Little Ealing - HELP!

[venezolana]

Hi
I would like to send my child to Little Ealing primary, we are thinking of buying a house which is very close to the school. Our plan is to complete the conveyancing by the end of November 2011 and apply for a place for Reception 2012 with all the required paperwork in place (i.e. proof of address, etc) well in advance of the 15 January deadline. The house needs to be totally refurbished - the works could take 4/5 months to complete. We would like to carry out these works at the beginning of 2012 and move into the property in the summer of 2012, in time for the beginning of the school term in September 2012. The problem is that Ealing Council Admissions wants you to be already living in the property when you apply. Why isn't owning the property enough? How can we be expected to be living inside the property with two small children whilst major refurbishment works are being carried out? Should we move in, apply and then move out again to get the works done? Could they possibly reject our application because we have moved into temporary accomodation whilst the works are being carried out?
Please advise. Thanks.

Well, I guess from the council's point of view the family needs to be living in the property in order to qualify for admissions re locality etc. Otherwise they are open to fraud with families renting a property perhaps for 6 months simply to gain admission to a school (mad, but I guess some might!!). Why don't you phone the council up to get a better understanding of the rules. All councils are slightly different- some you just have to had exchanged rather than completed by the deadline I believe.

But surely if you are paying council tax for the house, which I presume you are, then there's no problem. You can apply for the place....the council don't know you're not staying there for the moment. You can still pick up mail from the house...