If a child moves abroad without their parents informing the LA

[overtherainbow]

how long are the school obliged to keep that place available/open for the child in question before they offer it to another child from the waiting list?

Ummm... we had this at the school where I'm a governor. Can't remember off the top of my head but I think the place was kept for about 6 months because the family kept saying they intended to return to the UK. I think if you've moved to another country the school can release the place immediately if they choose to.

It always used to be 6 weeks. Might have changed in the last few years though.

Hmmm that's interesting. Thank you for your replies.
My child is the one 1st on the waiting list. I have been told by several people who have children in that class that the child's mother gave verbal notice to the teacher on the final day of last term. I have phoned the LA and they have told me there is no place available, yet there is a space as the child has not returned to school. I have tried searching on the internet for any legal wording as to how long the place must be kept open but cannot find any information at all.
It is a heavily over-subscribed school and I am worried that my child may move down the list before a place is offered.

Maybe if it's an infant class there were 31 children. Now this child has gone abroad there are 30 so still no space?

My DD's school say they reserve the right to remove a place after 22 sessions of unauthorised absence but if they'd actually do it, I don't know.

Thank you for youe replies. I know for definite there is only 29 in the class now. Does anybody know if there are any goverment guidelines/policies or do schools/LA's write their own rules?

In the front of our registers at school, it lists reasons for deletion from admissions register, one of which is:
"that he has been continuously absent from school for a period of not less than four weeks and the proprietor of the school has failed after reasonable enquiry to obtain information of the cause of absence"

There is also provision to remove them if "their ordinary residence has transferred to a place whence the school at which he is registered is not accessible with reasonable facility", but I would guess they would want more proof of this than a verbal message to the teacher.
Ultimately, I would guess that there is an LA policy which will apply.

Try to search in Google "Waiting Lists for primary Schools in ..." add your county. I have seen information for different counties.

School agreed to keep a place open for 2 terms for ds as we intended to return during same academic year. afaik there was no waiting list though.

What do the school say? Have you spoken to them?

Are you in England? I think you want The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, Section 8, which covers deletions from the admissions register:

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/1751/regulation/8/made

It does say "not less than 20 days" and that reasonable enquiries need to have been made to establish the child's whereabouts. So this gives a minimum period during which the place must be held for the child, not a maximum one.

If the child has never attended the school at all (was due to start and didn't turn up) then I'm not sure whether the above regulations apply: I don't know whether they go onto the admissions register once the place has been accepted or only after they have attended? See if the School Admissions Code has anything to say about that: www.dcsf.gov.uk/sacode/

Hope that helps a bit!

It is year 1. That's excellent information saracen - just what I was looking for. Thank you!

Try to get hold of the school's Attendance Policy - it is a public document - you can ask the school to read a copy on the premises. We have it set out in there that if a child is absent without good reason for six weeks then the place goes.

We have issues with long holidays at the school where I am Chair for children to go and see Granny in Bangladesh during term time. We stick to this assiduously as we are a popular school.