Can someone just clarify this re. waiting lists?

[Dusteverywhere]

Hi,
If your dc's name is on a waiting list for a primary school and you already have an allocated place, what happens if you are offered a place at the waiting-list school? Do you automatically lose your allocated space or do you get a chance to accept or decline the waiting list place? I have heard conflicting answers on this. Thanks.

It depends on the process and the stage. My county does a reconsideration process first where it tries to reallocate as many places as possible in one round. If you move up a preference in that process, you are automatically allocated the space. After that process (so from mid-May onwards) it is a waiting list and you can accept or decline as and when a place comes up.

I am in the same situation and I was told you get offered it first and make a decision then.

Thanks. Have place at a f

Oops, have a place at good school but wasn't our first choice. So automatically have gone on waiting list for higher preference schools. Don't want to lose the allocated place outright without at least a chance to consider as dc might have undertaken induction by then. Perhaps I should come off waiting list?

Check with your authority. In mine it would only be automatic for one iteration. Once you get past mid-May you would have a choice. Because it is all automatically re-assigned you also have to specifically opt-in to reconsideration and state which schools you want to be reconsidered for. If your county automatically puts you on the waiting list for higher preference schools I doubt the system is like ours - there must be an active parental choice at some point I would think!

Thanks all- will definitely double check with LA tomorrow.

I would have thought if you have been offered a place and accepted it, they can't withdraw it based on the initial form that said you preferred a different school. You may have made other decisions in your life to accomodate the school (daycare, maybe even moving closer to the offered school). They won't know your circumstances.

If you're worried call the LEA, but when I was offered a place from a waiting list, I had to accept it or refuse it - it wasn't automatic (but not a reception place, it was an in-year placement, so slightly different).

Just to be clear, I am not talking about offers being withdrawn based on your original form preferences. In my area have tp actively opt in to reconsideration and it is a one-shot process. Form in by end of April and decision by mid-May. If you want to participate you have to accept the uncertainty for that short period. The payoff is that they do loads of changes in that single process. After that it is a normal waiting liat.

Thanks all, asked this am and apparently whilst it is in the council's power to withdraw the initial offered place automatically, they don't tend to do this for all of the reasons above- i.e. your child might have done induction and loved the allocated school, you might have made changes to your life etc and therefore the council normally discuss things with you should a place arise.

On a different note, how much does the allocated school know about where they came in your preferences. i.e does the headteacher know that they were 'only' your 2nd, 3rd, 6th choice or whatever?

Contrary to what they say it is NOT in the council's power to withdraw a place once it has been offered and accepted other than in very limited circumstances. That would be a clear breach of the Admissions Code.

Thank you- I hoped/thought that would be the case. .

That's interesting prh47bridge- thank you The person said on the phone that technically "under their official codes and conditions etc etc "they could withdraw initial allocation if a waiting list space came up as technically they would have fulfilled your applied for preferences... but they also followed on to say that they rarely did that.

Its my DC that is my main concern, and whilst if a space came up tomorrow in my 1st choice school I would probably take it, it might be a different story by June/July time and would like the chance to at least make a quick choice.

I think that the council officer does not know the admission code. PRH is right the reasons under which an offer can be withdrawn by the admission authority are very tight and getting a better preference from the waiting list is not one of them. They have to offer the place and you have to accept or decline, only when you accept the new offer does the other place become null and void.