No school placement for September. What do we do?

[shepcobain]

Hi there,

Our eldest daughter has been bullied by the same group of girls for many years, and the school has failed to resolve it. As a result, we removed our daughter and her younger sister from primary school at the end of the term (before the summer holidays)

Before doing this, we applied to another local school and had a tour by the head teacher. We were told there were places (1 in each child year group), and there should be no reasons why the girls won't get in. On Friday 21st, the council phoned us to say our younger daughter had successfully secured a place, but our eldest (who is being bullied), has been rejected due to the place being filled by an application the school weren't aware of. They informed me of the appeal process and advised me to submit another application as the people who had been offered the place haven't yet responded. However, they warned me that nothing happens over the six weeks holidays, and I won't hear anything now until the start of September and the appeal hearings arent until the end of September.

We don't want our daughter to return to the school where she was unsafe and scared to attend. What can we do during the holidays to resolve this?

As you can imagine, this is very stressful for us. The headteacher said during our visit that if we have any issues, we can appeal, and they can take an additional child above their quota; however, the appeals are handled by three independent individuals, so I'm unsure how much power the school has. Also, it is my eldest daughter's last year at primary school, and the thought of her missing four weeks, whilst me and her mum both work full time, is extremely worrying.

Many thanks.

Unfortunately school admissions often close over the holidays.
You can submit applications for other schools

FWIW... in a similar position my child was out of school until the October half term holiday.

I was moving my son went he was about to enter year 8 and was in a right panic all summer holidays my local authority's were no help and just told me to ring around all the local schools to see if they had a place. Yes helpful in the middle of the summer holidays
Thankfully the day before term started a school we had applied for called and invited us in. Offered us a place and loaned him a blazer so he could start the next day then the week after another school called to see if we still wanted a place. So try not to fret people are back in school sorting out admin a couple of days before term starts usually so try not to panic and keep your fingers crossed. Good luck x

Yes, the application process is closed during the summer holidays, so we can't do anything (according to the council). But, I was hoping by some miracle, there is another process that maybe someone is aware of that we can follow, or we could escalate to an individual like a local MP to get this sorted before the new term in September.

The headteacher told us to email her personally during the holidays if we had any issues. However, she may not pick up the email for a few weeks. She also said to come to the school on Friday 1st September, as it's an inset day and they can discuss further if there are any problems. I hope it will get sorted out as I want a fresh start and the best for my eldest daughter. But knowing she hasn't got in (at the moment) is very stressful. We haven't told her as we don't want to shatter her - she's already been through enough, and she's so excited to start a new school away from the bullies.

It's very common in oversubscribed areas for children to wait several weeks for a school place. Put in applications to any schools you would accept so that you are processed as soon as they reopen, and put in for an appeal as well burger prepared for her to be out of school while it all goes through.

Even if you escalate - there will be no one in school to read the emails from anyone saying that they have to take her. (this would also not happen as it is not admissions policy).

I am really surprised by the headteacher saying that she would get a place without knowing etc, we are exceptionally careful with regards to admissions as it is a complete minefield as not all done through the school etc (as you have found out.)

It might be that the headteacher knows of a child leaving and therefore will be able to offer you a place on inset day but in reality there is very little you can do until that time. People aren't working - if you knew you were moving both children I am surprised you left it this late however my school always has a waiting list so no idea how quickly parents decide / act as children are often on the list for months beforehand.

You just have to hold your nerve I'm afraid.

It sounds like it might come good, but sorry you are in this position

is a crap situation and you’ll be in for an anxious wait. However the HT seems to be doing everything she can within her power to sort it which should be reassuring.

obv you don’t want to send dd back to her previous school. But I would try and get on other waiting lists as a back up plan (if it’s possible this time of year). At the very least the council should be able to tell you where there are spaces? My ds is about to start y6 and there are currently 6 spaces in his class.

We never intended to move the children. During the second to last week of school, the bullying became so bad that the school took the decision to isolate my daughter rather than deal with the problematic children. Then the same girls chased, attacked and spat on my daughter. This was the final straw, especially as the assistant head teacher made out the reason behind it was that my daughter was too soft. I know it was late, but we were desperate to get the girls out of the school, and everything seemed to be going so well.

There are statutory regulations that dictate school admissions which have to be transparent and fair to everyone so your MP will have no influence on this.

And the Head solely won’t either especially if their admissions are dealt with by the LA.

