Private school vs state school admission dates

[JumpJockey]

This is all very theoretical at the moment, but worth asking if anyone else has done this (or indeed if it's common practice!).

Given that the dates you have to accept private school places at are early in March, and the dates that state school allocations come out are in May, is it reasonable to accept a place at a private school, then if you're allocated the state school you really want, to withdraw from the private school (and lose the deposit)?

Or if you're applying to private schools, are you not allowed to apply to state schools full stop?

We'd like DD to go to a particular primary school, and if she doesn't get in we would potentially send her to private (various reasons), but would have to accept the private place without knowing if she'd got into the primary. Is this a common situation?

IMO it's acceptable practice to turn the indy place down and forfeit the deposit. Happen's all the time, Most good indy's will have a reserve list anyway.

Good Luck hope you get the school you want

You can withdraw as late as you like from state schools or private schools but you may owe a full term's fees as well as forfeit the deposit if it is after the start of the summer term unless they state otherwise - can you afford it ?

May sounds very late to hear about state school places - I thought national decision day was March 1st?

Maybe it depends where you are, but round here private schools tell you if you have a place sometime in February, and state school allocations come out in early March, so the deadline for accepting the private school place is not until after you have heard about state school places.

Also, even if you theoretically accept the place and pay a deposit, the contract usually says you have to give one term's notice of withdrawal - so if you decide not to take the place you tell them at the beginning of the summer term (late April), and would only lose the deposit, if anything.

Are you talking Primary or Secondary? Primary places come out in April I think although may have changed in the past couple of years. They were at different times in different parts of the country when both DS and DD were applying to reception.

I've just checked again and for primary schools where we are the allocations are announced on May 1st - 1st March is secondary schools. The school we're interested in says you have to accept or decline a place by the Girls School Association deadline which is first Monday in March.

TBH yes it would be a pain to lose a term's fees, but if we'd be saving on three terms' fees every year by being able to send dd to the state primary, that would make it less painful ;) glad to know it's not a totally unassepable thing to do.

Oh, March 1st may just be the secondary offer date. I would still be surprised at offers for primary being as late as May. How would they have time to deal with appeals etc? Have you checked?

And of course you are allowed to apply to both private and state primaries - people do it all the time.

X-post. If it really is May 1st, then yes, you may have to resign yourself to losing a term's fees. Though since that is only a week or two after the beginning of the summer term, the school might possibly be reasonable about it.

here's the info - it says appeals are heard in June and July. Maybe it's different in different parts of the country.

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F5035F3E-23B8-4FEE-880E-544F9DAAECDE/0/DeterminedCoordinatedAdmissionsScheme201213_draft_.pdf