Question about late primary applicants and their rights

[Riggs]

Currently in the process of applying and still deciding between two possibilities for first choice place.

One school is not our catchment school and probably touch and go whether DC will get a place but worth a try going by rough numbers.

I will (touch wood!!!) be submitting the application before the deadline. If there were any late applicants after the deadline who fitted the criteria of the school more favourably than us, does that make any difference to DCs potential place?

I suppose I'm thinking about a scenario where DC scraped a place but then say more children moved in to the locality after school application deadline- wil it make any difference

My LA says that late applicants will only be considered after places have been allocated to on time applicants unless there is a very good reason why they should be considered at the same time. It doesn't, however, give any details of what these reasons might be, except children of armed forces moving into the area.

Thanks noblegiraffe. Obviously where there are very good and strong reasons why late applications should be treated the same as on-time applicants that's fair enough. I am a worrier about these things- and just to prove it, I will ask what are probably really stupid questions but I am a complete novice-

When we submit our applications do they go to the schools in question and the school tells the LEA yes or no? Or does the LEA look at numbers etc, speak to the school and make the decision?

Also, in my case for example, our first preference may well be 15 mins away and our second just down the road in comparison. Is the decision by whoever makes it based solely on following the admissions criteria or is there ever any other factors? Eg even if there was space at the first school, would we be given our second choice because its much closer and they are crying out for pupils?

In England schools have no say in who gets a place. The LEA just sends the school a list of who has been offered a place once they've all been allocated.

If there's space at the first school and the second school for you, then you get given your first preference.

For community and VC schools Fuzzymum1 is correct. However, VA schools, foundation schools, free schools and academies are different. For them, the LA sends the school a list of those who have applied and the school places them into priority order based on their admission criteria. This list then goes back to the LA who determine what offers are actually made.

Admissions are determined solely by the admission criteria. No other factors can be taken into account. If there is a place for your child at your first choice school that place must be offered to you regardless of the availability of places at any of your other choices.

During the normal admissions round late applicants are only dealt with after all the on time applicants. However, as Noblegiraffe has highlighted, some LAs treat some late applicants as on time. Moving into the area is one possible reason. Even for these applicants there is still a cut off date, usually just a few weeks after the normal closing date. However, if you miss out on the initial allocations, all applicants are treated equally on the waiting list regardless of when they applied. So people moving into the area and applying months later can jump ahead of you on the waiting list.