Moving to a new county - primary school admissions

[dawnod1977]

Hi

I'm looking to move to a new county (Surrey) my son is currently in year 2 so I'm looking to him starting a new school in Surrey in September for the start of year 3.

So far, my partner and I have been unable to commit to a rented property as we have no idea where we will be able to get a school place. I have called round a few and most of them are full, with the majority telling me that I would not be able to go on a waiting list as I do not have an address in catchment area as of yet.

Has anyone else experienced this, and what way round did you solve it? AT the moment, I feel like I'm going round in circles as we can't commit to a house without having any clue where my son will end up going to school, and we can't really go on any official waiting lists until we have an address.

Any advice?

I think this is the normal catch 22 situation you have to have an address in order to request a school place.

I am not in surrey but our authoriy's school addisions website lists all the local schools with places available and lists them per school year so spaces can easily be seen. Does the surrey one do this?

Where do you want to live - which town?
Once you have somewhere to live then you can apply. As your DS is going into year 3, you can also appeal and have a reasonable chance of getting a place.

You will get a school place, if the only one Surrey LA can find is over 2 miles away you will get free transport of the first year (probably), more if it is over 3 miles.

I know of at least one very good school in my town that may well have places, and others where winning an appeal is quite possible.

Thanks both of you. I've checked the Surrey County Council wesbite and there is an admissions form there, but again, its just a case of waiting to see what schools have a space before we can begin our house hunt properly. We will just have to ensure we have a local address before the end of the school year so we can apply properly. As you say, maybe its just a case of taking a risk, picking somewhere we like and just hoping for the best that a school place is available in September.

Mummytime - we are looking to move to Woking.

I would pick an area with several close enough schools. There is also going to be a new free school in the Hoe valley - I think?
I'm assuming you are not Catholics and desperate to get your LO into SJB eventually?

I am pleased its not Redhill/Reigate as I think they have real problems with places.
Don't just look for schools with places, but look for ones that do go over 30 in KS2, as they are more likely to be able to/be forced by appeal, to go take an extra one.

the majority telling me that I would not be able to go on a waiting list as I do not have an address in catchment area as of yet

They are wrong. You are entitled to go on the waiting list regardless of where you live, although they would have to use your current address which would leave you a long way down the list. Indeed, if they have a place available they must offer it to you regardless of where you live. However, if a place came up you would have to take it up quickly or lose it so this may not work for you.

Regardless of where you end up living the council must find a school place for your son and it must be within a reasonable distance of home. You may not get the school you want but you will get a school.

Unfortunately, the way it works is that you usually have to move first, and find the school place afterwards.

Call Surrey admissions and ask their advice. You can apply before you move although as bridge says you will be a long way down the list so there's not much point. But the admissions team will tell you which schools currently have places and where there are waiting lists (the lovely woman I spoke to was able to tell me how far away from the school the children on the waiting list were) It's probably quicker to speak to them than individual schools as well.

Many thanks, it's on my list to speak to Surrey admissions today. Hopefully I will feel more confident about committing to a house once I've spoken to someone!

Surrey stats for woking school allocations are here. All the ones that don't give a cut off distance were not oversubscribed. Also there are a no with ** next to the number of children offered. This means SCC has put on a bulge class, and perversely will actually mean you will have a better chance of getting a place in many of these, as there are now far fewer on waiting list, plus some of these offered to everyone applying as there is no cut off distance given.

Sorry, just re read and realised you are talking about a Y3 place. link for this is here

Looking at stats for junior schools you don't have many options in Woking. Any reason why you have picked Woking as this is also pretty tricky when you get to seconday level? If you tried instead for St Lawrence in Effingham you would probably get a place from where you are based as it is not full in all years. Ignore the Ofsted, it has always been a good school by reputation and it now has a new Head who is driving it forward even more. Or try St Andrews in Cobham which is also a really good school (and Ofsted agrees) but it has spaces in current year 2 meaning that Surrey have over offered in that year and again you would have a good chance of getting in. Effingham and Cobham are not far from Woking and you can still get into London from there.

I can't help with the OP's question, but this is a really frustrating system.

DS2 is in Reception at our wonderful local State primary school. DS1 has been on the Y2 waiting list for over a year - he's currently at a local private school. We've now given notice to the private school (to avoid paying fees until Christmas if a State place comes up over the summer) only to find out that DS1 has bounced a couple of places down the local State list because a looked-after child and a child with a SEN have applied.

The other primary school in the village is well over-subscribed (and we are actually out of catchment for that anyway, although several of our neighbours kids go there).

So the Council is offering us a place at a full-on Catholic school (we have no religion) which is too far away to be able to feasibly drop off / pick up both children on time without making use of before school and after school clubs. And DS1 would be the only (and I do mean only) child in the school that isn't Catholic so would stand out - the school has a good reputation and is usually very over-subscribed (no idea why a place seems to be available now).

Seriously thinking about sticking two fingers to the State system and going back to private (the private school knows both our boys and would happily have them) - but that would be a very expensive huff by me.

Not a helpful comment, I'm afraid. But I empathise with the difficult position you're in.

Zigster - it is very early for all possible vacancies to be known yet (i know at least two families with a high probability of moving but waiting for final confirmation). If there was a vacancy now it may well be filled by the end of term. However, have you put yourself on the waiting list for both schools in your village?
And have you tried to appeal for year 3? There is much more chance of winning an appeal for year 3 than the years before.

Thanks, mummytime.

We are on the waiting list for both village schools. I would certainly be happier with either of those options than the religious school in the nearby town.

We know lots of families at both schools (and with children in Y2) and they all say they can't think of (m)any families looking to move over the summer. The one moving family we are aware of are apparently moving 15 miles away but planning on commuting back to the village school every day rather than transferring their kids to their new local school.

But, of course, there might well be people moving who don't want to publicise the fact now - perhaps the "State Till 8" crowd who don't want to advertise that.

One dilemma is whether we take up a State place at the end of the private school term (early July) so that DS1 gets a few easy end of year weeks to make friends at his new school? Or hang on over the summer (just means a few more weeks of childcare) in case one does come free at either of the village schools. And, as you say, the place at the Catholic school might well no longer be available come early July - and then what?

An appeal is quite likely, but I don't see how that would work as it isn't like we are top of the waiting list for either (i.e. why would an appeal work for us and bump us up the list)?

Perhaps I ought to start my own thread ...