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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

No school places for DDs?

35 replies

Katerina384 · 01/08/2012 18:09

Hi, my first post, hoping someone can give me some advice.

We moved to the UK in June, since then I have been trying to find school places for my DDs. DD1 is 7, going into year 3 in September and DD2 is 6, going into year 2 in September. I also have a 4 year old DS I can't find a nursery place for. We are in an oversubscribed area, I've added DCs' name to waiting lists everywhere feesible, given I don't drive and am 6 months pregnant. So far we haven't even been offered anything at the really awful schools in the area.

What happens come September if DDs still don't have school places? Is there anything else I can be doing in the meantime? Feel so helpless :(

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Original poster

Katerina384 · 01/08/2012 18:11

3 year old DS not 4, sorry, it's his birthday next month and I'm getting carried away!

OP posts:

IMcHunt · 01/08/2012 18:18

Would it be feasible for you to stick them on the waiting lists of the schools you would like them to go to, and home educate until a place comes up? If you're in London there's a huge support network of home educators.

talkingnonsense · 01/08/2012 18:20

The lea has to offer you something, and provide transport if it is above a certain distance, so get on to them ASAP. However this doesn't apply if you have turned an offer down.

Original poster

Katerina384 · 01/08/2012 18:27

They're on waiting lists for all the schools in the area I want them to go to as well as some of the ones I'm not so keen on. I don't necessarilly want DCs to go to some of the places I've put them on the waiting list for, awful reputations, but at this point I think I just need to get them in somewhere

I'm working right up until I have DD3 so HE isn't even feesible for a couple of months.

The LEA has said they are trying to come up with something for me and they'll let me know by the end of the week. I'm not hopeful at this point.

OP posts:

tiggytape · 01/08/2012 18:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Katerina384 · 01/08/2012 18:37

How does it work with the LEA providing free transport? Just to clarify, sorry, so many questions at the moment!

OP posts:

tiggytape · 01/08/2012 18:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Katerina384 · 01/08/2012 18:42

tiggytape I see, thank you. The worry for me there is that if we get free transport on buses I would have to go with the DCs, what if they all ended up at different schools?

OP posts:

EdithWeston · 01/08/2012 18:48

The free transport is for the child only; there is no entitlement for an accompanying adult.

darthsillius · 01/08/2012 18:51

Things may change in sep. my friend is waiting for a place at my sons school. I know 4 children will not be coming back in sep but not one has informed the school! Another friend got a place for her children at the end of aug one year.

This doesn't help you through August though, sorry

Original poster

Katerina384 · 01/08/2012 18:53

It only covers the child?!! So the parents are expected to fork out for 4 long distance bus trips a day? :O

OP posts:

EdithWeston · 01/08/2012 18:58

The parent may or may not be permitted on the bus (if a school bus) nor in the taxi in the first place.

It is unlikely even the most hardboiled LA would expect a KS1 child to travel loose on public transport, but they will be arranging the chaperoning, not paying for every parent.

admission · 01/08/2012 18:59

My immediate assumption was that the issue is that the LA cannot find a school within reasonable distance that has a place in both year 2 and 3, which is not a surprise.
The bigger problem is likely to be your younger child as in year 2 there will be the added problem that the infant class size regs will apply in any school. One possibility is to ask the LA which school has a place in year 2 and grab that quickly. Then formally apply for the year 3 place knowing that you will be told it is full. However that will then allow you to appeal for a place. You can go to the appeal, firstly having a sibling in the school and secondly being very clear that the reason you are at the appeal is because the LA have failed since June to find school places for both you children at a school within walking distance.
It will still be a risk that the appeal panel will say no, but at least you are putting pressure on the LA to do something.

Original poster

Katerina384 · 02/08/2012 16:11

admission that's what I thought too, the schools around here are oversubscribed enough as it is, it probably is a bit of a nightmare for them trying to find a place in two years. Doesn't make me feel any better though Good idea about trying to get DD1 in with DD2, thank you, I'll contact the LA again.

They have to offer me something before Spetember, right? They can't force me down the HE route?

OP posts:

kilmuir · 02/08/2012 17:58

Be preparedto have them at different schools for a while. We had 6 months of 2 schools. Had toput one child in before and after school club as schools started and ended at same time.

