VA school - questions for you!

[MrsH2010]

So if a school is VA, do they hold their own waiting list once applications have gone out from the LA, or not as I seemed to have read that they (the school)do in some places and don't in others.

Also, a VA school that has never been oversubscribed before.... It simply states distance as the crow flies as the way they will determine between two applications, but doesn't overtly give an over subscriptions criteria they will follow. Should they have done as the admissions booklet online seems to suggest every school should have a clear over subscription policy and criteria set out.
It also makes no accommodation for faith. So for example they are oversubscribed for the first time this year and child A lives closer but not in catchment and isn't baptised but is accepted while child B slightly farther down the same street as child A also not in catchment but is baptised and is refused.... is there anything in this for appeals sake??

A VA school is its own Admissions Authority, but for the main admissions rounds their admissions and those of academies are coordinated by the LA (the schools rank applicants in terms of how well they fit the criteria, the LA plays the giant game of candy crush which sorts out preferences and makes the allocations).

VA schools can hold their own waiting list, or can ask the LA to do it for them. Either way, they must hold one until at least December following the admissions round. And most do it for much longer.

They set their own entrance criteria. If they choose not to have a faith criteria, they can. The only grounds for appeal about the criteria would be if they breached the admissions code, and it's absolutely fine to have no faith places. It would be a breach if their published criteria said they had no faith places, but then selected by faith.

A VA school will manage their waiting list in my LA (Hampshire).

You need to read the VA school's Admissions Policy for 2015/16 to answer your questions. Some VA schools have dropped a 'faith' category that stands separately (and possibly above) other over subscription criteria so.

Thanks guys. So I think the school is keeping their own list as I phoned on Friday explaining we missed out as them as our first place, they said having never been over subscribed they have never had the need for a waiting list but would now start one, and we are top of the list. She took all our details down etc In order to contact us should a place come up. However, with all respect to the person I spoke to I dont know who she is with regards to making that decisiom if you know what i mean...?

I think my question may be more in terms of does each school HAVE to have a designated criteria solely for over subscriptions set out or not, is it enough to list their usual criteria only And not overtly state an oversubscription criteria as such??

The usual criteria are the oversubscription criteria.

They are used to decide which children receive offers if there are more applications than places.

I'd be a bit wary of what the person you spoke to on the telephone said. If she was unaware of a waiting list, then I do not see how she could know you would be at the top of it. For the waiting list is ranked by the criteria, not by when you ask to be on it or how long you have been on it.

Put everything in writing. I suggest you email the LA, ask them to confirm you are on the waiting list for preferred school, who holds it and where you are on the list at the moment. Remember your place on the list can go down as well as up.

Well you probably spoke to the school administrator. She should know what their criteria are. Is would suspect that at this stage if you are top your likely to be the only one on it. No one person makes a decision about who is at the top of the list. It will be decided based on how each child fits the criteria. So people closer to you might go top. People who have a sibling in school would go above you. Children in care trump all of that.
I would expect the over subscription criteria to be the same as the normal criteria.

As I said its quite possible you are the first to enquire about waiting lists which is why she was unsure.
It does not mean you will stay top if others come along who fit the criteria.

I think you are making a mistake in assuming that the person at the school knows what they are talking about.
Whilst the school is their own admission authority and will determine the order of the pupils that can be admitted, admission letters for reception are always handled by the Local Authority. They are the people who will liaise with the school in drawing up a waiting list and you need to make sure with the Local Authority that you are on that waiting list.