We are number one on the list AND there is one place...

[Changebagsandgladrags]

I had a look at the LEA vacancies list and there is one place in the year group of the school that DS is number one on the list for.

He's been number one now since the beginning of September so we were hopeful.

So, phoned the LEA to check his place again and they confirmed he is still number one. Asked why he hadn't been offered this place and was told to contact school. Contacted school and they said they are waiting to hear back from the LEA. FFS, there is a place, there's someone waiting offer the damn place!!

Funny thing is when I contacted the LEA before to ask about his place on the waiting list they told me not to get excited about being number one as the school governors can take in children for other reasons. But school's own admission information says that they strictly follow the admissions criteria. They better not be pulling a fast one.

Phone LEA back and tell them you know there is a space and school say they are waiting to hear back from LEA. You are very anxious blah, blah and would they mind calling such and such at school to get things going.

The school governors cannot take in children for other reasons. If they do they are clearly breaking the rules. Any places must be filled by children on the waiting list using the admission criteria. Whoever you spoke to at the LA clearly doesn't know what they are talking about.

The big problem you face is that someone may apply for a place at the school before the LA get around to offering the current place and the new applicant may leapfrog your son in the queue. You therefore want the LA to allocate the place to your son as soon as possible.

A lot of admissions departments are in chaos at the moment because they are now having to deal with all in-year applications - these were previously dealt with by the schools. I'm guessing that may be part of the problem here. Chase them and keep chasing. Remind them that by law they have to give the place to your son.

Totally agree with PRH, this is the LAs responsibility to allocate the place and it must be based on the admission criteria waiting list as of the day that you ask for it. There was a space and you asked for it, therefore it is yours.
Just haunt the LA admissions office until they do what they are supposed to do. It is completely unacceptable that the Admission Offices were not geared up to take on this role on 1st September.
If they or the school have done the dirty and offered it to someone else then you need to appeal and the panel will sort it out.

Yes....ring every day...get names...he who shouts loudest and all that. Its your place!

I would recommend ringing the LA admissions department every day AND e-mailing them to clearly state the facts and request an electronic reply i.e. written confirmation.

From experience, I would say that e-mailing the Head of Admissions and backing that up with a 'phone call is more effective than anything else.

Last December I discovered that a place had become available at the school DD was on the waiting list for. On the Sunday evening I e-mailed the Head of Admissions stating that I knew that a place was available as of X date and that I wanted to know if that vacancy had been offered to the first child on the waiting list. I then requested details of the timescales involved (thinking DD was third on the list). Monday morning I telephoned to check my e-mail had been received. Cue lots of bumbling around. Monday afternoon I received a 'phonecall telling me that yes, a place was available but that it was being 'saved' for a child whose statement was, I quote, "coming through any day".

Gently but firmly I asked if they realised that this wasn't actually legal and that a child with a statement could be admitted as an 'excepted pupil'. Cue more bumbling and a verbal offer of that vacancy for my DD (the parents of the other 2 above her had withdrawn their DCs from the waiting list). I requested that in writing immediately and followed that up with an e-mail... it's just as well I did because 3 weeks later the LA tried to withdraw the place because they over-offered the vacancy . My DD, the child who received a statement and one whose parent had acquired a place at another school fraudulently and had been offered one at DD's new school on other (unsubstantiated grounds).

They then tried claiming that the class size limit doesn't apply to Reception classes, only KS1 classes! Later in the year they were up to their tricks/misunderstanding AGAIN when they refused to add another child to the waiting list in the correct position... they wanted to put her at the bottom.

The reason I'm saying all this is that sometimes LA staff don't have the understanding of the Admissions Code that they should. Chase and chase. Don't give up until you are satisfied that they are acting within the law.

Well at the moment I am getting "It's up to the council" from the school and "It's down to the school" from the council

Basically the story seems to be that someone hasn't taken up their place (from when I don't know) and they are waiting to see if they will accept/decline. Council don't know when the time is up for them. Will be ringing school again tomorrow as I'm thinking the time period would run out on a Friday?

Council say the school has to inform them of the space being available.

My plan is one day hassle school, next day hassle council.

If you follow the process in the regs for accepting an offer of a place then the LA has to give the person 7 days notice of either accepting the offer or losing it, following on from the original offer.

I would like to think that this is what is happening but then why can they just not tell you the truth.

Which leaves me with the more likely explanation which is general incompetence, especially when they don't see to realise that it is their responsibility not the schools!

Got the letter this morning, he's been offered a place!

Letter posted on Friday, could they not have told me when I phoned on Friday?

But excellent news :)

Glad to hear it is sorted out. Excellent news.

A lot of LAs are nervous about telling people about offers on the phone as it is too easy to make a mistake which can then lead to all kinds of problems.

Ah yes, I suppose they could say over the phone Mr Bags your son has a place and then realise they were telling the wrong Mrs Bags.

I feel a bit now though. DS's teacher is very nice and he's made a couple of friends. Now I'm going to take him out.

When he didn't get in originally I decided I wouldn't send him to school (he's only 4) but then over the summer changed my mind. Seems like I should have stuck to my original decision and there would have been less upheaval.

Its like, all this stress, then woo-hoo and then oh...

I think I am being thick, why would you suddenly take him out after all the excitement of getting the place. Surely he has only been there 1 day?

He hasn't started at the new school yet, we only got the offer of the place this morning. He's still in his old school.

I'm waiting to find out when he'll start the new school.

Ah sorry. I was assuming he had started the new school today and then you had decided he wasn't going to school at all....see told you I was thick!

Hope it all works out well for your ds.

Dont worry about taking him out after such a short time. My son (also 4) changed school on Monday and has coped just fine! Hes really really REALLY happy in his new school, even though he loved his teacher.

You know whats best for him and at this age, the old school will be a distant memory soon!
Good luck

Thanks, that does make me feel better :) Hopefully we'll be able to start him after half-term so there'll be a natural break.

Now to buy a whole new uniform!