Original poster

Katerina384 · 02/08/2012 18:06

I honestly don't know how I could cope with two different schools, though I do realise it's a very real possibility. we would be relying on public transport to get there and back, so bus routes to 2 schools in different places every morning with a 4 year old and a newborn in tow- I just don't see how we could manage this at all.

Before and after school care would cost presumably? There's no way I can afford that at the moment, let alone all the bus fares :( Hoping and praying the LA are able to offer us something local.

OP posts:

madwomanintheattic · 02/08/2012 18:11

Katerina, if they put them in separate schools that are over the mileage limit, they will arrange transport, and you have nowt to worry about.

In a lot of areas there are completely separate infant and junior schools, so they would be in completely different schools as a matter of course, not everywhere has all through primaries.

It will be fine. They are on waiting lists, and the lea will find them both a place. I would be tempted to sort out a child minder back- up in case you can't find a nursery place, but there are usually any number of private nurseries around, so it's just a matter of keeping going until you find somewhere.

It will all work out.

madwomanintheattic · 02/08/2012 18:13

Fwiw, we were lucky when we moved back, and managed to get a yr r and yr 2 place in the same school (an infant school) which was allocated 6 weeks before etc etc. I found a nursery for the third. Obv, the next year the eldest went off to juniors, so they were all in different settings anyway.

It will be fine.

madwomanintheattic · 02/08/2012 18:14

(the third has cp as well, so trying to find a nursery that would take her and arrange for all of the NHS referrals as well as lea stuff was fun.)

Original poster

Katerina384 · 03/08/2012 21:13

An update: I did start I new thread now I know where I stand but thought I'd update here too- desperate for as much advice as possible!

I finally had an email from the LEA today. DD1 has been offered a place in year 3 at a school approx. 4 miles away, and DD2 a place in year 2 at a school 7 miles away in a different direction I will be given free transport to school on public buses for both DDs.

The issue here is how I'm going to be able to get both of them to school. I don't drive, so we will have to use public transport. I was speaking to a neighbour of mine whose DC was also offered a place at the school 7 miles away, she and her DC tried the route on public transport and it took them almost 2 hours I can't afford to put one DD into before and after school care to pick up the other as it is, but if it's a 4 hour round trip just to get DD2 to school then it's going to be impossible to get DD1 to school too. I would have to take one DD with me to drop the first one off too IYSWIM, as well as a 4 year old if no nursery place comes up soon and will be heavily pregnant/with a newborn. Surely this is never going to work?

The schools the DDs have been offered places at are both in speical measures and have horrible reputations, but at this moment in time I just want to get them in somewhere, I'll worry about trying to come up with something better later!

I know if I turn down one or more of the places then the LEA have no obligation to find me another one, but I just don't see how we could possibly make this work.

Advice greatly needed!
Katerina

OP posts:

madwomanintheattic · 03/08/2012 23:14

Dig out the transport policy. I doubt it says KS1 kids are expected to travel unaccompanied on public transport. I'm doubtful about KS2, as well.

The policy stuff about transport should be on the website.

madwomanintheattic · 03/08/2012 23:16

As an aside, often schools in special measures are in a good place to make substantial improvements over a short time, with specialist management in place to oversee changes.

morethanpotatoprints · 03/08/2012 23:32

Katarina, I know what you are going through as the same happened to us. Ds y5 and ds y1. No school had places for both and I didn't drive. Ds2 had no offer anywhere but ds1 went straight away. Ds2 was at home from Feb until September when a place became available. However, this was a number of years ago so maybe things have changed. I had to give up work but luckily got another job in September. Eventually a place became available at the school next door. Even though it was Catholic and we aren't we jumped at the chance.
H.ed may be your best option for a while. More people are doing this now, myself included with my dd not ds's, they are completed now

VivaLeBeaver · 03/08/2012 23:42

Have you asked the LEA how on earth they expect a primary school kid to cope with a 2 hour bus journey - the length of the journey in itself is impractical never mind that one of the kids will be unaccompanied!!!

Contact your MP, find out when they have a surgery and go in person. This is the sort of thing they are there for.

Local paper would love a story like this.

mariammariam · 03/08/2012 23:55

The two hour away one is a no-no. There is nothing a school can teach a primary child worth them spending 20 hours a week travelling.

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