no school place yet...sending DD back to nursery (not sure if there is space anymore ..) or accept any school on offer?

[Cinnamon06]

help dont know what to do...Enfield has given us 2 options,one is one place now and the other starting after november in another school... none of them where my choices (long story btw) what would be better to do??
I havent seen any of them yet... Shall I hold on and see if she can go back to nursery for a while? She can be there until december the most... thanks

Go have a look would be my feeling, then make a decision.

Go have a look at them and pick the one you liked best and make sure you are on waiting lists of the ones you wanted. As I understand it if you do not take the offered space then the LEA hasnt got to offer you others.

Go and see the schools. You cannot make an informed decision if you've not been. Ofsted reports only reflect 1 week in school calendar.

You don't have to take either school after visiting but at least you will know how you really feel about the schools.

Many times people have visited a school and been surprised.

I would take the place at the school, you might find she settles really well. Stay on the waiting lists and maybe one of preferred schools will come with a space. I wouldn't send her to nursery as she needs to be in her age setting now

What schools have they said for now and in Nov??

I don't know the full story, but we had a nightmare in Lambeth earlier this year. I wrote to the World and his wife about what was going on. Threatened the Local Gov Ombudsman ....and am undoubtedly not Mrs Popular at teh Council. However, my boys are now in (the nearest) school - originally our second choice, and everything is great.

Keep fighting. And check out the schools they have offered.

thanks
Ms Cellophane,De Bohum seems to still have spaces,and Highfields is opening a new class in november... will call both on monday but I am now scared of loosing them ... tthe one close to us (Bowes) doesnt have spaces but she is n 6 on the waiting list...

Fedupwithdeployment I am fighting...but in the menawhile she is a home getting bored and I got my own business to run too...so it's quite hard as I juggle with both at the same time,work in the morning and be a full time mum in the afternoon,but I also dont think it's fair that she has been left out at home... I will PM you anyway if you dont mind...

I'm glad that the council have offered something, and it may be just fine.

In addition to seeing which school you prefer, do take the ease of journey into account.

Good luck - hope that it works out for you.

As they have offered something you need to accept one of the places they have offered. If you don't they are under no obligation to come up with another offer.

You don't have anything to go to the LGO with at this stage as far as I can see but you do still have the option of appealing for your preferred schools if you haven't done so already.

So my recommendation would be to take a look at these two schools, accept one of the offers. I would also make sure you are still on the waiting list for your preferred schools and consider appealing for them.

we also live in enfield area and have same dilemma. after first round in april we decided not to accept school we were offered (not one of our 6 preferences and a long way from our home) as we were 2nd on waiting list for outstanding school 4 minute walk from our house. we were reasonably confident of getting a place over summer but now term has started and we are still second on waiting list. every time a place has come up someone else has moved above us on waiting list. we are now regretting choice we made to have all our eggs in one basket as dd is very bored at home and ready to go to school.she has been going to nursery and then pre school since she was 6 months old.asked to council today to send us a list as not holding out any hope of getting place at preffered school any time soon. on other hand part of me thinks she is only 4 and we have a year to wait for a place and we should use next year to do lots of other activities instead. i work from home so not so much of a problem

prh47bridge, enfield is offering something NOT haringey,they have just ignored us so far... do I have to take the place anyway? I feel more towards highfields but not sure when in november they will start... what we can do in the meanwhile...
cinderellasmummy I do have my own business too but I think she is missing out a lot now,even if we do stuff together we would do them anyway maybe more at the week end...and mine is nearly 5 so I think she really should be in school now... I feel guilty to work when she is at home and she also complaines that she is bored or want to watch telly a lot...

Sorry - didn't look at the username!

Haringey are obliged to restore the place they incorrectly took away. I am amazed that they continue to prevaricate.

I would personally take a look at the two schools in Enfield and accept one of the places so that you have a backup plan, but I would expect that Haringey will have rolled over by then and done what they should have done months ago.

If you accept one of the places, does she actually have to attend the school?

Didn't the admissions code change or something?

So could you then put her back in nursery (or a Montessori?) in the hope that a place in one of your preferred schools came up and switch her then?

She does not have to attend school until the start of term following her fifth birthday. The school has to hold the place open for her provided she does not defer entry until next September.

Prh47 so If accept a place in another school or even the one they offered and then took away place she could not have turned up until january?
And cant they take away the place? that's interesting...also because I never felt I have to tell council or school where the heck we are until near to school term...we could have gone to a long holiday,moving or whatever....I never saw in the admission form that we must stay put waiting for a letter or door bell to ring after we accepted the place offered at school... am i wrong? I think they could take it away in the case that we never lived there and they can prove it but not in the case we moved after...isnt it? tx

Once you have accepted a place at a school you are entitled to defer until the start of term following your child's fifth birthday. They must keep the place open for your child unless you defer a full year. However, you must accept the place and tell them you are deferring. If you don't accept or reject the place they will write to you giving a deadline by which you must respond or the offer will be withdrawn. If you accept the place but don't send your child to school at the start of term they may assume you don't want the place and give it to someone else unless you have told them that you are deferring entry.

I think the fact that you've moved is a complete red herring. When you first contacted them Haringey said you had rejected the place. They did not write to you before withdrawing the place which would tend to confirm that they thought you had rejected the place. If they took the place away for any other reason I would have expected them to write to you and tell you what was happening and why. I think this is an administrative blunder and that you would have lost the place even if you had stayed put.

and also I gave them new address and no letter has never come thru letter box.... not even now.... this is just crazy!