Missed the deadline for reception

[TheCollection]

We realised today that deadlines for reception class application was Jan. There is a school literally opposite us (one of the reasons we moved here, ironically) so like idiot I was pretty relaxed about the whole thing. Now I realise that we missed the original deadline AND the late applications deadline, which was 15 Feb. reading the brochure there is pretty much nothing I can do. Has anybody else had a similar experience? If so, was there any flexibility on part of the local authority? (I suspect I know the answer to this one) Also, we never received any correspondence about this at all - not a letter, not a booklet, nothing (today my husband went over to the school to ask about it, and they gave him a booklet saying that he missed the deadline already). Is that normal? Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advance

You need to apply at once via your local authority. Put as many schools on as you can. You will be classed as a late applicant and your application dealt with after all others.

In other words if, for example, there are free spaces in the school over the road, they will offer you one. If not, then wherever there are spaces. You can go on the waiting list of any school you want as I understand it. There is often quite a lot of movement between now an dSept so don't lose heart.

You don't get contacted. You're expected to look it up yourself I think. We have lived here 5 years and ds was born here and will be going to reception in September. We had no prompts.

As Clary says you need to make an application now via your local authority, assuming you are in England.

Do not despair. We moved house on allocation day having successfully applied and been offered our local school! We arrived in a new county as a late applicant in an area with over subscribed local schools. I called up the LA to ask them to just tell me where they had spaces. But they don't work like that. We had to go round and put out dd on waiting lists for schools we were interested in. We saw 3 or 4 and got offered a space in one about 2 miles away straight away. We stayed on waiting list and as the house we bought was fairly close we were at the top of the list. Our dd started school at the allocated school and was settling in well when at half term we got offered a space in our nearest school. We had a younger dd starting the next year so we took the space and moved her.

Good luck - get on the waiting list ASAP and look around to find a school to take your child in the meantime. They can deal with the change.

But for future reference - it is your responsibility to look up and know the application process. Many parents opt out of the state system completely so you cannot expect state schools to chase pupils that have not applied - for all they know you may have chosen to go private.

Thanks for your advice everybody. We will definitely get in touch with them tomorrow. It seems odd not to contact parents at all - a mail out doesn't cost that much, they waste time with individual enquiries of which there must be many... But obviously I'm kicking myself for not checking sooner, won't be making that mistake again.

If you don't get in via the normal admissions round, you can go on a waiting list. For you, the good news about the waiting list is this: on-time applicants who were unsuccessful in getting into your local school won't have priority over you. Everyone on the waiting list will get ranked according to how well they meet the criteria. Living opposite the school means your son will likely be at or near the top of the waiting list.

If it seems likely that he will get a place eventually, you could consider keeping him out of school while he waits for a place to come up. There's no legal requirement for him to be in education at all until the term after his fifth birthday, so even if he is autumn-born you can wait until January. Or you could wait longer than that by home educating int he meantime. That would eliminate the need for him to settle into a school and then be uprooted and have to adjust to a new school - for some children that might not be an issue, but for many it would be quite an upheaval.

I'm not sure how a mailing list would work. How would they know which specific households have a child who will want a reception place for the next school year? There's no way my LA could possibly know everyone. They would know who is eligible for free nursery hours or enrolled at a state nursery school but that's it.

They could of course mail every household but that would cost £1000s. Very few parents miss the deadline now which sort of proves the current system works pretty well.

Not that it matters now. Good luck with the school place. You might be lucky. Where I live my child probably won't get any place in the standard allocation and we'll have to join a waiting list which will be the same process for you, except you'll be higher up the list because you live closer. Which is my clumsy way of saying that getting the application in on time might not make any difference to the outcome.

I think most leas DO get in touch actually they go on the info if births from the registry office? I have had a letter for each of mine for rhe yr before they were due to start school with info about applying.

You need to speak to your local council admissions office.

Also there are some mnetters who know all about this hopefulky one of them will be along if you keep thread bumoed.

But basically you will get whatever place is left over after everyone else has got theirs. You can apply to go on waiting lists.

I think in your situation I would put the school opposite you as first preference (if it is your first preference). I would then phone the LEA and ask which school were undersubscribed last year and put the one of these that is most acceptable to you somewhere on your list of preferences. It won't guarantee you a place but it might give you a bit more choice over which school you are allocated.

When the school places are allocated you should be placed on waiting list for any preferences above the one you are allocated. The fact that you were a late applicant won't affect your position on the waiting list.

I'm sure admission and prh will be along later to give better advice later.

I am looking at 'in year' admissions at the moment and the LEA's publish how many applications they have for each school and how many places they have. For last year of course. This has been useful for me. Where I am going there were more spaces than applicants in nearly every school.

I defo think we should be sent the application form too. Maybe it should be part of health visitor's role to at least inform you of procedure, even just the basics. Many people don't know when their dc is due to start school. I had no idea with my eldest, and had to ask around, but I was just lucky to have had a bit of an idea who to ask. It would be very easy to not know when to apply.

I hope you get sorted, what a stress that you don't need x

All the pre schools around here make a big thing of checking parents have applied. Do you not see other parents? It was a huge topic of conversation here. I just can't quite imagine anyone not knowing - just chatting at groups or pre school or nursery drop offs or toddler groups. It would be unusual not to see any other parents at all surely?

You do need to contact your lea. Around here school places in good schools are over subscribed. We're thinking of moving and the school places issue gr a big one.

Ours don't contact, but there are posters up in the Dr surgeries, libraries etc.

Good luck with you application.

I am in norwich and as i said we all get a letter some months before and yes posters go up at pre-schools etc. Not all children go to.pre-school tho.

I just assumed there was a similar system everywhere. But it is all over the internet, media etc and at toddler groups its talked about.

Hv might be a good way of making sure everyone knows?

As othets have said you can go on the waiting list and as yoi live so close you will hopefully get lucky :)

Go into the school and speak to the head or admin staff and they should be able to help you. There is still some movement ( children moving in/ out of the area or people going to private education etc) between now and September so make sure they know how keen you are. No school wants empty places.

we moved area after the school admissions deadlines when dd was due to start reception. if you're already moved in, you'll have a head start, and as others have said, if you are within catchment and your first choice is the closest school, you will most likely go straight to first on the waiting list. we had to languish at ninth until after we moved, which after a mountain of delays turned out to be mid july! dd went straight to first on the list, and within a week got a place at the school.

any admissions, appeals etc all should go via the local council admissions office. find out where you are on the waiting list and ring back every week to check on movement.

Did you think the school was going to approach you?
Get your application form from the local council offices ASAP and hope for the best.

Tiggy- no it isn't the school who allocates. The school where I work happily helps parents through the process though. Any parents who look round and express an interest are put on a list and our lovely admin woman double checks to see if these children have a place. You definitely need to speak to the county office but the school can explain what you need to do and if you are local may help fight your case.
Some reception classes take 15 children but if year 1 numbers are low and there are mixed year groups further children can be taken.

Our school holds open days and takes names, addresses and email addresses of interested parents, and then reminds them to apply when the date is looming..

We exchanged in April, moved in May and went straight to the top of the waiting list for reception. Got allocated a place before the summer holidays.

Large intake of 60 kids and quite an affluent/mobile area so that worked in our favour.

Good luck, hopefully you will be ok.

The council send a leaflet out if not I may well have forgotten especially as all the open days/evenings in primary schools are this term here.
I think like other posters have said you will probably get away with it due to your proximity to your chosen school and movement on waiting lists.