DS has no school place :(

[extremepie]

So I just received the letter telling me the outcome of our appeal and (surprise, surprise), it was rejected and now my son has no school place.

What do I do now? Just wait until next year? I rejected the place we were offered because it's in a crappy school miles away from our house and we can't get there.

What's the next step?

Feeling really lost :(

put him on the waiting lists at the schools you want, and hope a space comes up. In the meantime, start researching home ed.

Yes, I would second Hatti's advice. The HE community is very welcoming ime. I rejected dd's school place (which was near but crap). I was able to keep her at nursery until a school place came up - might that be an option?

You'll have to HE if you rejected the school place you were offered......

While of course staying on the waiting lists for every school you would accept.

But I don't know what you mean about 'wait until next year'? Do you mean to appeal? Or to get a place. Because you'll get a place at a school when a place comes up - might be this year, might be next, might be never......

You can keep him in pre school - entitled to the funding of 15 hours a week until the term after they are 5 - my DD turned 5 in january, her funding only stopped at easter. Just let the pre school know he is staying.

Options
Go on waiting lists for all local schools
Check out procedure with LA for applying for entry to yr 1
Look into HE
Could you move or rent (even short term rental) to get into catchment
Is private an option?

We were in this situation last year - I do sympathise.

Unless you are going to home educate, you will need a school place. You need to go back to the LA admission office and ask them to confirm where there are places available. You need to accept now that the places will be in schools that you are not going to like and may be well away from your home. But you need to accept one of the places and be prepared to send your child there.
Depending on when your childs birthday is you may as others have said be able to keep your child in the nursery for a couple of terms and tell the school that you are deferring entry. This time needs to be spent ensuring you are on the waiting list for every school that you would be prepared for your child to go to and if appropriate appealing for a place in schools. I accept it can be disheartening if you do not succeed but the key here is to remember it is about getting what you want (if at all possible) for your child.