Getting back into their old school

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i have twins that left their old school in reception due to husbands job relocating.we are now moving back to the area but the school is full.I've spoken to the school and the council and filled out their forms.I would just like to know my chances of getting in.they will be starting year 2 in September.they take 75 children which is made up of 2 year 2 classes and a mixed year 1 and 2.they would probably be in the mixed class as they are July born.the lady I spoke to at admissions said I should appeal if they don't get in.is it worth appealing?can they go over 75 or is that set in stone.
Any advice much appreciated.

If I've understood your post correctly, the PAN (published admissions number - the number of children they can admit in each year) is 75 & for Y1 & Y2 they have 5 classes : - 2 Y1, 2 Y2 + 1 mixed Y1/Y2?

Therefore they operate with classes of 30 children & any appeal would be an "infant class size" appeal. To win an ICS appeal you have to demonstrate that the admissions authority have made a mistake, which would be virtually impossible to do for a mid-year application, sorry...

If all the local (depends how the LA define "local"!) schools are full then the LA will offer places at the school best able to cope with extra children, if this pushes classes over 30 then they would be "excepted pupils" - this could be at the school in question, or at any other "local" school - the LA decide this.

PS - once they get into Y3 then ICS regs no longer apply & you would have a better chance at appeal if you would consider moving them at that stage.

Agree with BetsyBoop, this appeal is unlikely to be successful, as it will be an infant class size regs appeal. It would seem near impossible for an error to be made on an in-year admission.

I think you need to be thinking in terms of Plan B as to which schools in the area have places, as there will not be that many who can accept twins mid-year.

Not much to add, except that you will be placed on the waiting list for your old school (and any others) according to where you fall within its usual admissions categories. Being former pupils won't give any additional priority.

Thanks for all the info.I've put 4 schools down on my application and tbh would be ok with any of them.The problem is they're all full but admissions did reassure me there is often a lot of movement in the summer holidays.

If I don't get any of my choices and they offer me a school I don't want can I refuse and wait for another one.Also,they've advised me to make sure I move into the catchment for their old school.I'm not sure how this works if I don't get into that school and then I also won't be in catchment for the other 3 schools on my list.
The school has a separate juniors which I know you have to apply to get into the end of year 2(you don't automatically get in from just being at the infants)I suppose I could still apply for that if I'm living in the catchment. and send them to whatever school I get for year 2.They will have a brother who is going into year 5 and I've been told there are places for him.

What do you think?

It may well be easier to get places in this or any other school for Year 3 because, then, the infant class size rules don't apply. The LEA will still turn down any application that would take the school over its Published Admission Number (usually a multiple of 30), but it's then open to you to appeal. For Y3 appeals, the test is whether the prejudice (ie disadvantage) to your children in not attending the school is greater than the prejudice to the school in taking two extra pupils. So, in that sense, you may do better to accept whatever places you can get for Y2 and save your appeal for entry to Y3.

If you don't get places in any of the four schools, you can of course refuse the school you're offered (the LEA has to offer you places in the nearest school with vacancies or, if there are no vacancies anywhere, in the school best able to cope with additional pupils). But you then need to decide what you're going to do until such time as places become available in any of your preferred schools. Would you home-educate until then? Accept places in different schools for each twin? If you're waiting for two places to come together, it could be a very long wait so you need a contingency plan.

As to which catchment area to move into, only you can make that judgement. The best thing to do may be to study the admissions criteria for each school, to see how much weight they attach to being within a defined catchment area - some schools use 'distance to school' without having a catchment area as such. The other thing to consider is how your twins will benefit from being the sibling of a child in the junior school. Being siblings will presumably move the younger children up the waiting list, but some schools differentiate between in- and out-of-catchment siblings, so if you are looking to do everything possible to boost your chances of getting back into the old school, this might be important.

Sorry to add to an already long post ....

Obviously, the bit in my first para about the LEA turning down an application which would take class sizes over 30 is more relevant to in-year applications for Y2 or Y3. If you are going to apply for admission to the junior school for Y3 in the usual round, you may well get places because of the priority which is (I assume) given to siblings, but again you need to check the in/out of catchment issue. As I said earlier, an appeal for Y3 (should you need it) is easier to win, because the bar is set lower than it is for KS1 appeals.

Thanks panelmember for your advice.I think what I'm going to do is move into catchment for old school.Start ds in year 5 and I may have to put the twins in another school but go on the waiting list and apply for year 3 when the applications come out.Sibling already at the school and living in the catchment will definitely bump them up the list.
I think none of the scenarios are ideal-different schools,starting them at one school and moving them to another for year 3.
I suppose I won't find out until last minute which I think will be quite difficult for the children.