Waiting list nightmare...

[yuzabi]

We moved to Harrow in year and after being offered a school not on preferred list my children, dd6 and ds 9 were placed on waiting lists for 4 schools. Finally at end of December before holidays dd was offered a place in year 1 in one of the schools. We were advised to take the place as the likelihood of them both getting a place at the same time was slim.
Well... It's now near half term and my ds is still on the waiting list for year 5. My dd is in new school and settled but since we lived in enfield my son is at school a hood hour away when the is traffic in A406.
We have to live apart I live in harrow with my daughter and youngest and ds lives in enfield with dad who does the morning drop off. I then do the afternoon pick ups...
The council cannot tell me when he will get a space. It's so stressful and my ds is so unhappy being away for me and the rest of his siblings... I don't know what to do... Never mind the cost and just the fatigue of being on the road nonstop!!!
Any advise??? Anyone..?

If you have already declined an offer of a space, then the LEA have no responsibility to offer another, leaving you in the situation you are now - on waiting lists. You can appeal for a space for year 5; this is probably worth a go as appeals for KS2 are easier to win than for the younger years. Are there any local schools with space?

They are on the waiting lists for 4 of the nearest local schools. The one they had offered was under special measures and I just didn't feel comfortable sending them there. I keep asking them if there is any way of knowing which schools have a space but they can't tell me .. It's so stressful now..

Did you visit the school in special measures? Sounds like your home-life is in special measures with this split sibling set-up so I'd seriously re-consider that school at least for Y5 if it means a settled home situation. It'd only be for 18mths and usually schools in SM are the very places that are getting max resources and pulling their socks up. What was it that made you rule it out, other than the SM rating?

Sadly that's the reality of a move. You would have been better accepting the SM school and then going on wait lists. Did you visit the SM school? Many of the, are great really

If the SM space is still available, as other say I would snap it up. It'll be getting lots of investment and help to improve, and it's got to be better than living apart surely? You'll be applying for Secondary in October so it's not particularly long term either.

It doesn't quite work like that for in year applications Patricia. You put in your application. If there are places available on the list then you get the highest preference. If there isn't the council can offer you the closest vacant place. You don't have to take these you can keep waiting as OP has done.

Do you know where you are on the waiting list? I presume it is high as you will be close to the school and have sibling priority. You can try for an appeal as it is Y5. I don't know much about appeals but there are other experts here who can advise whether this is worth trying.

You have three options:

1. Stay as you are and hope a place comes up
2. Move son to SM school & stay on waiting list for your daughters school and move again when place comes free.
3. Home educate until place comes free.

Nynaeve - that's essentially what I said, I think? I think we are saying the same thing! The council offered a place, the OP turned it down, so is on waiting lists - of course she doesn't have to take the space, but they won't make space where none exists. If other schools have space, OP can take that space but fact is, only an appeal will open up a space at the desired school other than from the waiting list.

You could appeal for your 9 year old if school is under capacity. However I think having turned a place down the LA is under no obligation to expedite a place at a school of your choice especially if your ds isn't living in the borough. Does the school your dd is now at gave a sibling link throughout or is distance/catchment higher priority? ?here is he on the waiting list?

Yes, you should appeal, it's quite unlikely someone will leave year 5 so close to secondary admissions I would have thought.

If your son is not living in the area then I should think he'd be at the bottom of every waiting list. Would it be possible for the whole family to live together in Harrow if you home educate him, and then he'd be higher up the waiting lists?

There would still be no guarantee that he'd get a place at one of your preferred schools, of course, but at least the family would be together.

Thanks for all your replies. My son does have a sibling link and he is first on the waiting list for the school that my daughter goes to. They say though that the year is fill and they can't give me any indictaion as to how long before he gets a space. We have as a family made a decision that we only do this for this term and no matter what after the Easter holidays we all move into the house in harrow. The only reason he is living here is because he is is school here. Knowing my ds I just felt that home schooling may not be best for him and that is what his current head teacher advised as well that is why we kept him in school in Enfield. Specially since there is no time scale. I do worry about the social side of his development if he were home schooled. :(

But surely some of dd's new friends would have older siblings. Then there are after school clubs like Cubs, sports etc where he can socialise which presumably he can't do locally yet. Do consider an Appeal , it won't do any harm and circumstances at the school could change to enable a space to be allocated. Or indeed for any/each of your preferred schools. If you do so now , you can still do so again in the new academic year if necessary.

Yuzabi, they cannot tell you when a space will become free because at present it is dependent on another pupil leaving, which may or may not ever happen.

You need to take the initiative and appeal - if so, you may win your case, meaning the school must admit your DS. Without that, they aren't going to change their minds.

Useful advice here from others.

If I were you, and the Council are not able to give you a list of any other schools with a space in Y5 - I'd call every single one and check myself. There may be something that's at least closer than Enfield, in the short term.

Yes I think you are right. I will have to appeal. I feel sorry for Ds. He is comfortable in his current school where he has been since reception. This is the time where they start talking about year 6 trips etc and I have to tell him he won't be going and I cAnt even tell him where he will be next term. He is in the gifted and talented group in his school and I worry that keeping him home may affect him.

Yuza

The alternative is that you commit to the split site for the next 18 months - I know it's a strain but it must be an emotional strain carrying on in the face of uncertainty.

Do look at an appeal ASAP as they have a certain amount of time to respond to your request etc and clearly you want it resolved by Easter if poss. Tiggytape knows more about the timelines etc.

I meant to say - if you chose the former there might be things you could do to alleviate the strain a little eg him staying overnight one night a week with a friend etc.