Advice about in-year admissions

[TheWildRumpyPumpus]

I'd be grateful for any advice from admission experts about filing a 'successful' in-year request for school places.

We are moving to Northamptonshire at very short notice, DH has been offered a job starting on October 27th. I have DS1 in year 2 and DS2 in reception. I visited 3 schools today and have found a favourite, which has just 1 place in Reception and a few in Year 2.

We are offering on a property tomorrow - at what point can I apply for the school place? The Northants website says you need to have exchanged or have agreed a tenancy - is there any way around this (since no-one else is using the places). Could we apply now to get the ball rolling, using our current address for now?

Thanks in advance!

I don't think you'll be able to - check the form, but on mine we had to attach our current council tax bill, and a utilities bill or mortgage statement or similar.

In theory, if they have vacant places and nobody on the waiting list and nobody else applying, you could apply using your current, distant address and get the places. It would then be up to you to deal with the commute, as they would expect you to take up the place pretty much immediately.

However, LEAs are rightly wary of people who, to get a place in a desirable school, claim to be just about to move into the area and so generally insist on seeing tenancy agreements/contracts etc. Speak to the LEA tomorrow - as this seems to be an undersubscribed school (unless there's someone on the waiting list lined up to take the places) and ask whether they might be more flexible.

Thanks both, I will speak to the council and cross my fingers!

You can definitely apply from your current address for the school places but it has to be through the LA where you are currently resident. They would then pass the application onto Northamptonshire. I would however agree with MaudantWit that it is worth talking to Northamptonshire tomorrow just to confirm what they will and will not accept and how they need it doing. Most LAs would expect you to take up the places within 4 weeks.
As soon as you are able to complete on the house then you could apply directly to Northamptonshire but that is not going to be for a good few weeks with the best will in the world.

Apply. If there is a vacancy as they say they HAVE to offer to you, even though you'd be using your current address. However they will expect you to take up the place within a week or so, so unless you're happy to stay in a travelodge (!) you might want to wait a short while before you officially apply and you ca move quickly. You do of course risk someone else beating you to it.

Providing proof of address, council tax records etc only applies in the normal admission round, not for in year applications where there is a vacancy.

Maybe different areas have different procedures then? - because I've just done this, and most definitely had to provide proof of address and latest council tax bill. The form and the procedure was the same whether the school had a vacancy or not.

Good luck!

The procedure is supposed to be the same, as has already been said. If there is a vacancy and only one person applying for it, they should be given the place, whatever distance they live from the school and even if they are in another LEA area. It may be that some LEAs demand evidence of the residential address but (as has also already been said) that isn't strictly necessary when there's one applicant for one place. Whether it would stand up if a complaint was made to the LGO, I don't know.

Since the OP would be applying through their home LA not the school's LA it is the home LA's rules regarding proof of address that apply. They would want proof of the current address, not the new one. They are entitled to insist on proof before processing the application to make sure that you aren't actually living overseas, for example.

If someone applies to a school which has a place available and is not offered that place for any reason it should be a straightforward win at appeal. If the appeal was unsuccessful a referral to the LGO should put matters right.

Apologies - I obviously misunderstood completely here! [here]

... add emoticons to my list of rubbishness!

Thanks everyone. I'm dropping the forms in at the council offices today so hopefully things will go smoothly!

Right, so Bromley council say they are unable to process the application - the rules changed so that you have to apply direct to the other council last year.

She is posting the forms on to Northants for me but that's all she would do.

She said they have no physical way to enter the information on the system as it only shows Bromley schools.

Their system must be able to enter other schools when it comes to a normal point of entry situation as you cannot tell me that people in Bromley only go to Bromley schools. However the admission process in Bromley says that you have to apply for a school in Bromley only when you are resident in Bromley. And when you look at Northants admission process they also say you must have an address and moving in date in Northants! Obviously they have a different version of admission law than PRH or I have.
It also says on the website that they are incredibly busy with in-year applications so do not hassle them. That does raise some questions about whether in reality the places you and the school think are there are actually there.
I would give them till Friday morning and then start phoning Northants to confirm that they have got the form. Sorry but the first rule of admissions is put everything in writing and check always that the LA has got stuff.

In year applications now go to the LA where the school is. Not the home LA.

Having said that the Code is actually woollier than I thought it was on that point! But most of the several LAs I deal with now want in-years to go to them direct.

OP this bit from page 7 of the Admissions Code is pertinent to you. It is talking about normal admissions rounds but the principles aren't refuted for in year admissions and so would still hold:
"In the normal admissions round parents apply to the local authority in
which they live for places at their preferred schools. Parents are able to
express a preference for at least three schools. The application can
include schools outside the local authority where the child lives: a
parent can apply for a place for their child at any state-funded school in
any area."

Code here:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/275598/school_admissions_code_1_february_2012.pdf

I believe legally you have 6 weeks from offer of a place to having to take it up. I can't remember where I've read that though. I will check...

ffs. I can't cut and paste properly tonight. Full quote:

" In the normal admissions round8 parents apply to the local authority in
which they live for places at their preferred schools. Parents are able to
express a preference for at least three schools. The application can
include schools outside the local authority where the child lives: a
parent can apply for a place for their child at any state-funded school in
any area. If a school is undersubscribed, any parent that applies must
be offered a place. "

Most LAs have reference to somewhere on their websites that places must be taken up within 6 weeks. I can't think where it's from though, it doesnt say it specifically in the Code. I guess if it says it in the co-ordinated admissions policy and on their own literature they've done enough to cover themselves.

I have previously applied to another local authority for school places when still not had local address and have been offered places notwithstanding no proof of address etc

In year applications now go to the LA where the school is

As you have discovered, the Admissions Code is not clear on this point. I would always start by applying to your home LA.

No, there is no legal limit to how long you have to take up a place after it has been offered but most LAs/schools expect you to do so within a few weeks. Due to the pupil registration regulations they have to give you at least 4 weeks before you lose the place.

OP I recently did this, applied for a place at the end of the summer term to start in September for my YR2 DS as we'd be moving over the summer holidays. I applied using old address and a letter from our solicitor confirming we were in the process of buying new house and applied directly to new LEA. Had no idea if it would work but figured it was worth trying! I was surprised how straightforward it was (eg didn't know if they'd accept solicitors letter) presumably because they had a space for him.
Good luck

Good news today - both boys got places at my first choice.

In the end Bromley forwarded the forms onto Northampton and I had to provide them with a solicitors letter as a pp said. So even though we don't complete until November 14th we can start them up there after half term which is good news!

Thanks for all the advice.