Does moving into a new area put you on top of waiting list?

[alittleteapot]

Have posted before - we failed to move in time for primary admissions process so dd has a place round here. If we move to a new area over the holidays will she be above people already on waiting list for places in local schools? Was freaking out about all this but seems like so many people are moving around this time that I feel it will work out ok. If necessary could drive her to school where she has a place as is only in next borough until she has a place. Advice welcome!

Thanks.

No , she will be placed on the list but she won't jump ahead of those already on it

if it's a community school, & places are allocated on distance (normally below children with statements, those looked after by local authority & siblings), you will be higher up the waiting list if you live nearer the school. ie if you move very close to the school you will be very high on the waiting list.

and will be higher than people who applied before. when you apply doesn't make a difference, where you live does. but check out the admissions procedure in the borough you're moving to carefully.

She will be on the list according to the school's admission criteria. So for example there may be Looked After children, siblings and those living closer than you above her and those living further away and out of contract after you.

She'll be put on the waiting list/s according to how well she fits the entrance criteria. So, for example, your distance to the school will be measured, and she'll be placed according to that. So she might go straight to the top, if you move next to the school; or further down depending on who else is waiting and the distance from the school they live. Her position on the waitingnlists could go up (when children above her accept places or move away), or down if there are new arrivals closer to the school or with siblings who have secured places higher up the school.

agree with others, she will jump ahead of those on the list already providing she is higher on the admissions criteria for that school - regardless of when you applied etc

I thought she would go above people who already had a place at a local school, regardless of distance, i.e. if someone is 300m but didn't get in and got into the school that's 400m away, but who stayed on waiting list because it's their prefererred school, wouldn't dd go above them as having NO place in the borough, even though might live a bit further away?

No, as far as I am aware they just apply the criteria equally to those on the list, even if they are already attending another local school.

So if A was at school X but on the list for school Y, and your DC was also on the list for school Y, the selection criteria would still be applied, and if A lived closer to school Y than you, they would be offered the place, regardless of having a place at another school already.

oh. . thanks.

no, she won't get priority over others. but equally won't be disadvantaged by late application.

so onwards with the dilemma, do we stay put in a flat which is becoming a squeeze but all sorted for a v good school or do we move to a house not knowing what will happen re school.

thanks for your info...

Isitreally is probably giving you the best option atm alittleteapot, for the moment anyway.

yes, i think that's right, but that as we are in london we prob need to move within .1 or .2 of a new school to have a chance of a place. Does seem like there's lots of movement but can't face too much more stress over this.

thanks everyone for replying. recommend anyone else who will need to move eventually does so as soon as they are pregnant! I'ts hellish trying to even think about it with two young children and I now understand why people describe moving as so fraught and stressful. It's not the moving it's the trying to move and all that goes with it!

I would suggest you think carefully, as the big time for moving is Secondary school. So unless you are convenient for a good secondary it might still be best to move now.

Thanks Mummytime, yes also as she is only four this month it seems like she's still young and adaptable and I would prefer a tricky patch this end of school life rather than later.

We are moving house at the moment, but have had to rule out the area we wanted to live in as only one of my 3 children could get into the nearest school. All the local schools were hugely over subscribed and we were told they may all end up at different schools. We've decided to stay local to where we are already and luckily have found a house that suits us.