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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Infant to Junior Transfer

26 replies

pommedeterre · 19/04/2014 09:56

Dd1 has been offered a place at a great infant school. I assumed she wouldn't get in and only applied to state system fbecause we had fallen off the lists somehow due to living abroad for a year in 2013.

Dd1 has done the rest of her pre school not done abroad at a local private school and is supposed to be doing reception there. Dd2 registered there too. Currently pg with number 3, and money is looking tight looking into the future.

So, I would love to take the place.

I am worried about being out of catchment for siblings application (might have moved by dc3 time) but most of all I am worried about the infant to junior transfer.

We will have to reapply for the junior school. Is it pretty much automatic for infant to junior transfers to offer to infant school pupils? Same head etc for both sites.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

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TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 19/04/2014 09:59

Look up the school on your local authority website. Where we live, you have to do the form for same site infant to junior transfer but those children are the highest priority after looked after and statemented, so they all get through.

PenguinsLoveFishFingers · 19/04/2014 10:00

You need to look at the current admission criteria for the junior school (and hope that they don't change).

Most linked infants and juniors the admissions for the juniors go something like:

looked after children;
children at the infant school at the time of application;

-siblings of children already at the junior school.

Or a variation. So transfer infant to junior tends to be pretty automatic.

Do check though that siblings as the junior school count as siblings for the infant school, if the age gaps means that the youngest won't have siblings in infants at the same time as him/her.

Also, you are running a risk if you are an 'out of catchment sibling' that one or both of your younger ones won't get it.

Original poster

pommedeterre · 19/04/2014 10:06

penguins - we are currently out of catchment so I understand no guarantee for dc2 and 3. We were looking to move into a more rural area so not necessarily an issue but likely to be more for dc3 not 2. I am willing to take the sibling risk as I shouldn't let that affect dd1 school choice/money situation!
I wouldn't really like to let her do infants there and then end up moving her somewhere else for juniors because we didn't get back into the junior.

I looked at the numbers yesterday - they both plan to let in 15 and last year infant let in 15 and junior 16 (all that applied) so it's probably safe to say they were the infant plus 1 I think?

Will ring school as soon as holidays over. We hadn't even really been round it as I never thought we'd get a place. Feeling very lucky but quite overwhelmed by the change of plans and therefore the fact I feel under informed!

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hiccupgirl · 19/04/2014 10:12

Our second choice was an infant school and the children there get priority on the places at the junior school over siblings etc. I think this is regardless of whether they live in catchment or not.

I didn't put it 1st simply because I prefer a through primary school.

tiggytape · 19/04/2014 11:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

pommedeterre · 19/04/2014 15:24

Is it always a lottery for admissions? We are put of catchment, late application, no siblings etc. Would there be anything we've unknowingly done that helped us?!

Could we be kicked out if someone in catchment appeals?

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Original poster

pommedeterre · 19/04/2014 15:26

Their website doesn't really help, describes them a same school on two sites, talks about site b easing transition from site a etc

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Hoppinggreen · 19/04/2014 15:27

Please don't think as someone suggested above infants to Juniors isn't automatic. One of the schools close to us has this set up and each year there are plenty of children from infants who don't get into juniors .

Original poster

pommedeterre · 19/04/2014 16:09

Eek hopping! That does worry me.

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Lonecatwithkitten · 19/04/2014 16:20

Don't forget you will almost certainly need to give notice on the first day of term at the private school to avoid having to pay the autumn terms fees.

Original poster

pommedeterre · 19/04/2014 16:33

Oo thanks lonecat had not thought about that.

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titchy · 19/04/2014 17:39

Maybe they do count as one school for admission purposes? Check what you lea website says.

Original poster

pommedeterre · 19/04/2014 18:06

No, you do have to reapply for the junior.

Their website seems to suggest this is a formality in some references it makes. The good school guide shows a slightly different catchment though.

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htm123 · 20/04/2014 17:22

Couple of Infant schools in my area DO NOT have a 'feeder school' so parents are warned not to expect automatic school transfer to Junior to any of the local schools. Parents of children attending 'Non-feeder' Infant schools have to apply for their child Y3 school place at the beginning of Y2 listing preferences of local Primary schools and even to Junior schools who do have own Infant school attached. There is also a Primary school in my area which has a very 'unique' catchment area ('unique' because it doesn't take any pupils living within close proximity to the school but the opposite!!! Have seen so many times children commuting from the other side of town- which I think is a bit mad. I would say that always research must be carried out by parents on individual basis and ensure that info is the latest available.

Original poster

pommedeterre · 20/04/2014 17:25

Thanks for that htm. The reapplication thing really does make me worry being out of catchment currently. Do they describe them as linked schools though? That's how they are described on the council website.

Maybe moving is just something we are going to have to do ASAP!

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Hoppinggreen · 20/04/2014 17:54

Sorry to freak you out but at the school near me ( not where my 2 go) parents have to apply for a place in juniors after year 2 and are treated the same as everyone else. Obviously most do get in but not all, my children's school usually get 1 or 2 a year who haven't and I'm assuming the other schools in the area do too.
This is particularly the case where a sib link has helped swing an infants place but by the time they get to juniors the sib has left - I know 2 families this happened to

redskyatnight · 20/04/2014 18:11

You really need to check your local setup. My DC are not both transferred to juniors and every single child from their infants that wanted a place, got one. However, this is because we are predominantly in a 4-11 primary area and not many people move their DC at 7, so although infants children aren't guaranteed a place at juniors the maths of the situation suggests that they have a very good chance of getting one.

FrancesHB · 20/04/2014 18:14

In my area there are more infants than juniors and a lack of junior places. Some juniors have feeder infants, some don't, some are shared site, some are not. It's a scrabble for places and quite stressful. All the children at my son's infants are now scattered over 4 or 5 different junior schools.

JimBobplusasprog · 20/04/2014 18:38

Op you are not going to get definitive advice on this thread as school admissions vary so much. What you need to do is as follows:

Find the admissions criteria for the infant school either on the school website or the lea website. If siblings have priority over other children that tells you that your other dcs can attend the school.

Find the admissions criteria for the juniors on the school or lea website. Check whether you have priority as your child comes from the infant school.

Although posters on this thread can relate their own experience you are the only one who knows what the schools in question are, so you are the only one equipped to answer your question.

It is important that you answer the question before tomorrow so you can give notice at your dd's private school before term starts.

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 20/04/2014 18:40

Yeah, what jimbob said!

Original poster

pommedeterre · 20/04/2014 18:54

redsky - good point! You have sent me scurrying back to the council website again. 10 in our council, 8 nearly an hour away, 1 half an hour away and our one. It is outstanding though and lots of the other primaries aren't.

I will be calling the school first thing Tuesday!

I feel very uninformed, I was not expecting this offer!

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Original poster

pommedeterre · 20/04/2014 18:54

Thank you everyone for your help!

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Original poster

pommedeterre · 20/04/2014 18:55

the state school is back on Tuesday and dds private school back on Wednesday so I have a day to sort things out!

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Original poster

pommedeterre · 20/04/2014 18:57

Sorry about all the '!'

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mummytime · 20/04/2014 20:57

At DC's schools, there used to be no link, but those from the infants who didn't get into the Juniors seemed to always win on appeal and for KS2 they can go above 30 in a class.
Quite often the criteria can be on the LA website.

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