If I apply to change dc's school mid year, is the current school notified?

[Yfandes]

Thanks

If you are applying through an admissions department the current school would usually be asked if the parents have informed the school. The new school also usually contacts the old school to see if there are any issues, i.e. SEN, EAL etc and to ask for electronic information to be sent over. Would be very unusual for a child to disappear from a school and for nobody to ask questions.

I don't think that they would be informed that you were on a waiting list, but here at least the two schools do talk to each other if a place is accepted.

That's sort of ok- if we get to move, then I don't mind them knowing. I just don't want to give them advance warning just in case (just in case what, I don't know - I don't want them knowing yet).

check the LEA website. we're likely to change mid year (moving house) and we need to apply through DS's current school. we're in Surrey.

There is a form for the existing school to sign and send it to the council. Unless that's just our council.

Sparklingbrook - Your council is in the wrong. You do not need permission from the existing school to apply for another one. Sadly they are not the only council doing this. I would advise parents in such councils to refuse to get the form signed and tell the LA you will report the matter to the LGO if they do not process your application.

Really prh? The new school told me to do that, and it did get all signed and sent to the council. The council then had to ask the new school if there's a place even though we knew there was.

DS has been at new school since 15/6. No idea if the form was processed.

we get a call/email from central admissions and we ask for details of current school and then we ring them for back ground info before we say yay or nay!

Our council sent us a form for the existing headmaster to sign as well. Was a bit because we didn't want them to know unless we had a place at the new school. DS never got a place at the new school anyway in the end but the headmaster is obviously aware we tried to move schools!

Form or not, if you are hoping to move to another, local, school, the headteachers are bound to be in touch with each other. Our head will always contact the headteacher of a school attended by any child whose parents make an in-year application to see if there are any 'issues'. It works the other way too, I'm always surprised by the parents who think we are going to be shocked that they are moving their child when we've known about it all along!

The Head at DS1's old school used to work at the new school.

We changed schools and our current school didn't know we were on the waiting list (got a very shirty call from school when we told them we were leaving)... so from my experience the LEA was happy to put on waiting list without any school involvement.

Obviously schools talk once the move is confirmed and iminent, but we had notified the school by then, so that's fine.

Sparklingbrook - The problem is that this practise effectively allows the current school to veto any move which is clearly wrong. We have had a few cases on Mumsnet where parents were attempting to move their children to a different school but the current school was refusing to sing the forms.

That had never crossed my mind prh. I sent the form in to the old school but then I did get called in for a chat with the Head before the form got signed. I didn't think for a minute it wouldn't get signed though.

We moved our dc's a month ago now and yes we did fill the form in the head of the old school. I think it was more a formality though. Certainly at the LEA office I got the distinct impression that everyone knew each other and all the office staff knew the heads of each school and there were no secrets.

We did move house so it never crossed my mind to think anything untoward.

I moved DS mid year 5. We had moved house earlier that year, but I kept him at his old school to minimise disruption to him for a few months.

I just contacted the school i wanted him to go to, and went to speak to the head. she confirmed that he could attend. I then wrote tothe head at the schoolhe was currently attending and informed them that he was changing. I didn't see any forms.?

this was 4 years ago, so maybe procedures have changed since then.

AuntP - what do you mean 'say yah or nay'?

Do you work in a school?

What grounds do you ever have for saying 'nay'?

but if you dont get to move schools it might make your dc's current school buck up its ideas.

Sorry to jump on your thread OP, and on a slightly different issue, but does this signing of the form still apply if you are moving LEA's?

I ask as we are relocating over the summer (from Shropshire to Berkshire) and will have to apply for a new school place for DD, but obviously her old HT will be on summer holidays at the time so presumably unavailable to sigh forms!

I don't know of any LA that requires a form signed by the existing school when you are moving from a different LA. I am only aware of it happening when someone wants to transfer schools within an LA.

Thank you PRH - something less for me to worry about!