Last minute house move before school starts - will my child get a primary school place?

[Snowtimex7]

Hello,

we currently live north but originally from south and my family and DH's family live. I am pregnant with Baby 2 and have been put as high risk - completely signed off work. rest always, many many appointments and for the first time in 2 years the idea of moving home sounds really appealing. family have offered to help fund the move back closer - not necessarily same town maybe up to an hour drive but closer than our current 4 + hours.

anyway this is an education thread - my daughter is just turned 4 and therefore starting primary. We applied up here and got in but haven't accepted as now we are apparently moving. But everything is out of budget, not being accepted, and we are looking at a 10-15 mile radius due to budget restraints so I can't contact schools.

I don't know what to do. If I don't accept her here what if we can't move. What if we move and I can't get her into a school.
Has anyone moved really out of town and not been able to get them into a school? My friends friend was saying she got her child into a school 45 minute drive each way - no idea how I will do that as im due when she's supposed to start school. then with a newborn - my husband works full time.

Shall I just give up?
Thanks

I'm sorry to hear of your difficult pregnancy. I hope all goes as smoothly as it can.

Assuming you're talking about state schools, the first thing you should do is accept the place you've been offered at your local primary (where you live now.) This will not have any impact on your chances of getting a place at a different school in the new area, but you will be stuck without a school if you change your mind about moving or the move is delayed past September.

As for whether your DD will get a place at a primary close to your new location when you move, there is no point in guessing. The friend's friend might have been exceptionally unlucky, or they might have been fussy (ie not wanted to be considered for all the local schools but instead wanted a choice of the good/outstanding ones) or not understood that you can be on the waiting list for lots of other schools.

If you really do want to move, you just have to move first, and as soon as you have moved (or as soon as you have a completion date) you should contact the LA in the new area to find out which schools have places available at that time. They won't hold a place for you, so there is no point in planning this in great detail now.

The new school might have a breakfast and after school club or childminders or be round the corner from your house. You will just have to sort the logistics later.

The good news is that this is a lower birth rate year, so you might find that schools that in recent years wouldn't have had places now do have places.

Don't give up - these are just hurdles and unknowns, you are catastrophising because it's hard.

First, accept the local place - there is not a single reason not to do so and it would be foolish not to have any place at all.

Could you think about renting for a while in the new location, get a feel for the area, get some stability and have an address. It will break your steps down - so baby and school now, house purchase later.

ALWAYS accept the place where you are first. If you don't move then you have a place, if you do move you can withdraw and they'll offer the place to the next person on their waiting list.
You can't apply for a place elsewhere unless you have an address. Then it will probably be a in year transfer if its August or September. Schools are limited to a limit of 30 for infant classes so it might be difficult initially. The LEA have to find you a place if you have a permanent address but it might not be close or convenient and you might not get to choose if its a high demand area.

Exactly what @Meceme said. You can always cancel and someone will take your place, but please accept for now and don’t leave yourself without a place at all in case there’s no move.

Definitely accept your local place. You ate still allowed to turn it down later!

In year admissions can be a lottery. It depends what schools have places... this could just as easily be the school next door as it is one miles away! As soon as you move, the local council has an obligation to find you a school place.

If she isn't five until later in the school year you can keep her at home for a bit in hopes of getting her into your preferred schools. My DD missed the first month of reception around our house move.

Agree, accept the current place, although many LA accept by default. Then plan your move. If you move you can apply again and will be allocated the nearest available, then you go on wl and hope a closer space opens up in autumn, As your dd is summer-born you do not need to start her immediately so could wait until Christmas or Easter.

You will get a place somewhere but you need to either have a rental lease signed or exchanged contracts buying to apply. You then can be directed towards wherever has places. The good news is other people move too so there's always some movement on places approaching September plus some people defer starting and other go private.

As much as it's worrying, plenty of children start school a little late due to moves, my eldest started a full year late due to an international move

Accept the place you’ve been offered now, then once you know where you’re moving to, you can go on waiting lists and/or find out who isn’t full.

Once we found a house and we're underway with the sale I called the local school and spoke to them and they were really helpful and got us sorted.