in year transfer / what happen if i refuse

[boxingHelena]

We have relocated and dc has been out of school since 1 of june
Should be in Y1. Our LEA allow only 3 choices
I called directly the schools and all 3 of them told me dc is first on the list based on distance but more importantly the fact he is out of education
I am told by LEA that a letter is in the post with an offer for a place
The school I will be offered was not my choice at all plus is much further away than the 3 I put down
What do I do when the letter? Do I have to accept the place? Will I loose some kind of priority by refusing? Is it better to accept and stay on the waiting list? (I would have to move the child though) If I go for the latter I believe that the child will loose out the main reason for been offered a place
Pls. help I haven't got a clue, thank you!

I don't know whether you will lose priority for a place at the other schools if you decline the one you are offered.

I do know this, however, which should be of interest. Since your child is of compulsory education age, if you decline the place you are offered, then you will be legally required to home educate him while he remains out of school. Up until now you have not had any responsibility to do this. Your son has been having a "temporary break in schooling" while you waited for the LA to provide a school place for him.

This is absolutely no big deal and need not be a daunting prospect. The requirements of home education are straightforward to meet and the law gives you great freedom in deciding how to educate your child. We do learning through free play, for example, which is a well recognised educational approach.

I just thought I'd mention that your legal status will change, because the LA may approach you to ask about how you are educating your child while he remains out of school. If you do decline the place you are offered, you might like to come over to the home ed board for a chat about how it all works. Also if it seems at all likely that your son will have to wait long for a place at a school you prefer, you might like to make contact with local home ed groups in order to join in with activities and perhaps find some friends to play with in the daytime.

Hi

I would phone your admissions team and ask them abut this. If you accept a place you can still request that your child remains on the waiting list for the schools. We have been in a similar position and on our letter we had a tick box for accepting a school 3 miles away but also had spaces to tick if we wanted to remain on waiting lists for schools A and B.

We rejected our offer and are commuting to a school 6 miles away and remain on the waiting list for our closest school.

hth

Despite what the schools said, being out of education does not give your child priority on the waiting list. It means that the LA's Fair Access Protocol kicks in which can lead to you getting a place ahead of those on the waiting list. If they are giving you priority on the waiting list due to your child being out of education they are breaking the Admissions Code. You should check with the LA to find out where you are on the waiting list. They are more likely to have the correct answer than the school.

You can remain on the waiting list for the other schools regardless of whether you accept or reject the offered place. If you do reject the offered place the LA is under no obligation to come up with another offer. If they do make another offer it is likely to be even further away than the school you have been offered. I would therefore recommend accepting the offered place.

thanx for your answer, sorry I could not come back any earlier
PRH47BRIDGE as far as I have understood the 3 schools told me that he is first on the waiting list based on distance, there was not mention about been out of school

Still havent received any letter though. :-(

This is what happen
No letter was delivered so I was told on the phone to answer by email to accept/reject a place
I had not done that yet that I received a phone call from the School to book appointment for enrolment. The School also confirmed that ds will be starting in September

There is something at that school that makes me very sad, cannot explain, but really a place I cannot see my child for all sort of reason, in particular because he comes from a very small school in the woods, cannot speak the language, he gets really a bit aggressive if he is pushed and children around him are loud, he needs to be in a softer environment to behave well.
This school is very large well above average and a bit of a concrete jungle
But really it is not so much what the school is but how he will not fit in it... I just have a very strong feeling about it, which I try to push aside, but it is exactly the kind of place that makes him hyper
Do I have to motivate my choice?
Or do I simply tell I accept but want to be kept on waiting list?

I am also shocked at the lack of formal/official communication
Yesterday I thought about writing to LEA but couldnt come up with the right things to say

You don't have to give any reasons for your choice. The LA should keep you on the waiting list for your preferred schools anyway but it is worth checking as they don't always get this right.

Hiya Helena - How about ringing the LEA Admissions Dept. to check your DS will be kept on the other schools waiting lists...

Also, ring up the offered school, and possibly arrange an appointment to discuss your concerns, they might put your mind at rest, and if he is to start there in Sept, it might help your DS if they know about the language difference etc. before he starts.

Bumping for any other possible advice..

Thanx JK
I have spoken to everybody involved and taken the child to the school
He was so nervous that keep running off to the playground, not a good start, apart from that looks like there is nothing that can be done or could have done differently. Also ACE adviced me to accept the place
I do feel a bit "con" as what is the point of offering a place to a school that is not of my choice not very convenient if he cannot start anyway. By september he may be well offered a place somewhere else
He is very low at the moment as he is aware that "schools dont have space for him" Of course I tell him he is not the only child waiting but as he doesnt meet any peers it is hard to believe for him if you see what I mean
In the meantime I am trying to get him to do little work at home but he is a very difficult child and will not sit still
I can see all sort of trouble looming for september and feel quite miserable myself at the mo :-(