What happens if all local schools are oversubscribed?

[zebredee]

Looking to move back to the UK, trying to get my head around the system

Looking at schools in future area and all are listed as oversubscribed.
Can you not get place in any school?
Thank you

The local authority has an obligation to find a school place, but not necessarily one at the school of your choice. I think if they offer you one more than two miles away they must also provide transport (but not sure if that’s still accurate).

If there is no place available at all within a reasonable distance (usually about 45 mins travelling time, but can vary with local geography), then the LEA shouts activate the Fair Access Protocol to force a school to go over numbers.

The school chosen will be the one the council thinks can best cope with an additional pupil (not the one you like best, or find most convenient)

As I understand it, they will offer the nearest available place. Which could be any distance away.

I’m also pretty sure I’ve heard of DCs being offered no place on occasions in London however - but assume that was just no place on the actual allocation day. One must have been found before the start of term I think.

Free transport >2 miles for under-8s, >3 miles for older pupils, plus for any journeys where there is no safe walking route (in practice usually only applies rurally where there are no pavements)

You get offered a place at the nearest school with a space, which you're advised to accept.

Then you can stay on a "continuing interest" list for the oversubscribed school(s). When/if a space becomes available, it's offered to the child at the top of the continuing interest list, which is ranked in order according to the admissions criteria.

For children moving into the system between the natural transition points, this means they start a new school and then sometimes might need to move schools again after a few months, in order to get into the oversubscribed school.

You will just be allocated a space at the nearest school with spaces available.

People talk about getting free transport but I know that when my friend’s child was allocated a place at a secondary several miles away, she wasn’t entitled to free transport because it was an academy not an LEA school!

Looking at schools in future area and all are listed as oversubscribed.

This might depend on which year group. For example, a school could be oversubscribed in general, but still have a space in certain year groups. Once you move and are resident at a UK address, it would be worth phoning or emailing individual schools to ask about availability for the age(s) of your child(ren).

Thank you !! I've got lots to learn 😬