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.

@Pythag that's what I had expected to happen. Thank you for confirming it's not an unrealistic expectation. The school has had plenty of notice. Hopefully we won't have to wait to long.

Welcome to state school. This all sounds very normal and your expectations are still private school level.

I'm not sure what you were expecting but this isnt particularly out of the ordinary.

@wibwob what's the meeting for?
If he 100% has a confirmed place just turn up on the first day and they will tell him which form room to go too.
If he hasn't been given a timetable he needs to tell his form tutor and they will sort it.
The school website should have details of equipment (ie stationary) he needs to have.

@wibwob "admissions meeting" was probably more likely aimed at the new Year 7s and they said it automatically not realising your child isn't a Year 7 starter.
Schools usually do a big assembly style meeting for parents in the Yr 6 summer term.

I think your scorn needs to be redirected towards the government which forced children out of their private schools without making adequate provision for the transition to state education.

Parents and most importantly the children have had very little notice and few details about how and when this policy would be implemented. The GE was only a couple of weeks before the end of term so that’s really as soon as there was any degree of certainty. And details around how quickly the policy would be applied didn’t come out until later.

How about a little compassion for the children here.

I used to work in admissions. If the place has been offered and accepted before the summer, I'd say it's perfectly reasonable to expect to be able to start on day one. Is this 'admissions meeting' their suggestion or yours? If it's something you've asked for before he starts school, then I'd say YABU. if it's something they're saying is necessary before he starts, then I think they ABU.

NB the June date was similar in my LA, and is based on the admissions code. An accepted place has to be taken up within a reasonable time, by law. So places offered and accepted before the June date would have to be physically taken up before the summer holidays. A September in-year place could only be accepted from late June onwards.

I have a similar situation .School unofficially accepted the request in July but local authority has been uncontactable since, and no response to the application. So unsure whether to purchase uniform etc, as no confirmation. Frustrating , but it seems there’s been nobody in the local authority office over the holidays .

It was their suggestion. They have said they will be in contact after 4th September to arrange the meeting and that DC can start only after that meeting takes place. I have had no luck getting any other any further communications out of them.

@wibwob well it's only the 3rd today.
Has term actually started yet? Some schools aren't back yet.

It's an inset day, staff have been back for 2 days and were meant to be picking up emails prior. My point is, all the kids finback tomorrow but we won't even know when the admissions meeting is until after tomorrow, let alone the start date. In the very least, I would have liked some indication of which week the meeting is likely to be had.

op you haven’t clarified whether you’ve filled in any of the forms (there’s loads)

and i know you said you got an offer email… but you have checked that you confirmed acceptance to both the LA and school?

@wibwob I'd just take him in on the first day tbh. Go with him to the reception desk.

admissions would have been back even before then

Might consider it but conscious of embarrassing DC as is very self conscious and a little anxious about starting new school.

correct

don’t do this

you go to the school. Today.

@wibwob and @Plasticstaircase , I would consider contacting my local MP’s constituency office for help.

get your car keys op
and you and your son go to the school office
today

Why are the government responsible for parents who overstretched to send to private school and didn't allow for being exposed to a possible significant increase in fees. Its not like this hasn't been a possibility for years and years. Parents who have pretended this wasn't a likely scenario has had their heads in the sand and are blaming others for what ultimately is their own decisions.

When you opt out of state education, expecting every one to drop everything to readmit your child out of normal protocol to suit you, is entitled. You've literally created extra work that wasn't required.

I have much more sympathy for kids who move schools due to relocation.

the government doesn’t penalise children for the decisions of their parents

Brush that chip off your shoulder dear.

No chip at all. I am not bothered if people want to send their kids to private school. I just think the desire for special treatment when you do rejoin is unrealistic. Get in the queue with everyone else and get used to it!

A week actually.

Nobody forced parents to send their children to a fee paying school.

I don’t think it’s expecting special treatment to have a confirmed start date when you start at a new school. Changing schools is stressful for children and not being back in the first day of term with their cohort is likely to make it more so. This seems to be one of those cases where the parents applied on the right dates and got everything agreed before the end of last term so not sure why the school couldn’t give them a start date. And lots of children change schools for lots of reasons so this can’t be outside of their normal process.

Would you think this is acceptable process from the school if it was a relocation from state? Or is it that you know this is poor, but are happy to see it
‘those private school parents’ get their comeuppance even if the vehicle of that schadenfreude is a child?

Labour have done a shit job in communication, planning and implementation of vat leaving parents and school administrators (state and private) to pick up the pieces