Local comp not coping with in year transfers?

[wibwob]

We are experiencing a bumpy transition from private to state, despite applying for a place at local comp as soon as we we're permitted to do so - curious if others are having a similar experience. We have moved DC from small independent (chosen for SEN reasons) to the large local comp as we cannot afford VAT fee increase and want to avoid disruption to GCSES. DC does not have a start date as school apparently has so many new students to accommodate that they cannot commit to admissions meetings until after the new academic year starts. We won't have a date for the admissions meeting until after other students start back. Not only can DC not start until a start date is set at this meeting, GCSE options cannot be confirmed. We started the transfer process conversation with the school and local authority at the beginning of the year so it is frustrating to be in this situation. Hearing new education minister's comments on importance of attending the first day/week of the academic year, and the hardline crackdown on fining parents for absences, adds insult to injury. Perhaps a Ministry for Unintended Consequences will be required at some point.

not a good start
and doesn’t reflect well on the school and how they deal with things
is there an alternative?

does he definitely have a place?!

Unfortunately not. We'll just have to roll with it. DC has been actively acquiring a friend group who attend the school during the summer hols so will at least know a few people when they can start, whenever that will be.

Staff will have been on annual leave. When they're back they'll get on it, I'm sure.

Yes, place was confirmed about a week before they broke up for summer hols

despite applying for a place at local comp as soon as we we're permitted to do so -

how long ago?

It sounds to me like you don't have a confirmed place. If you did, you would have a start date.

I would get clarity on this from the school.

this is admissions
and they generally work all over the holidays

how did they confirm?

because this is very odd

they are denying your child their legal right to be educated

The applications weren't open until 1st June so we applied then. We'd already been in quite a bit of contact with the school prior to that and they had confirmed they had room and even reminded us when the applications would be open. I suspect the bottleneck is the local authority plus the fact that they have a lot of new students starting.

this is not confirming you have a place op

if he’s been offered a place and accepted

the local authority won’t at all be involved in his start at the school

The place was confirmed via email from local authority and again via email from the school.

ok so this issue has nothing to do with LA

since the email, have you received comm from school with all the forms that need to be completed (there’s loads!!)

have you got uniform?

have they sent details of access to parent portal?

In my County, when an offer of a school place is made, the child must start at that school within 4 school weeks. You might check the admissions code for your County and see if it is the same.

What I will say is that this week will be extremely busy for any secondary school and holding admissions meeting for new casual entrants will be better done next week once all the new Year 7s have settled in as far as they can and staff have had a chance to work with any system/building changes that have happened over the holidays.

For info, I work in admissions and am only paid for 40 weeks - this means I only work one week in the school holidays - usually across Easter and Summer holidays.

There is no question as to whether or not we have a place, we do. The school phoned me the last day of term as free I chased them for a couple of weeks, to confirm we had a place and advised what uniform to buy. Nothing else has been provided. I have been told that this will all be discussed at the admissions meeting.

and you have email confirming that your son has a place at X school starting September 2024 from both the La and the school

if so, then the school is failing to provide your son with the education he is entitled to

since that phone call

you haven’t received any communication asking you to fill in medical detail, emergency contact details etc etc

I have children in independent school and understand that if not applying for reception / year 7 (and for some schools year 3) I haven;t moved any this direction but we did look into it - there is no "open" or "closed" time for applications, you can ask for a place when you need one and if one is available you will be given.

If you have applied and been given a space I would plan for your child to start this week when the school goes back - maybe just get the uniform and go in to the school reception the day it opens to sort it out as I doubt the answer will be that they have a place but should sit at home for an unspecified amount of days or weeks until someone is available for a meeting. It would probably be easier for them socially and academically to be there from the start of the year.

No, the parents chose to remove their DC from the school they were at before they were able to start at the new school.
OP, did you expect the new school to set up a new student meeting on the first day of the new school year? because that was never going to happen!

a place was confirmed last term

a month before the end of term

A week before the end of term according to the OP

OP - staff will be back today if not last week. You will hear shortly I am sure or give them a call to see if they can arrange the meeting so you know when it will be.

ah i see apologies

my youngest starting grammar this week and the admissions department has been incredibly present and active throughout summer

For goodness sake, he doesn’t need a new student meeting! Just get him to start the same day as all the other kids! That what we do in our school ! We have also had people applying during the holidays and have been able to sort it so that they will start at the same time as everyone else.

totally rubbish by the school

You have to give 1 term's notice to leave an indy school and many state schools state you can only apply 1 month prior to needing a place so the majority of parents pulling kids out of indy will be in the situation of potentially not having a place before their child leaves the Indy school.