Can't get my boy into local school

[melly26]

Hi, I have recently moved into Old Windsor from New Zealand and I have managed to get my Daughter into the local school Kings Court First School.... although it did take longer than it should. My son has only been able to go to the Nursery at Kings Court First School although he turns 5 in August. Technically he should be in Reception year now. He is on the waiting list for this year, but I doubt he will get a place. I have also put an application in for September and have been told by the council that we may have to wait until schools go back in September. So once school finishes next month he will cease at nursery and we will have to wait until September for a place in a school somewhere. To me this seems crazy..... any advice. Please!!! I am working and my husband is unable to start working due to the uncertainty we currently have of no school place for my soon. How is this right? Any comments really appreciated.

Thank you.

Your husband is unable to start working??

Have you been offered a place anywhere at all?

If not then you need to be a pain to the LA until they find you a place somewhere.

But if you turned down a place elsewhere then the LA have discharged it duty to you. It has to find you a place, not a place at a specific school.

You can appeal, but in infants it is hard to win due to Infant Class Size rules.

It is unusual to be allowed to place a child out of year in state system so I think you will actually be looking for a year 1 place from September. Presumably he is on the waiting list as a sibling. Have you been offered any other schools in the meantime? If your partner worked you could book a childminder to do the necessarily wrap around care if the relevant school does not offer it.

You do realise that if your son was in Reception now there would be a 6 week summer holiday between late next month and September anyway? You sound surprised about this. In the UK the school year ends in July (in England anyway) and restarts in Sept so you would need holiday club etc. no reason why you can't look into that now.

If he's 5 in August he'll be going into year 1 in Sept. You'll either have to send him to school or start home educating him. If your husband needs to work too then presumably home Ed is not an option, so you may have to accept that your son may be allocated a place at another school. Are you on the waiting list?

Also not sure what you mean your daughter getting a place taking 'longer than it should?'. How long should it take? If you moved in year and wanted a school that was full it could take years for a place to become available. Not trying to be nasty, it's just that it sounds like you expected a place to be provided immediately and that simply isn't the case.

We waited 2 years for a place at our local school for DS. It's not a given that you'll automatically be given a space when you move into catchment.

Your LA should have given you a place at another school though.

Have the LA told you if there are any schools near you with spaces in the right year group for your son? They are obliged to offer you a school place somewhere.

But you may have to give up on the local school for now. If it's oversubscribed, then the LA can't magic up a place there.

FWIW, we weren't able to get a place at our local school for DS1 (due to start reception in September) as it's oversubscribed. The LA offered us a place at another school, and asked if we wanted to add DS1's name to the school waiting list, but there's no guarantee of enough places becoming available for DS1 to ever be offered a place at our local school.

It's very frustrating, but unfortunately there's just more local children than there are places at the local school, and the school can't legally take more than 30 per class for 4-5yr olds.

Have you looked at Surrey schools? Friends from Old Windsor sent their children to Englefield Green.

Or Datchet?

Thanks for all your replies/comments, it would seem we were very lucky in New Zealand, if you lived in an area you were able to go to the school in that area. He is on the waiting list so I will have to be patient. Or indeed put him in another school.

If it is only one form intake you could be waiting a very long time for others to leave. Definitely look at other schools. I'm not sure how you think you have applied for September though, you don't follow the same process after Reception applications it would be an in-year application for whichever year you are currently in but that won't create a place if the school is full.

Also to add that if others move into the area and are closer to the school then you can actually go down the waiting list, it isn't about first come first served.

I have done an in year transfer form and listed other schools, so I am sure we will get sorted in the end.

Thanks for your comments.

Thanks re the advice on take the place and stay on the wait list, I shall do that. I am very happy to be in the UK, so I am sure in the end it will get sorted.