Moving house after submitting primary school application

[Fuckalella]

Hi, I'm looking for some advice please. We have been in our current home (rented) for the last seven years, however we are now short on space and so looking to move to a larger house (will also be rented). We have found a property we like the look of, not yet applied for it but if we do move it will likely be in the next 6 weeks or so. It is around 2 miles away from where we are now (in a fairly rural part of Leicestershire).

I sent the application for DDs first school place back in September when the admissions process opened, as we didn't think we would be moving for a while. I know the best thing to do would be to wait until April, however houses in our budget only come up very rarely in this area and we don't want to miss out.

The issue is that DS is already at the school (now in yr 4); we don't intend to move schools as the journey will only be an extra 5 mins and we obviously need DD to go to the same school as otherwise the logistics would be a nightmare! The school DS attends isn't our actual catchment school.

I spoke to the admissions department today who informed me that I would need to amend the application when and if we move house, and I would need to put a note on the application to this effect; I'm just a bit wary that this would be classed as a late application. Apparently having a sibling at the school is third on the list of criteria for entry into our first choice school.

Does anyone know what the likelihood is that DD will be able to get a place at the same school as DS?

Thanks!

It really depends on what the two criteria above siblings are, how many children fall into those categories, how many other siblings there are and whether you are still close enough to be considered a sibling. Here there aren't fixed catchment areas but if you move more than 2 miles from the school (unless you lived further away when the older one started and you are moving closer but still more than 2 miles) then the sibling link is broken and so you would be in a lower group.

The central question is whether the LA will regard your application as late simply because you change address. Their policy seems unclear as they seem to assume you will want to change your preferences as a result of moving house. As you would be sticking to the same preferences I don't think they should treat you as a late application but you really need to ask the LA and get a response in writing.

The criteria above siblings are 1. Children in care and 2. Children already in the catchment area. We are currently just under a mile from the school, the house we like is 2.1 miles away from it.

The admissions lady did seem a bit unclear; I have currently applied for DS's school as first choice and our catchment school as second choice just in case. She did tell me I would have to amend the application to change the catchment school to that of the new address which does make sense.

The first priority for admissions is always looked after children. For Leicestershire the second priority is pupils living in catchment. Siblings are third priority. As I understand it you are not in catchment for your son's school even before the move. Your daughter will therefore only get a place at the same school if there are fewer in-catchment applicants than places. It is impossible to say for sure but if they only admitted in-catchment children last year it is unlikely your daughter will get a place at your son's school.

Thanks for the information; does the distance out of catchment make any difference or is it just if you're out of catchment then you're out?

I presume that it also changes year on year; for example a child in our street with a sibling also at DS's school did get admitted last year, but if in-catchment applications are higher this year this would make a difference?

So if you're out of catchment then it still works on distance e.g. those 2.1 miles away would be higher up in priority than those 2.2 miles away.

Yes, it would depend. If lots of in-catchment people apply this year all out of catchment siblings will not get a place. It just means last year there were still places after all in catchment children were allocated places

Thank you!

The priority order is clear that no matter whether you use the current address or the new address you would not get priority as being in catchment and will only get priority as sibling. So whether DD gets a place or not will depend on how many in catchment applications there are and then how many siblings there are who live closer to the school than you do.

Leicestershire are confusing the issue over the address to be used a bit. The address that is pertinent is the address that you will live at on the 15th January and from what you have said that is clearly going to be the current address. The decision on whether a place can be offered at either school will normally be based on the 15th Jan address. Any change to school preferences after that date is normally counted as a late application and would only be considered after all other on-time applications. Something that you need to avoid

Leicestershire however, having looked at their admission co-ordination policy, do allow some extra time for people who are moving into the area after the 15th Jan. In effect their cut off date for people moving into the area is 21st March when they will still being counted as an on-time application. What is not clear from the policy is how they treat families who are moving like you within Leicestershire.

My inclination if possible is to not change your admission preferences and not move to the new rented house before 21st March, though I accept there will be time limits on when you must move by. Only when you have moved should you contact the admission office to inform them of the new address. What you should say to them is that the new address is for communication purposes only and that you do not wish to change the school preferences or the address on the admission submitted before the 15th Januarty. What that means is that they will use the current address for admission purposes and that you will still be treated as an on-time application. For clarity I would put this is writing - email is fine - so that there can be no misunderstanding on your preferences. It also leaves a written trail just in case it does get messed up somehow.

I would leave things as they are and review the situation when/if you move.
If you move after the deadline for applications ( was this December or January - I can't remember) then I would probably just keep quiet until a month or 2 after you have been allocated your place.
This is assuming you can still get your post after you have moved
As long as you haven't lied on ten application form I don't see it as a problem really ( others may not agree)

Deadline for primary school applications is 15th January.

There is no need for the OP to keep quiet about a move. As long as she is not changing her preferences her application should not be treated as late. I agree with Admission that it would be safest to delay any move until after 21st March if possible.

Thanks all.

We will definitely still be at this address on the 15th Jan, unfortunately I don't think it will be possible to delay the move that long. I can try and drag it out but it would probably still be around mid to late Feb.

I admit it has already been suggested to me that I keep quiet about the move, I'm too wary of the potential repercussions though!

admission so am I right in thinking that my application should be considered at my current address as long as I don't make any changes to the application after the 15th Jan; but if another family with a sibling at the school were to move into the area before 21st March, they would also have to be considered thus lowering the chance of DD being awarded a place?

As an aside, two friends in the street are also applying at the same school this year one with siblings already there and one without. In this case, I assume that we will have priority over the family without a sibling there, but the family with siblings already in attendance will have priority over us if we move. Is this correct?

Sorry for all the questions!

(Not Admission but...)

That does seem to be what Leicestershire are saying. And assuming your street is outside the catchment area you are correct that you will have priority over the family without a sibling at the school but the other family will have priority over you if you move further away. They may, of course, already have priority over you if they live closer to the school.

I agree with PRH.
Believe me when I say I usually have three or four admission appeals every year, where a family has moved and made the mistake of wanting to change address and / or school preferences after the 15th Jan deadline, with consequences for school places.
You do need to however change addresses, for communication purposes, when you have moved. It has been suggested that you just ignore moving but that is a bad idea. Firstly you have already approached the LA, so they know a move is a possibility and the conversation will have been noted on your file. Secondly all LAs have clauses that talk about the need to inform the LA of address changes and that failure to do so will potentially render your application invalid. If places are tight and the LA is looking for an excuse not to offer a place at the school, not informing them is just an open invitation for them to do so.