Waiting lists for schools not applied for

[Lovelylovelycake]

Having been left high and dry without any of my preferences, I know now (despite what the LEA initially told me) that I can put myself onto any waiting list in the area.
There is a local church school I have put myself onto the waiting list for - initially I hadn't put it as a preference as I thought it was too far away.
What happens when you add yourself to a waiting list of a school you didn't apply for? Is it treated as a late application?
I am a Christian, and I know friends who are not who applied to this school. In the criteria you are higher placed if you are a Christian (I have a letter from my vicar). Will this affect my place on the waiting list, or will those who listed the school as a preference automatically be placed higher?
Many thanks.

All the people who put it as a preference will be considered first, but you could go high up on the waiting list if you have a letter.

I would go into the school, ask for a school application form (which you have to do as well as the LEA one) and be extremely nice. Mention that you are very keen to join the PTA etc.

Good luck.

Yes, I second that. Make sure you apply with the school form, and vicar's form or letter, whatever they ask for in the application info, as though you were applying there for the first time with your other preferences. As you know, Lovelylovelycake, the idea of "late application" with waiting lists is irrelevant because someone applying in June can still bump the number one person on the list down to number two, as someone on another thread experienced. The only difference is if the admissions are controlled by the school and not the LA, then you have to ask them what their crtieria is as they can do it differently. P.S Were you due to have an appeal - how did that go or hasn't it happened yet?

The people who put it as a preference will NOT be considered first. That would be a clear breach of the admissions code.

The waiting list must be ordered using the same criteria as used for the normal admissions round. They may not put late applicants at the back of the list.

The waiting list follows the same priority order as the initial admissions. So, if churchgoers are a separate and higher category in initial allocations, so they will be on the waiting list. In that sense, being a late applicant won't disadvantage you. Make sure you include the relevant documents with your application.