school admissions

[mumoverseas]

we are living abroad at the moment but want to return to the UK next summer and for DD to start in reception next September.
We own a property in the UK and have applied for a place for DD at the local school. Apparently we find out on or after 1st April but really need to give notice to leave here before then.
I've just checked and the school is 0.2 miles away. I've heard so much about how oversubscribed good schools are and how difficut it is to get a place but bearing in mind the distance, do you think we have a good chance?

The problem Prh spotted and I am also concerned is that some LEAs are very very jumpy about fruad. It has been known for them to employ private investigators to decide if parents were resident at the addresses they put on the form. (Just as parents have been known to prestend to be other parents and withdraw from the waiting list.)
However it really does depend on the area you are resident in, and how over subscribed the school is. I would want to talk to the school (although they may not know the full picture), and make sure I was resident in the eyes of the LEA.
If you are going to move back to the UK this summer, it may just mean you and your youngest DC moving back a bit earlier than ideal. If you might not be moving back, then there is no need to stress about it. What is your plan B?

Sorry for the misunderstanding!

One thing I would add is that you shouldn't rely on any school regarding anything to do with admissions. I'm afraid schools often give very poor advice. Their involvement in the process is somewhere between minimal and non-existent so they often don't understand how the system works, particularly when dealing with an unusual situation such as yours.

Some (all?) LEAs publish information about how the school places were allocated this year. So for example, if you were moving back to Surrey, you could check here to see how places were allocated for the September 2010 entry, including often the furthest distance that a child was accepted into the school from. If you can find this information for the school you've applied for, then you should be able to get a reasonable feel for whether you have anything to worry about..

Just to be clear, I would agree with mummytime that talking to the school is a good idea. I would just treat their advice with caution. I certainly wouldn't take their word for it that there won't be any problems. I would also look through the education section of the LA's website and see what information they have there. Some have detailed policy documents explaining how they deal with all kinds of obscure situations.

'(Just as parents have been known to prestend to be other parents and withdraw from the waiting list.?' SERIOUSLY?

Do people seriously stoop that low! I've read over the years (on various MN threads) about people using friends/relatives addresses or even renting for 6 months to get into catchment but do people really try to things like that?

DH home from work and we now have two days to argue/talk about our plans. Looks like everything up in the air at the moment and we are going round in circles.

Thank you so much for all your advice/comments

If the school is a popular one I would say the biggest danger will be when your child starts school as if you / your child chat to people it is likely to come out e.g. where the child went to nursery etc. but as you say the school know I don't think they will give you a hard time.

Problem would be is someone who managed to get into the school told a friend who was unsuccessful with their application and the LEA probed e.g. why didn't you use the nursery education entitlement (over 95% do so this will make you stand out) or why didn't you attend the settling in day in the summer. However, not many children actually lose their place, especially if you will be living at the address then.

Many, many years ago there was a dreadful atmosphere at my child's nursery when someone colluded with a primary school over a fake address (this was in the days before applications had to go through the LEA). The child that lost the place ended up in independent school and cost their parents thousands. Many people then shunned the parent that was perceived to have 'stolen' the place that was rightfully someone elses'. However, in this case the parents that lost the place lived nearer the school the whole time and the parent that moved in with a relative to gain the school place moved back to their house after the child started school.

The biggest danger is not after your child starts at the school, assuming you get offered a place, but in the next few months prior to the admission places being allocated. Look very carefully on the admission information for what exactly is required.
Many LAs will if there is any concern send somebody around to the house. What they will discover is that nobody is living there at the moment and that will mean that they will not accept your application address as being the place of residency.
Please believe me that people trying to cheat is too common. Last year in one local school which was heavily over-subscribed 3 of the 30 places offered were withdrawn because parents used either grandparents addresses or had rented but never moved in. The fall out from it, who "grassed" on who etc is still going on.
If you want to give me the name of the school and the LA I will translate the info on last year's admissions for you into something that is understandable. [email protected]