Is my LA correct that I can only stay on a school waiting list for 1 academic year?

[TheRobberBride]

I moved across the country in June. Our local schools were unsurprisingly full and DD was eventually allocated a Reception place at a primary 5 miles away.

We are currently on the waiting lists for 6 closer schools. However, the LA told me this week that I can only stay on the waiting lists for these schools until August. After that, waiting lists are apparently written off and I would need to complete an in-year application form to re-secure my DDs place on the waiting lists. Is this correct? I was under the impression that I could remain on the waiting lists indefinitely.

The LA will also not tell me where DD is on any of the waiting lists. They tell me this is because they don't rank children according to admissions criteria until a place actually becomes available. They have offered to tell me the total number of children on the list for each school/year group but that they can't tell me if she is 1 or 24 or whatever because they don't know. Is this correct practice? Our previous LA would inform parents of their position on waiting lists as a matter of course.

They are only required to hold waiting lists for one term, i.e. until Christmas. What they do after that is up to them. Some don't hold waiting lists at all. Some will ask parents to re-apply or at least confirm they still want to be on the waiting list in order to stop the waiting list containing lots of people who don't actually want a place at the school any more.

Most LAs will tell you where you are on the waiting list. You can, of course, go down the waiting list as well as up. If a school uses random selection they couldn't tell you where you were on the waiting list for that school but they really ought to be able to tell you where you are for any other school.