Primary school place shortage in Crouch End September 2015

[cgehansen]

Hi, Has anyone been affected by the shortage of primary school places in Crouch End? We put the 6 closest schools to us by distance on our form which are Weston Park Primary, Rokesly Infant, Coleridge Primary, St Aidan's, Ashmount Primary and Campsbourne Infant. We've been turned down from all of them and instead have been offered a school in Wood Green which is a 48 minute walk away. I know of at least 5 others in the same situation.

I'm trying to get a group of us together to take this up with the Council so if you are in the same boat or know somebody else in this situation in Crouch End it would be great to hear from you. Only in large numbers can we make the Council take notice.

I've also had a letter about closing the waiting lists and started a thread in the secondary schools section - I got some great advice there.

I agree with nlondondad that the requirement to re-register will remove people from the list but not sure this is of much advantage to people wanting a place. The LEA go through the waiting list if a place becomes available and give it to the first person that takes it. What I'm concerned about, and this has been raised on the secondary forum as well, is what happens if a place becomes available now the waiting lists have closed. We're 5th (soon to become 4th I think) on the list for our local school. If a place becomes available tomorrow and the 3 people further up the list from us don't want it we still won't be offered the place because the waiting lists have closed and no offers are being made until 14th September. If someone moves closer to the school and applies for a place their between now and 14th September they will then get the place that we would otherwise have been offered.

So what happens if a child doesn't turn up on day 1 and there is now no waiting list? Do they keep the space empty until September 14th? How bizarre.

I apologise for failing to spot (my last post refers) that haringey are not just requiring people to re register their interest in waiting lists, but are saying that no further admissions decions will now be made until the second week of term. I cannot imagine Haringey schools being happy with this, as it may well cause (expensive) problems in some schools by making vacancies more likely.

It also does look like a breach of the admissions code.

I would have thought that everyone who doesn't get a place after making the in year application could appeal on the basis that Haringey haven't followed their admissions code. To contest the appeal wouldn't Haringey need to show that the application for the place would have been turned down even if the waiting lists had remained open i.e. that someone in front of the appellant on the closed waiting list at the point at which the place became available would have accepted the place. Which sounds like it would be a bit of a challenge to say the least as the place won't have been offered to anyone on the closed waiting list so there will be no evidence for them to use to contest the appeal.

I did contact the council about this. They said that if a place became available before the start of term they wouldn't offer it to anyone on the waiting list because "All reception age children need to be admitted by the 3rdThursday in September, so even if a place becomes available we are unable to release the place to another family until all checks are made and we are satisfied that the place is no longer required". They also said we wouldn't lose a place to someone who adds them to the list between now and 14th September because no-one has made enquiries who is moving into the area. I am very confused about what's going on but I have a strong suspicion it isn't right.

I'm also confused what will happen with vacancies created when children don't turn up in September. Will the council keep them empty until the waiting lists open mid-september? But then they have a statutory obligation to offer a place to anyone who moves into the borough?

They've said "All offers of places for reception 2015 are suspended and any available places will only be offered after 14th September". So they've cleared the waiting lists and to get back on to the list you need to make an in-year application. They are insisting this doesn't break the admissions code but I don't understand why not as they are not operating a waiting list between now and 14th September which as tiggytape explains could mean people who were on the waiting list miss out on places. I asked the council about this and they said "your 2 highest preference are over numbers and any refusals will not be replaced". I don't understand how that's relevant other than to explain that the waiting lists were a bit longer than we thought in practice.

cge it sounds like they have gone over ICS due to successful appeals or exempted children.

At most schools this would not be the case I imagine. If a child moves into the borough at the beginning of September will they 'skip' ahead of those who were previously on the waiting list?

I've had a similar response to my email.

I have now contacted my local councillor. I would keep everything in writing from now on rather than relying on phone calls - at least that way you have a 'paper trail' if you need to go to your MP or the School Adjudicator.

The timing and the reason that "waiting lists are now being cleared to assist with a new system which contributes to the continuing improvements to our service" comes across as both disingenuous and laughable imo.

