Relocating back and sorting out schools - help!

[Thatisthequest]

Hi I'm a mum of two. One is in erection and the other will start reception in sept. We have a property which is currently rented out, now on one months notice. I'm looking into how best to sort out their schooling. The idea of pulling them out of school so I can become a resident and apply from January (not necessarily this yr) sounds like a nightmare. I spoke to one lady on the phone and she said there are no concessions made for families living abroad. Any ideas please on how best to make these arrangements. I have a school in mind. They also require a letter from a priest. This can be arranged but I did consider paying council tax from the January - thus getting no rental money - just to apply - whilst keeping them in their school overseas whilst the application proceeds but this priest letter may scupper that. Any ideas????? First time doing this ...

*** auto text damn!!! Reception!

I am going to assume for reasons of clarity, that one is in reception and the other will be going to reception.

So where are you looking to move back to. ?

If you can't apply for your 2015 reception place by January deadline , or update an existing application by whatever date the LA close address amendments by, you may still make second round after Easter when remaining places are allocated or be able to join waiting list. If you delay until after September the being in situ for a January deadline won't be relevant for future applications. Those would be handled under In Year admissions procedures at whatever point you are ready. How old is your non reception aged child ?

Yes if other child is already in record on then his/her place would be allocated via In Year application. Check the LA website for how they deal with these. You may find you have them at different schools depending on existing availability of places and demand for next year.

Thanks for responding - we are abroad moving back to the uk. But our rental is an issue in that I don't want to love back early, literally wait for a place and be paying a mortgage as I won't be working until I get settled ... If that makes sense.

One is in reception now.

The other will join reception in sept.

I've read place for reception deadline is January 15th. I have missed that because I'm still abroad.

There is no dire rush but I'm very keen to move back home.

I will call the LEA this week. How difficult is it to get an in year place? As would imagine whole classes move up ... This all sounds like a nightmare

Yes you stand a better chance of your dc2 getting into a school of your choice if you can apply alongside every one else. You can usually apply from abroad but may lose out on a place at a preferred school if distance from home is used as a criteria and others in the same category are local. However it may be better to at least have a place offered at Easter than wait it out.

If you wait it will be a lottery for both dc at whatever school has a space in the right year group at the time you move. Infant class sizes from reception to year 2 inclusive are capped at 30, so little flexibility once those places are taken up. You may find having got one child into a school the other gets priority on the waiting list as a sibling , so stands a better chance of being offered a place should another child move.

Sorry lizs I don't get you ... Are you saying apply before my second enters reception? Problem with that is no.3 is on the way and circumstances mean it's best I stay here for now. So just thinking out loud no.2 is going to start reception here in September then they will both be in year pupils ... I'm pretty scared about the whole thing because it's all so up in the air as yo how places will be allocated for them ....

Read online for the lea that I need to attend an interview with my children showing proof of address. Us one question if we apply for a September place say yr 2 and yr 1 is that still classed as an in year? Plans still up in the air ...

When would you be doing that ? After the reception entry point you can apply and join at any point in the school year, both would be In Year applicants. You won't be able to dictate that any place is held for you until you are ready, they'd be expected to start within weeks of an offer. If you are now saying you want y1& 2 places for Sept 2016 then it isn't worth doing much before Easter next year, for example. If you might return when dc2 is still in reception you could apply now and then defer the start date to January, assuming LA will take your application from abroad

No lea won't take application from abroad all I know is that I have to have the baby, nurse for a while then start the process because I'm not moving near family but know I can manage as I have some friends in the area. Will ask lea this week how I can best proceed January sounds very attractive thanks so much

We applied in year, I spoke to the school Headteacher first, established the school had places, made plans with Headteacher and then applied with Lea nearer the time.

We just moved back in July from abroad, we were unable to actually get a place in Years 1 and 3 until we were physically in the country and we went to the school.

We applied for our places whilst living overseas. We didn't have a UK address. We were offered places, had 10 days to accept them and only then needed to be in the UK, with an address and starting school within 4 weeks. I think it must depend on which LEA it is.

we applied for our places from overseas, using our address that we were moving back to in the February (post deadline in Jan) I think technically we were supposed to use our overseas address but decided to chance it using our in order to get a place as the local schools are very full..