 3) wouldn't get the space because all of the children under criteria 3) have to get a space before those under criteria 4)

You need to work out which criteria you would qualify under then find out the admissions data in previous years.

This sounds like a theoretical problem only tbh. I'd read those criteria as the intent being that all infants school children are offered places at the juniors (if they want one). We have a similar set up at my DD's junior school (which is more complicated as 2 feeder infants). The reality is that, although mathematically possible for an infants child who wants a place not to get one, that has actually never happened in reality.

Assuming a) the PAN for the juniors is the same as the number of year 2 children in the infants, AND b) all the current year 2 children want to continue to the juniors (there's normally one or two that leave to go private surely?), AND c) the theoretical LAC is not currently at the infants, and d) you are the furthest away, then yes potentially you have a problem. But unlikely for all four things to happen surely?

As infants class size rules don't apply in juniors, any appeal would quite possibly be looked on favourably if the whole class moved up and just 1 child was left out due to a LAC/exLAC applying.

When dd transferred to linked junior school, all the children who were currently pupils at the infants were offered places and no-one missed out.
It may be different for different LEAs but the order was 1. LAC 2. SEN (statement naming school) 3. Having attended linked infant school 4. siblings at Junior school and 5. distance from home to school.
I think it's extremely unlikely your child will miss out OP. Surely you won't be the only family to have moved house since reception and some children may move to other Junior schools (or even primary schools) both private and state at this stage as well.

My DCs Infant school used to be a totally separate school from the Juniors. The Juniors actually changed their admissions criteria, as on the rare occasion someone applied for a place at the Juniors and didn't get it, they always won the appeal. Especially as for Juniors you can have over 30 in a class.

Thank you all for your replies very helpful! so sorry i havent replied sooner weve all had a virus and its taken a while to get back up and running !