Moving schools-how, which, why, etc

[BrittaPerry]

I have persuaded DH to at least look at other local schools. We have nothing against the current school, but it is very catholic, and we are atheist. There are also two other schools nearer to our house. However, despite applying on time, we only got into the catholc school on the waiting list, and were on the lists for seven normal schools.

DH has got it into his head that the current school has much, much better academic results than the others, but the latest figures just don't show that. Or at least I don't think they do. Dd is in year one and very clever in some ways (but needs encouragement as she hides it, eg tge reception teacher was praising dd1 for knowing which way the pages turn on a book, until I told her that dd can read and the teacher was very surprised when she asked dd1 questions and found that she was reading the books in her head. Dd1 had been answering the questions asked about basic phonics and looking confused - it turned out she was confused as to why she was being asked them. Silly child.).

So i have been looking at the figures for level five and above in year six sats - I know value added is useful too, but I think dd needs to be with a group of kids that mean she sees being good at stuff as 'normal', if that makes sense. Not Nobel prize clever, obviously, but enough so that she shows what she can do and progress instead of just staring out the window 'looking at the rain and missing all tge people that have died' (she is also a massive goth )

Is it possible o just o and look round schools before applying mid year? When we applied fir the first time, the schools seemed to think us very odd for even asking.

There is nothing odd about going to a school to look around, in fact I would say it is odd not to go and look.
Having said that I think you need to be sure about what you are doing here. Firstly you and DH do not seem to agree whether the school is not performing or not, there is nothing that is going to confuse your daughter more than the parents not saying the same thing about the school or any other school.
Before you get to even go to either of the other two schools, I would suggest you check what the situation is at other schools. Start with the two nearer schools and find out whether the published admission number is such that any appeal for a place would be an infant class size case. That is the PAN is 15,30, 45 or 60. If it is likely to be an infant class size case then frankly you are very unlikely to win an appeal, as you have to prove that a mistake was made and that is near impossible when you are applying mid year. If there is a space at the school you can obviously apply and be given the place but I suspect that the situation is that the school year is full. There is not point in going to any other school unless there is a reasonable chance of success in getting a place and would definitely not involve your daughter at all till you know what the situation is.

Can we not join a waiting list?

How do I find out how many kids are there? I know there were 60 kids left over when all the places in our town were allocated, but presumably they went somewhere...

The PAN will be in the LA's primary school admissions booklet.

If there are no places available at the schools you now want you can join a waiting list but there is no guarantee as to how long you will have to wait. If your daughter is in Reception you are probably still on the waiting lists for your preferred schools. They shouldn't take you off the list just because you got a place at a school you didn't want.

She is in year one, and thy said we could only accept the place if we got off the waiting lists of everywhere else.

That is very naughty of them. Providing that the LA holds waiting lists for year 1 pupils, then they cannot stop you being on any school waiting list that you want to be on.

Agree with Admission. Do you have evidence of them saying this to you?

Contact them and insist that you are reinstated on the waiting lists that you were on previously. You should also ask if any places have been offered from the waiting lists of these schools. If places have been offered I would lodge an appeal on the grounds that you were coerced into removing your name from the waiting list and may have got the place if you had still been on the list. You should only win if you have genuinely been deprived of a place but it is definitely worth a try.

If they refuse to add you to the waiting lists tell them that you will refer the matter to the LGO.