Advice - taking child out until secondary school

[Schoolmum77]

Hi everyone, I would like to take my child out of her final year (6) of primary school, to home educate her until she starts secondary school in September 2026. If I do this, will my secondary school application still be valid? TIA

Yes, that will be fine. The only possible hitch is that if her preferred secondary operates a feeder system, children attending certain named primary schools get some preference in admissions. You can check their published admissions policy online to see if that's the case. If it's oversubscribed, that could make a difference to whether she gets in.

If that is an issue, you might check whether there is a specific date on which her name would have to be on roll at the primary school in order to qualify.

Other than that, current educational setting makes no difference to secondary applications.

Thank you for your message. I believe my daughter has scored well for a grammar school place so that is the only school we have applied for. I’m just worried that if she is de registered from the school system, it may invalidate her secondary school application. I am waiting for the council to respond. But thank you for the information. Much appreciated.

You're welcome! It will be crystal clear from the admissions policy.

I think you should think about making further secondary choices ( deadline permitting,) so that you have some leeway if she doesn't get into grammar to avoid massive disappointment / commute. Think the usual is to put first choice first even if it's aspirational/depending on cohort numbers, then select one that you also like and the third one that she won't mind attending/ is commutable. Basically you should use all your choices so you aren't left with the council putting your child in some unknown quantity school a long distance from home.

No she won't be deregistered from the school system. She will have the same chances as anyone else that meets the criteria, without the home schooling. The only thing I would say is, do you actually want to carry on home schooling her if she doesn't get into the grammar school? It seems quite risky to only put down a grammar school as she has to pass the test, and then meet the criteria. Grammar schools tend to be over subscribed because there are less of them, so you should have a back-up plan, because even if she passes the test, there's no guarantee she'll get a place.

Do you actually know that ALL the children who scored as well as your daughter in previous years got places? You sound like you are thinking that all the children who "score well" get a place. Do you KNOW that to be the case for the school you applied for. My son's best friend applied for grammar school and passed the test, but more children passed the test than they had places for. Because the only option for grammar school is quite far from us, several children from our area passed the test, but failed to get a place based on distance from the school which the school use as their second criteria after passing the test.

It’s really risky to only put one school down. Especially one that is selective. I’m sure your daughter did well, but so may all of the others who applied and many may have done better than her.
if you don’t fill your choices and she doesn’t get into the grammar, she could get placed anywhere. Do you want to risk that?

@Schoolmum77 the deadline for secondary applications has obviously passed, but can you contact the council to add further schools as a late application? I know this is not what you asked, but it is risky just to list one school (unless you live very close) and since the school relies on your DD's performance in an exam, even more risky. Is she guaranteed a place if she gains a certain mark? or yes, does distance also come into it? Many grammars as a PP notes have to use distance as a further decider, as more DC may pass than they have places for.

You do know that the LA is not obliged to offer you a place in the only school you list, if you only list one? If there is no space there they can offer you the nearest undersubscribed school. Ofc if you live next to the grammar and your DD will have aced the exam then no worries. All the best to her.

Thank you for the responses everyone, much appreciated. Based on previous data, she has scored well above the cutoff scores from the past 6 years. And if for some reason, she does not, she will attend an independent school. Therefore I am only concerned about the application being cancelled. Thanks again for the advice.