Is a preferredJunior school treated as In Year Admission? Desperate please help me.

[12345Floris]

Please tell me I'm wrong.

I can't believe that the stress and frustration I've had for the last 11 months w
Trying to find a Year 1 (now Year 2) In Year Admission for my daughter in our new town, waiting fruitlessly on the waiting list all this time, my youngest now offered Reception starting in a few days at this same school, all the whil I'm thinking she'll be starting Juniors next September anyway so the problem will disappear ...

We moved from a village to a nearby town and Ihad no idea there were problems transferring children from one school to another.

She has been on waiting lists for 11 months.

My son starts at our nearest school in a few days.

Ihave to do an 8 mile round bus trip every day to keep my daughter at her old village school because there's no spaces in our new town.

Then I learn NOW is the time to start app,ying for her Junior school but because she won't be going to her current linked junior school in the village, her application to the nearest junior school to us in our new town will be treated as an In Year Admission too. I can't believe it!

Stats for this junior school show it has sibling, then linked infant school, then proximity criteria.

It has just been awarded Outstanding and the best junior achool in the WHOLE county. I haven't a chance now, have I?

What's even more daft, is that her village school actually has Reception spaces, so in theory I could put my son there. But I can't afford to rent back there and the bus fares would be crippling amd how would that affect my chances of getting a job too if I had to do an 8 mile bus trip twice a day?

Please giveme your views, advice. I had a small breakdown this January over the stress of it all, I thought it would allbe over and resolved by the time she starts Junior school as class sizes wouldn't be limited, but now I learn all the above, I'm devastated again.

Do the sibling links include children in the attached infant school? And do sibling links at the infant school include younger siblings as well as older? Your son starting in a few days may help to bump her up the waiting list so she may still get a y2 place - or may be counted as a sibling for the junior school.

I may be wrong, but I thought junior school admissions were done just like infant ones, but no doubt someone else more knowledgeable will be along soon.

I agree with Tiggytape that an application submitted at the correct time should be treated as part of the normal admissions round. They may give you lower priority because your daughter isn't attending the linked infant school but they cannot treat you differently from anyone else who applies on time. If you don't get sibling priority your daughter will be in the same category as other children without a sibling at the school who don't attend the linked infants school. Your daughter will be ahead of any other children in this category who live further away from the school. It is worth checking whether anyone in this category got a place last year and, if so, the distance for the last child admitted.

If it is more than 2 miles to your daughter's current school by the shortest walking route the LA must provide free transport for her. If they are not doing so you should get this sorted. It may be that they would provide a taxi to take your daughter to school and bring her home again. Your son won't be entitled to free transport if you move him to the village school.

18 with older siblings already attending Junior, 40 linked infant school, 3 out of 6 others using distance tiebreaker Last pupil lived 0.321miles? 60th pupil was a twin so 61 places allocated.

Does this mean the junior school only takes a total of 60 pupils each year?

It looks hopeless.

Do you think I should move to another town? I've had an email reply to say a school in the next town currently has 3 Year 2 spaces and 'plenty' of Reception spaces. Rentals are also quite cheap and it's a nice town.

But that wood mean taking my son out of Reception where he starts in a few days and y daughter out of Year 2 she's just started. Wouldn't it be hugely disorientating for them to move house, town and schools in one go?!

I'm so stressed and confused by this all :'(

Those above are the admission stats for 2013 allocations at the Junior school.

Does your DD move up the waiting list for a Y2 place now she has a sibling at the infant school?

soupdragon No, it's older siblings only criteria for In Year Admission to the infant school. My youngest child has just started there in Reception, so it doesn't make a difference.

tiggytape I have emailed the Junior school head to ask if having a younger sibling at the linked infant school will help.

This week's local press is headlining school shortages in the town I've just seen, I think everyone's panicking!

I'm at my wit's end. I'm not even in London, it's just a medium sized and not sought after because of lack of employment and amenities Northamptonshire market town :/ If it's like it here gawd knows how the rest of the country is faring.

The in year admission criteria are the same as the criteria used in the normal admissions round. You need to look at what the admission criteria say about siblings. If you are unclear feel free to PM me the name of the school involved and I will take a look for you.

Around here you would apply for a year 3 place as if it is a new admission round , although those already in the infant part of a primary school are already accepted. There are often additional spaces up for grabs as class sizes expand. Are you certain that having a sibling within the school would not count, I can understand that it may not until he had actually started. where is your dd on the waiting list atm ?

LIZS She's on the waiting list for In Year Admission to my son's infant school where he is about to start Reception in a few days. She's been on that list for 11 months. There's currently two on there including herself. The list has always fluctuated between 2-6 over the last year.

She's due to start Juniors next September. Applications opened today for Junior school places. I haven't applied yet.

I've been emailing the Junior school head all day but he has become progressively vague (probably fed up with me by now!) and hasn't answered that question of whether my daughter having a younger sibling at the linked school counts in her favour for admission to the Jumior school.

prh Thankyou, I will :)

So once ds actually starts will she be no.1 or is the other child in same boat ? When does the application for year3 close ? Can the LA place your dd closer to home than 4 miles away , if not do they fund transport .

No1?

Do you mean will she be number one on the infant school waiting list?

I don't know, because they won't release information about how those on the lists fit the required criteria.

Junior school applications close next January I believe.

No, the are no places closer to home and she isn't eligible for free transport.

Bump.

Not quite sure why you are bumping, you have had lots of incredibly helpful replies...?

Here is some hope for anyone on the In Year Admission for Year 2 waiting lists...

After a year waiting and me pestering various admissions and schools depts several times a week on that year, my daughter has finally been made 'an exception' and offered a place today, despite being 31 in a class of 30 limited size. It hasn't even gone to Appeal.

No idea yet if someone has been working very hard behind e scenes for me pulling the strings, or myersistance has paid off, or it's just luck, but if it's happened here, it may happen for you too.