It sounds to me that they've had to clear the waiting lists because at the last minute they've realised they can't maintain them and upgrade the system for 2016 applications. Presumably the in year applications use a separate database. I've asked 3 times via email about how people moving into the area and making an in year application affects people currently on the list but I haven't got a straight answer yet other than they don't think it will happen in our planning area.

I agree with Lattjo as to how to proceed.

Lattjo, CGE have you been given your explanations in writing, that is as emails or are you relying on telephone conversations?

I ask because there is something fishy about what appears to be emerging.

It is possible that something has gone seriously wrong with Harringey admissions. It is most unusual to "overfill" schools. To overfill several schools is very odd indeed.

This might explain why they have had to suspend the system, otherwise it does not make sense to me that you would take the system down at this stage of the year before the admissions process complete.

Contact your local councillor, also get in touch with Catherine West who with her excellent contacts with Islington admissions, from her recent past will be able to get a second opinion on what is going on...

You could also try and get in touch with gail engert, the Lib Dem leader of the opposition in Haringey who knows a lot about school places issues.

Haringey council are pretty lawless at the best of times, and this is an absolute mess. Of course they can't just decide to suspend a waiting list or pretend that there will be no late/in year applications before some random date in September.

I know this is a bit of a derail, but just to pick up on a comment upthread - "Vulnerable children who are moved between temporary accommodation should qualify for Looked After or Exceptional Circumstance criteria which has priority over and above siblings anyway."

This is absolutely untrue. Most children in temporary accommodation live with their family - they would not be classed as 'looked after' children ie in LA care. Moreover, thousands of children live in temporary accommodation - it's not classed as an Exceptional Circumstance. These children would be very likely to be adversely affected by borough wide alterations to siblings priority.

I'm not saying that consideration shouldn't be given to variations in sibling admission criteria in very over subscribed areas of Haringey like CE, but this needs to be balanced against the very different needs of other families in the area.

Why was only one offered place withdrawn in 2013? Is it because there are lots of rumours about 'temporary renters' but few cases reported in which this can be proved?

From what I can tell only one place was withdrawn in 2013 because the rules aren't tight enough. The address checks seem to be based on who pays the council tax. All you need to show is you are living at the address from which the application is made. So there's nothing to stop someone renting their main home out and renting a place closer to a school to get a place temporarily. Other people purchase a buy to let near a school and move into it for a while whilst renting out their main home. Judging by the number of cars dropping of children at schools with very small catchment areas this is a fairly widespread practice. And there are people who just buy or rent next to the school then move away again after they've got the place. Also I'm not sure how good the council are at checking on people whose main home is in another borough.

In Haringey at least I'm not sure how efficient they are at dealing with the issue. They say the do catch people but I do know of people who have secured places with not problem via a temporary address using the methods described in my previous post. It would be very difficult for the council to show that someone who was renting close to the school and had rented out their main home was doing that temporarily to get a school place.

People are getting away with it in Haringey at least if someone else is paying the council tax at their permanent address.

Tiggytape, I would love to believe the councils are as thorough as you suggest above but I am sceptical. If you take Coleridge for instance (which is Haringey's most popular school) this year's figures suggest that 55 children were legitimately living within a 290 sqm area that includes half a football field, a tennis club, the parkland walk, Ashmount Primary and I think next to no high rise buildings. It just isn't that dense an area and I'm concerned many are getting away with it.

I'm not sure councils are the best equipped to do the detective work here. I would rather see a London wide body solely responsible for policing the application process with an overseeing eye across all boroughs.

So ironically and going against all perceived wisdom the best position you can be in when trying to get into a particular school is never buying a house in the first place. London prices are ridiculous so I guess it's hard to begrudge a perk to those unable to get on the property ladder.

The recent stamp duty increases on >£1m houses (I.e most London family homes) mean you would need to have at least 3 kids to make buying into, and then again out of, a catchment area financially viable as opposed to just sending them to private school.