State / private applications, a bit confused..

[imamearcat]

DD due to start reception next year. We've decided on a private school for our first choice and a state school for our second choice.

I'm pretty sure she should get into the private school but they do have a bit of an assessment morning where you have to leave them while they 'check they are ready' so there's a chance they might not want her!

Problem is this doesn't happen until March next year. Obviously by then I would have had to apply for state the school, but I don't want to take a place in the state school that we don't need and stop another child getting it!?

Not sure what we are supposed to do here?

Apply for state schools then cancel the place when allocations are published in April if needs be.

State place and then cancel if you get into the Private school
If the state school is desirable there will be a waiting list so someone will get the place you give up and if it isn’t desirable it won’t matter if you “take” a place

Great, thank you.

We did this, when she got the private school place I rang the council and cancelled the state application. Despite doing this we got offered a state place but I just rang up immediately and declined.

Yes, apply for the state school, and cancel the place if you get into the private school.

As a pp says, the state school will have a waiting list if it’s popular enough, so whoever is at the top of the waiting list would get your place. I’d guess you’ll be told whether you’ve got a place in the private school well before the beginning of the autumn term.

As an aside, if it’s a particular state school you’re thinking of as your back up, how sure are you that you’ll get offered a place there?

it's very small, they can only take 12 children so some years it's full some years it's not. I guess we will have to rethink if she doesn't get into the private school or the local school. I'll put 2 other schools down one that she definitely will get into, make sure we get a place somewhere!

Exactly as PP have said. Make your state school application under the assumption you won't get into the private school (you may of course also apply for other private schools too - you'll need to consider the eventuality of not getting into the private or first choice state). Then if you do get offered the private school place wherever you are in the application for the state school just ring up the council and say you'll no longer be taking up the place.

I think it would cause issues to give up the state school place the day before term starts ( if there's a waiting list the child would have already bought school uniform for another school and been prepared for that school) but it's normal for there to be some movement on the waiting list in months leading up to the summer holiday so it's nothing to worry about as long as there's enough notice.

Thanks everyone. The private school said they give you an immediate offer after the assessment so I think we will know one way or the other in March. Sounds like everything should be fine.