How do I turn down offered school place to homeschool while we sit on the waiting list for first choice?

[tricot39]

that's it really as I don't want to accidentally let them think we want homeschooling forever! Is there a particular way of telling the LA to make sure we stay on the waiting list? DS is February born. We are high up the list and apparently have a good chance of a place in sept but I want a contingency plan after being unhappy with the settling visit we had at our allocated school (not on our original list of choices). TIA

Sorry forgot to say this is for reception 2015

Don't quote me on this but I thought that if you turned down a place, the local authority had fulfilled their statutory obligation and you were removed from waiting lists etc

I think the position is dufferent if it's a school that manages their own admissions -like a church school

How old is your DD? Could you defer her start date and hope a place becomes available?

No you can stay on waiting lists just make it clear you want to do so and periodically check (once a term or so) that you are still on it

I would probably do what gobblino suggests though to keep an option open in case the first term of HE doesn't work well for you

Thanks. Sounds like I better check with the LA

I think I would not turn down your place as yet, but defer entry to April 2016. This is your right - you just tell your allocated school that this is what you intend to do.

In the mean time you home educate if you wish to (your DS is not of compulsory school age yet so you don't have to). And you ensure that you are on the waiting lists of all schools you would consider - that may include schools that weren't on your initial application. Especially after Christmas - I think many schools/LEAs reset waiting lists after Christmas and only those people who actively communicate that they still want to be on it, remain on it after Christmas.

If, come April, you have still not received an offer to any of your preferred schools, you need to decide if you are going to take that place at your allocated school or if you are going to/continue to home educate whilst waiting for a space to come up at another school. At that point if you decide not to take the space, it would be kind of you to tell the school. Otherwise they will have attendance records issues.

I agree with Meita. Deferring entry to the offered school while staying on waiting lists would be the best way to keep your options open.

I'd only decline the offered school if you are 100% sure that you would not ever want to send your child there. If you turn that place down and then don't get a place off a waiting list, you may have to choose between home educating indefinitely or taking up a place at a school you dislike even more. (For example it might be equally undesirable and farther away than the school you were originally offered.)

Agree wholeheartedly with the previous posters about deferring entry and getting on as many waiting lists as possible