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Original poster

Not accepting school offer

43 replies

SwissyTony · 18/04/2012 13:13

We've been unsuccessful with all 3 choices for primary school, and therefore handed a poor school in our catchment area.

Although we do intend to appeal, what are our options if we not not accept what has been offered?

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learnandsay · 18/04/2012 13:18

Add yourself to the waiting lists of all three schools that you missed out on. Talk directly to the LEA about your concerns. If you don't accept the school you've been offered are you in a position to home ed?

Original poster
SwissyTony · 18/04/2012 13:20

No we're not in a position to educate at home, wht would be the options? Thanks

OP posts:
learnandsay · 18/04/2012 13:29

You need to read your LEA website for specifics, but mine has a process whereby if you do not accept the allocated school the authority will allocate the nearest available school place regardless of where that is.

How old is your child. I believe that you are not required to send your child to school until the term after the child is five years old. But in your case what would you do with the child?

Original poster
SwissyTony · 18/04/2012 13:34

Reading the direct gov site, it states that you do not have to send your child to school. So long as you provide them with a learning curriculum.

That may be an option until a suitable school becomes available.

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3duracellbunnies · 18/04/2012 13:35

You can ring LEA and surrounding LEA to see which schools have places, you might prefer e.g. A village school 5 miles away which has places over your allocated school, but somewhere you would not have otherwise investigated.

tiggyhat · 18/04/2012 13:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 18/04/2012 13:40

I don't understand. You say you can't home educate, but then you say it might be an option.

What's wrong with the school they've allocated? Have you visited it?

Original poster
SwissyTony · 18/04/2012 13:43

Yes, it's awful. We've decided not to send her there and to provide a curriculum for her until we find a suitable school.

OP posts:
BarbarianMum · 18/04/2012 13:45

If the LA has offered you a school place and you refuse it, then they have fufilled their part of the deal with regards to your child's education (ie provided a place) and it will be up to you to find him a school place (by appealing, going on waiting lists, applying to other schools etc) or by home educating him.

Honestly, why refuse the place? Accepting it will not prejudice your chances of getting him into another school by any of the means mentioned above and at least you will have a guarantee of something for Sept. You don't have to send him, it just means if all else fails you could.

learnandsay · 18/04/2012 13:48

Are you saying that you've changed your mind and you now are in a position to home educate? That's what it sounds like. If so, good luck. There are lots of resources to help HEdders. Carol Vorderman has a maths book out for them. I think it's published by DK.

LIZS · 18/04/2012 13:51

Declining the allocated place won't force the LA to offer you a "better" one and could even be considered negatively at an appeal. Were you realistic in your "choices" ? 3duracellbunnies has good advice for the short term and you codul then go on waiting lists for one closer. There may be some movement on waiting lists once the acceptances/declines are received or perhaps you could consider private schools which may suddenly have spaces when others get the state places they want and give notice.

Newtothisstuff · 18/04/2012 14:06

I had the same thing happen to my DD the only school she could get a place at was a school I'd never have sent her too in a million years.. I ended up with her name on 4 schools waiting lists and got her in to one of my favourite in time for sept, she never got a tour and we didn't pick her uniform up until her first day but we were 35th on the list.. Towards the end of the school year people will be excepting and rejecting places all the time Smile

prh47bridge · 18/04/2012 14:34

The LA has fulfilled its legal responsibilities by making you an offer. If you reject the offer they are under no obligation to come up with another, although most will do so. However, any alternative they come up with is likely to be an unpopular school further away from your home.

Personally I always recommend accepting the offer as it gives you a backup plan. You can always reject the offer later. Your only real alternatives are to home educate or delay entry until the start of term following your child's fifth birthday in the hope that a place becomes available.

Original poster
SwissyTony · 18/04/2012 14:49

Thanks for your help everyone.

We will look to appeal, and remain on waiting lists, and intend to home educate our child until a suitable school is available.

We're putting the house on the market to make ourselves flexible to a move.

We will not accept the offered school, I know it's keeping the options open, but it's simply not an acceptable school.

Thanks again, we will talk with our LA.

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5kidsandme · 18/04/2012 16:38

Sorry to hear your news. Out of interest which LA are you in?

ninani · 18/04/2012 17:23

Unfortunately many people think thaat if they reject a school the LA will HAVE to give them another school which they like which does not happen (unless places become available). Or like we did, they think that accepting a place at a school they don't like the LA will remove them from the waiting lists.

OP, initially we had been offered a school which we didn't like and it was more than 2 miles away! At least yours is the catchment school and I guess quite closer. Our catchment school and the other nearest didn't have places! What worked for us was relocation (we were lucky of course).

threekidsfourcats · 18/04/2012 17:40

we were in the same position last year, but we did like the school we were allocated but its 4 miles away....it is annoying as the school we really wanted was only 2 miles away, we didnt even get our catchment school, we are still on the waiting list for our catchment school, we kept dd in nursery till christmas but still didnt get a place so she lost out a term in reception, almost a year later and are placed 12 out of 12 because we are the last house in catchment....non of it makes any sense to me, and if you didnt get the other school due to infant class size then you dont really stand a chance unless they made a mistake somewhere, but good luck, and remember when going to appeal do not state why you dont want child to go to allocated school make you appeal why you think child should be in the wanted school, they are not intrerested in allocated school being a bad school

therewasatime · 18/04/2012 17:45

that should read please take ..............

PanelChair · 18/04/2012 18:21

As prh47bridge says, if you refuse the initial offer, the LEA will not be obliged to make any second offer. It may do so, at its discretion, but most LEAs won't. It is a widespread myth that if you refuse the allocated place, this will somehow force the LEA to offer you your first choice or (at least) a school of your choosing. It won't.

Home educating may be a way of filling the gap until a place becomes available at another school, but anyone contemplating this should bear in mind that - especially in a small school with a fairly static population - it could be a very long wait.

3duracellbunnies · 19/04/2012 03:12

The other option of course is to accept, but defer the start date, therefore keeping more options open, so if no places come up/ you find you hate home ed there is somewhere for your child to go in jan/april.

lilbreeze · 19/04/2012 03:27

What position are you in on the waiting list for the other schools or is it too early to know?

lilbreeze · 19/04/2012 03:29

Deferring is not necessarily an option though - certainly not where I live.

Original poster
SwissyTony · 19/04/2012 07:44

The school we've been offered is the only school within our catchment area, and is one of the worst in the county, we must refuse it.

However, whilst home learning represents a last resort, it is something we'll gear ourselves up for.

In the meantime we'll work with other schools and the authorities to re-place our daughter, and we're all set for re-locating, something we should have done previously, hence why we're in this mess. Hindsight. This may be an expensive decision for us, but one we must pursue.

We've not received our place on the waiting list, that will drive the decision on where best to relocate to, I guess if there an outside chance of securing an existing preference, as we may be hight up he lit, then that's the wy we should go.

I have a question......the desired school had 150 applicants for 50 places, of those 100 that did not get accepted, if they accept their alternative, do they therefore come off the waiting list?, I.e increasing our ranking!

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lilbreeze · 19/04/2012 07:55

I know quite a few people who got on off the waiting lists last year in our area so don't panic yet! Some parents Will turn down their place in order to go private and some may have put the school down as their second or third choice so Will still be trying to get a place elsewhere. Good luck, I know how stressful it can be.