Not panicking at all... oh no....

[InspiredToBoot]

... but my DD doesn't have a Y1 school place yet. 1st on waiting list for same school as her Y3 brother, but both classes full right now.

All state schools full in her year group

Private not an option for us as DH just started own business

What to do???

Right, I know I have to teach her something. Her reading is great. Where do I start?

How many choices did you put on the application form?

Surely your LEA have to offer you something? Get on the phone first thing in the morning.

3 choices initially as that's all I was allowed to put (InYear application) followed by another 3 when first 3 got turned down. So that's all 6 state schools in this town, all with full Y1 classes. I need nerves of still to sit this one out and pray for a school place to come up... but quite clearly I don't have nerves of steel as I'm in a constant state of anxiety and panic. I was also due to start work at my dh's new company but he's had to employ somebody else as I no longer have the time... Still, it's my DD I'm concerned about.

Blimey. I had no idea some areas were so badly oversubscribed. What do the LEA suggest you do? Your poor DD. Where did she do Reception Year?

BeingFluffy I know they have to offer me something but as I can't get through to them I am not even sure they're aware of our situation. I also worry that they'll offer something so far away that it will be logistically impossible for me to manage.

How about doing a project together?

My dds school is not so good at science (understatement) sober do some stuff from the usbourne science book at weekends.

Have you spoken to the LA about this recently? Because they have to find a place for her somewhere (unless they have already offered a place elsewhere and you have turned it down, in which case all you can do is cross your fingers for waiting list movement and arrange for your DD to receive education elsewhere until one comes up).

If they have offered you no place at all, then they may be waiting to see if everyone has turned up as expected at the start of term and seeking to establish if any no-shows are indeed relinquished places which can then be offered to those on waiting lists. If there are no places at all, then they should activate FAP on your behalf, which means placing a child in the school they judge is best able to accommodate an additional pupil (and this may or may not be the same school as your elder DD).

With a sibling in the school, are you at the top of that waiting list?

I would send an email to the LEA asap outlining the whole problem to them.

We've just relocated back from Saudi.

DD is 1st on the waiting list, this I know for sure. For her to get into this school would be my absolute first choice as it is the one her brother attends. Other local schools would be hassle but do-able. Anything further afield would be unmanageable. I though that out of 60 families at least one would move away over the summer. That's because I've been an expat for so long I'm used to people moving all the time. I guess things are very different here and I have completely underestimated that.

You do need to push the LA to allocate a place, as that is their legal duty. The problem is that this could be anywhere and almost for sure outside the area that you want. But you need to do this.
If the LA do allocate a school then that is all they have to do and the rest is up to you to sort out. If they do not allocate a place then the Fair Access Protocol may come into play but many LAs will not do anything too quickly and they can also still allocate a place at any school, not one that the parents want. The timing is up to the LA and there is no time limits set in the 2012 admission code other than waffle words. In the 2009/10 code it did specify pupils who had been out of education for a term!
As well as pushing the LA for a place I would also start to appeal for places at say the nearest three schools. You say that your first preference has 60 places, so this will be an infant class size case, which you are very unlikely to win, but it is about firstly putting pressure on the LA and secondly sowing any appeal panel that you are doing all you can to get your child in school.
You should also check that you are on the waiting lists for all 6 schools with the LA, as they do tend to drop waiting lists at regular intervals if they are not in reception year.

Thank you for your advice. The problem I feel with pushing the LA is that chances are they'll come up with a place at one of two schools I simply wouldn't consider.

I am wondering, if I do decide to appeal for a place at my son's school, will the school find out about it? I mean, I know they'll find out in the very unlikely case that it is successful, but will they also find out if it's not?

So say I educate my DD at home to being with, where on earth do I start? What do Y1 kids do?

If you want to follow the curriculum get in touch with your county council, they should be able to help. I'm in a similar situation and the CC told me that if I enrolled my daughter in the nearest school with a space and it was over two miles away, they would fund travel, I don't know if it's the same everywhere and it would mean moving her school when a space became available at your chosen school. Good luck with everything!

If you appeal the school will know, but that won't affect how they treat you or your child. Of course if you have one child in a school you want the other one to go there, equally of course they will oppose (they pretty much legally have to).

I would put pressure on, and make sure you are on waiting lists. If they offer you a place too far away they have to provide free transport.

I think that you should definitely persue a second option as well as your first option. My DS has just gone into year 6 and his class is entirely unchanged since reception and the parallel class has only had one child leave, and that was at the end of y 4.

Get yourself over to the Mumsnet HE forum :) (look further down the list in the list of education topics) There are loads of us who educate our children at home, either as a short term or long term option. It's great fun, it can be as formal or informal as you like. Don't panic. If it's a short term option, it's NO BIG DEAL AT ALL for a child not to be in school for a month or two. And if it's a long term option, well that's no problem either (best decision I ever made. And not a workbook in sight :) ).

Inspired, I would call the ht at your son's school.

You know that dd is first on the waiting list (so will they), so it would be perfectly ordinary for you to discuss with them anyway.

The school are likely to know way in advance of the LA what the likelihood of a place coming up is.

We were in the same boat (but returning from canada) and the ht was extremely helpful.

The HE option worries me because I don't know if it will be for half a term, half a year or worse... Otherwise I think I could give it a go. I'll have a look at the HE forum, thanks.

Madwoman what sort of help did you get from the ht? All I've had is confirmation that both classes have 30 children each.

Hey, inspired don't panic! You didn't need to panic when your child learned to talk or walk or eat solid food, and you don't need to panic about this either - it's just the next step - your child will be fab at leading you towards what they want and need to learn until the school place comes up. Follow their lead, just like you did with talking and walking and everything else.

You'll get lots of friendly advice in the HE forum :)

The ht was brilliant. She knew we were new to the area, and had even offered to get dd1 into a y2 place sooner so that we were first on the waiting list for ds1. (we couldn't do it, as we couldn't move into the house for another few weeks). She heard on the grapevine that there was a possibility that one child may be moving/ some other reason that they might be relinquishing the place, and because the family weren't returning her calls, she called round to their house at about 6pm to get the full story. (not push them out, but just to confirm what was likely to happen). In the end that family did withdraw the child and ds1 got the place.

An on-side ht who already has one sibling on roll is one of the best ways to keep absolutely in touch with likelihood of spaces/ timelines.

She was very lovely. Even though she knew that two years down the line she was getting dd2 as well, who had considerable difficulties.

Another one here who's just got my DD into Year 2 through an in-year admission and would recommend speaking to the Head. The LEA were totally useless and barely even communicated with us but I knew from the head that a couple of children were likely to leave.

DD started today and we have yet to hear anything official from the LEA but because the head and school office have been in touch with them they know that DD was at the top of the list and could fill the vacant space. Like madwoman the school office contacted the parents of a child who hadn't turned up and found out that they had moved to the new free school locally.

Our head was also willing to offer some help and support if we had needed to home-ed dd.