It’s basically a numbers game - they have a so many places and they are duty bound in law to give places to whoever is at the top of the oversubscription waiting list. Do you even know where your child is on the list? Even if a place becomes available she may not be ranked at the top.

I think you may need to consider the fact that your wanting a place badly (understandably) does not have any influence on the objective and policy driven nature of the admissions process.

Is there an option to homeschool for y6? Or for her to join an existing local homeschooling group? It must have been very traumatic to be bullied so badly, and she’s only got a year before she leaves for senior school anyway

I’d be putting pressure on the LEA re the previous school’s failure to safeguard your DD.

Except it it is an academy. If it is it is out of LA control.

Not necessarily. The LA may still co-ordinate their admissions.

She's next on the list. There was one before her which the school didn't know about. The school told us they had one place available as the parents who had applied for their child to attend hadn't made contact. So, they weren't aware of this application. Sadly, it was just before our daughters application, meaning she is next in line.

Hold your nerve. As she is out of school, but has a sibling at the new school, I think you stand a very strong chance of winning the appeal. The school will make it known to the independent appeal panel that they do not mind going one over PAN, and in my experience, independent appeals panels are very sympathetic to cases of bullying.

Also, it may be that another space genuinely becomes available over the summer, so do what the Head said, and get another application in for the new academic year - do that straightaway while you wait for the appeal. Good luck.

The PP was talking of putting pressure on around safeguarding. The LA would not involve itself. OP would need to complain/put pressure on the trust.

We very occasionally are involved in academies, if OFSTED contact us about a safeguarding complaint, but again only to ask the trust to deal with it.

I had a similar summer once of waiting, while a place was offered to a child ‘higher up’ the list than my child in July, but I learnt mid-aug that it had been a mistake as mine met the criteria fully and the other child did not.

the school had to offer my child the place in September and withdrew the offer from the other child. I thought this was awful, both should have been given a place even if it took them over PAN. That child fortunately joined shortly after as another space became available.

The child in those circumstances (as far as I’m aware) didn’t have any extenuating circumstances. I know little about this but would have thought you’d have a good chance at appeal.

is the area one with high child turnover? If not I really hope you can appeal. If so, it may not be long before another place comes up.

I think you need to prepare to homeschool throughout September but ultimately unless something completely unforeseen comes up, either there is going to be a vacant space at the new school for her or following an appeal the school will be allowed to take her. The fact her sister is/will have started there is probably a good thing. Do not send her back to the old school whatever you do, doesn't send a good signal about the bullying.

Email the head as she advised and ask her opinion/ next move. She will still be reading emails throughout holidays.

I hate to put a downer on what is already a tough situation, but you realise (in England at any rate) you can drop down school waiting lists, don't you?
Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do right now. Wait for September, and action things then. Fingers crossed it all works out for all of you.

If the other family haven't replied, it may not be their first choice. If they get a place at another school higher on their list, it would free up a space for you.

Realistically nothing much will happen in the summer, unless this family decline the place. You will have to make peace with waiting for now and hope for swift movement in September. I understand how rubbish that is when you have been forced to move her.

If the HT said they could take an additional pupil on appeal, I think an appeal may stand a good chance of success as it indicates that maybe the school won't put up a defence.

When did the year 6 place actually come available? Before or after you applied? The waiting list shouldn't just have been about who was 'next in line' in terms of the other person applying just before you, if you were both on the waiting list at the same time. It should be about who best met the over-subscription criteria (like how close you lived, siblings etc). If the place was apparently available before you applied, then that won't matter, as then it would have gone to the person on the waiting list (and wasn't actually 'available' despite what the school thought). But it might be worth checking the dates involved, as if you'd both applied for a space that wasn't yet available, and were on the waiting list, then order of application shouldn't be the key factor. It might also be useful to work out when the space became available for the younger child as well, as if they were admitted first, then your older daughter might have moved up the waiting list if having an older sibling was part of the oversubscription criteria.

I doubt any of this would be the case, as it sounds like there probably wasn't actually a place when you applied, and the other child got it, but it could be worth checking.

Head teachers very often make these kind of promises - they often have no concept of the admissions process and the LA manage the waiting lists in a lot of cases.

If your child is at the top of the waiting list and is applying for Y6 the Head has the discretion to admit your child over numbers. But some local authorities don't want Heads admitting additional children and so the appeal process has to happen. The school doesn't make a strong case and the appeal is upheld.

There is also the possibility that the Head is aware that a child is leaving but the place cannot be offered to you until that child is on roll elsewhere.

Hang on in there