School application/appeals

[Modernlifesucks]

Hi all,

I hope you might be able to help me with some wisdom. We have two children, 7 and 4. My husband has just got a new job and to make life easier we are looking to move, equidistant between my work and his. We have found a house and would like to make an offer. All good this far...

We have looked at schools; reception and year 3 place needed. All the local primary schools are oversubscribed. Seems like we can apply for an in term transfer for our eldest but not the youngest. All I have found seems to suggest appealing at reception level is not very likely to succeed, but then what happens? Would they send us miles away? Any advice would gratefully received.

Thanks in advance

Of course you can apply for your youngest. Don't let them put you off. Once you apply the council must come up with a place for your child somewhere. If you aren't happy you can appeal. You need to be aware that an appeal for your older child is far more likely to succeed than an appeal for your younger child.

Thanks for your help. I'm struggling to see where they will find us a place for our youngest bearing mind all schools in the area are so oversubscribed. Any ideas how far away they can allocate a place? We are thinking of going to visit the two nearest schools and having a chat with the head about what they think would happen.

For primary school children the recommendation is that the school should be no more than 45 minutes travelling distance away. If they can't find a school with places within a reasonable distance the council should use their Fair Access Protocol to come up with a place. This allows them to force schools that are already full to admit another pupil.

Thanks again, I'll see if I can find the fair access protocol online somewhere.

The FAP means the LA can require the school it thinks is best able to cope with an additional pupil to create an extra place. It won't necessarily be the nearest school or the one your other DC attends.

Is your DC2 already in reception?

Are you needing and immediate reception place of one for Sept?

Sorry for the delay, we are needing immediate year 2 place and reception place for September.

I have called the two closest schools today and one is saying DD1 fine but DD2 no, and the other has it the other way round. This gives me hope that we can sort it and not such a bleak picture as we thought

Ok, I think you should put in a late application now for your DD2 for reception this September, from your current address. Places are allotted next month so I don't know how the schools can give you any opinion at present on reception!

You are unlikely to get a place you want but you will move up the waiting lists when you have your new address. Then if DD2 gets an offer before term starts, DD1 may well move up the year 3 waiting lists.

Are they all primary schools, no infant/junior split schools?

But schools don't know yet about Seopt admissions! If you get dd1 in now then dd2 goes on wait list post April 16th. She will be at the top in reality as she's a sibling then. She could then get a place as soon as some one drops out

I must admit I assumed you needed a Reception place immediately. If you don't need a place until September no school should be offering you a place. They won't know if they have any places available until the normal admissions round is complete.

You need to apply to the LA. You will be treated as a late application which means you won't be looked at until all the on-time applications have been dealt with, but the LA will find a place for your younger daughter. If you get your older daughter started at a school your younger daughter is likely to be at the head of the waiting list so there would be a very good chance of getting a place.

Sorry for not being clear, it was a case of me understanding what I meant but when l re-read it, I can see it is not very clear.

Thanks so much all, sounds much more like a solution can be found. It's been a bit of a fraught year with my husband having some serious medical issues then losing his job. I guess I just panicked a bit at the thought that life was getting back on track and this could derail it. Some times you just need to remember that most things work out right in the end.