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Living overseas

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Original poster

Potential move back to the UK - schooling system questions

9 replies

becs1973 · 12/10/2012 08:03

Hi everyone

Am looking for some advice on the state schooling system in the UK. We are considering a move back to the UK next year. At that point my boys will be just turned 5 (in June), coming up to 3 (in August) and just turned 1 year old. We don't have an address in the UK so I'm guessing there is nothing I can do for the moment about school applications? Can anyone advise on what actually happens to get into state primary schooling in the UK, I don't even know what the procedure is.

Also, my eldest has a receptive and expressive language delay, sensory processing issues and possibly ASD (STILL waiting on a diagnosis for this). Does this affect his application at all? How does one go about accessing assistance (if anything is available with all the various funding cuts the UK is going through at the moment?). Thanks in advance for any help or pointers you can give me, will also post in the special needs forum to see if they have any advice.

OP posts:

Bonsoir · 12/10/2012 18:36

If you want a state school, you need to decide where you are going to live before applying. Do you know?

MistyB · 12/10/2012 22:12

Perhaps post the educational issues on the special needs board but you cannot apply for school until you have a UK address.

Your DS1,will be going into Year 1, so you will be applying for a place in a school that may be already full. The LEA may well offer you a place at a school which is not too close to your house. However, you may be lucky!! If you have a choice of where you will live, you could phone round the schools and find who has places and choose your school / house based on that.

JollyJack · 12/10/2012 22:16

It also depends where in the UK you are moving. There are different systems in Scotland/NI/England, don't know about Wales.

lljkk · 12/10/2012 22:19

yup, different admission procs in Wales.
I imagine SN/SEN provision & procedures vary by LEA, too.
I guess the short answer is right after you arrive, you ring your LEA & ask them what to do.

WestHamGirl · 14/10/2012 08:09

Hi there, we are in the same situation as you. May move back early next year and have a boy who will be 6 then a girl who will be 4 then and a 2 year old girl. We know we will be within commuting distance to London but don't know where. I am from the UK but not lived in England for a long time. What if all the local schools are full? What are we supposed to do if we can't find a school. We don't really want to find a house first, we wanted to base it on the school we like and hopefully can get into. Becs1973, where are you thinking of going back to? Where are you now? We are in Brisbane. Would be great if we could share information. When will you know if you are definitely going back? Jane

papooser · 14/10/2012 22:50

Hi all
We're also moving back to the UK in December - WestHamGirl, I am also in Brisbane! We're moving to Sheffield and have been told that all the schools in the area are likely to be full and that we can't apply for places until we have an address and even then the kids (DTs, 6.5, will be going into Yr 2) will have to go on the waiting list for the catchment school. When you apply you need to put your first three choices, which, depending on the area, are all likely to be full. The LEA have to find you a school - the nearest school with places, which could be some way away. You can appeal, but in reception to Yr 2 class sizes are capped at 30 and cannot be increased. It seems utterly crazy to me - here in Oz the system is simple as your catchment school has to take you. But people on here have been very reassuring and quite a few have told me that even though they ended up on the waiting list, it moved quickly. I was also worried about them possibly having to start at one school and then moving to our preferred school once places become free, but again I have read a lot of people on here who have done the same thing who said it worked out fine.
I ended up flying over to the UK and buying a house - we knew the area we wanted to be in as DH had worked in Sheffield before - sounds crazy but I'm very glad I did as it means we can start sorting out the school situation at the end of this month.
Best of luck with whatever you decide.

chloeb2002 · 15/10/2012 03:36

just stay in brissy.... ;0) .. otherwise my only suggestion is to remember the difference in school years starting dates.. so UK start in September, not January.

Shells · 15/10/2012 03:56

Hi can I join in too. We moving back end of November. Same situation. A bit fed up with people telling me 'oh everywhere will be full'. Trying to be positive.

NotInGuatemalaNowDrRopata · 18/10/2012 10:37

Yes, stay positive! Your first port of call should be the local council's website, where there'll be info on applying and the processes/dates. There will be info on late applications and in year admissions as well. If you get here in June, then there's still a little bit of school year left and it may be easier getting him in at that point. That could get the ball rolling for any SEN statement that may be required for the fresh school year.
My concern if I were you would be the year group your son goes into. If you're in Australia, then presumably he hasn't started school yet? If you were here, he'd have started last month, so kids his age will have a year's head start on him. Not good with his special needs. It'll probably be worth making enquiries as to whether he can go into reception next year rather than year 1 at a disadvantage.

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