School funding - is it decided on pupil numbers on a particular date?

[MGMidget]

I am curious about whether the amount of funding a school receives depends on the number of pupils on the roll on a particular date in the year? If so, does anyone know when approx that date is inthe year?

I am curious because I am trying to move my daughter into a state academy school near me that is officially full according to the council’s admissions team. I found out during a tour that they had spaces in my daughter’s year group at one of the school’s sites. As a result I now have an offer by tooing and frooing between the school academy’s admissions team and the council. However, I was told that the other school’s site (which was my preferred location) was full. The day after we get the offer, DH then happens to be chatting to a Dad of a child in the same year group at our preferred school site and they mention that there are 27 children in his daughter’s class (maximum class size is 30). Obviously this might be wrong information and the class might be full with 30 children but if it is right I wondered if schools had no incentives to fill vacant places at this time of year because all their funding has been allocated? My DD is in year 2 so I know the year 2 school teachers will be pre-occupied with KS1 SATS next term. I don’t know if they would be less keen to take in new children at that stage in case they bring down their average SATs scores? Are schools reluctant to take in new pupils at certain times because of exams and any key dates for funding?

Just trying to work out if a school might deny they have spaces when they do? Our preferred site is very popular and they would fill the spaces quite easily but I am wondering if they are holding back until September to declare they have spaces for some reason?

Does anyone know how the system works?

I'm sceptical that teachers would say that in front of the kids. Possibly your dd is exaggerating. But anyway, there's no point griping about it here - just appeal snd put yourself out of your misery..It's very easy to do - people do it all the time.

How long does an appeal typically take
Not long.There will be lots of appeals being arranged in May/June for the September intakes, so if you appeal now you'll be more likely to get a date this term than if you wait.

Also, I wondered if an appeal might be complicated if the school has two sites and has offered a place in one site but we want the other?

Depends on the admissions policy. The only schools I know that have 2 sites have some tear groups on one, and other year groups on the other, so that situation wouldn't arise.

Are you sure they're not 2 different schools? Some academy chains have multiple schools with similar names, but they are separate schools.