In Year Application for LA Primary School not approved

[YogaPants2441]

We moved house two months ago and applied In-year for a primary school for both DA and DD in the LA. We live 0.4 miles from the closest school and we put this on a 1st place in our application. We have been waiting for 2 months and spoken to the School Admissions team and from our communication I can understand that they are very keen to leave my DC in their current school until they can get a place in one of the local ones. The current school has 2.8 miles distance and about 40 minutes with changing buses. In busy times this journey could exceed the legal 45 minutes. My mother-in-law will be taking the children to school as both DH and I work in the City and leave house at 6:45 am. I know that the legal distance is 3 miles but my mother-in-law has problems with her knees and it is not feasible for her to travel 4 times per day 40 minutes each one way. I lost my sleep for the past 2 months because of this.
Can I de-register DC from their existing school which is in another borough and opt for home tutoring until places are allocated please? Is it worth to contact the new school directly in order to get a place? If I de-register DC from the old school will this affect my DS's application for 11+ this year?
I hope someone could help please.

"I can understand that they are very keen to leave my DC in their current school until they can get a place in one of the local ones. " Well, yes - what else can they do? If the local schools are full, they aren't going to be able to place your children in them, and it's very possible that the only schools with spaces are further away than the current one. So it makes sense to keep them where they are.

You can opt for home ed yes of course, though it could be some time - years -until spaces come up of course. It shouldn't have any impact on the 11+, though you would to have register to take it.

You need to make sure you are on waiting lists of all the schools you would accept.

You could also appeal for places - are both children in yr3 or above? If so then appeals are slightly easier to win than for younger groups. You would need to persuade a panel that the detriment to the school of admitting your child is less than the detriment to the child of not admitting, and the above travel scenario is unlikely to achieve that on its own.

You can de-register them from the current school and then say you are going to home-educate. Who is going to do that if you are both working is the question that needs to be asked and answered.
If you do this, given that it is in a different borough, you could then apply for a place in the new borough but as PatriciaHolmes has said you could easily be allocated a school further away still and also there is no legal requirement to offer the same school to both your children. You might assume that would be considered unreasonable but it happens.
I would suggest sending the LA an email which states that you have moved and that you now require for the 1st September a school for your children, pointing out that it is a legal requirement on the LA and see if that generates a response. But do not be surprised if the alternatives offered are worse than the current situation.

Admission/PatriciaHome,thanks for the input. I made the LA aware that we have moved house and provided all additional info required as closing bills for utilities, tenancy agreement, child benefit letter (waited 2 weeks for that). Thie whole start for In Year Application has commenced in end of June. DC have made bigger progress with a 11+ Tutor and from poor performance with no help at their current school are amongst the best pupils in their classes. DS will be in year 6 and DD in year 4. I am happy to continue paying to the tutor rather than spend money on train to go to rubbish school and waste 2 hours in journey rather then prep for 11+ and after school sport activities. Cannot imagine worse school than the existing one and most of the schools in the new area are whether Catholic or indies (cant qualify for both as we are another Christian religion). There are no bad schools in the borough within 3 miles, this is why we moved house. The old area is known with population from council estates and anti social behaviour. We had issues with our neighbours and police was unable to provide on-going support. We will call for noise at 3 am and when they arrive they would find an empty house and couldnt do much. Both DH and I have university degrees and education is extremely important for us. We will appeal if needed.
DS is registered to sit two exams. I dont understand how in this country you pay taxes and cant select the desired school. And people on benefits get free bus journey and are treated as priority. Sorry for my negativity.

"dont understand how in this country you pay taxes and cant select the desired school. And people on benefits get free bus journey and are treated as priority"

Oh dear.

People on benefits don't get preference for school places.

Moving in year is always difficult; if there is a space then you are entitled to it, but if there's no space, how can you be? If just paying taxes entitled you to your choice of school, class sizes at preferred schools would probably be 40+ - would you want that?

And people on benefits get free bus journey and are treated as priority.

What?

And education is extremely important for most parents. If I'm being socialist about it, it's more important for children whose parents are less able to support them than yours. Though I don't think that would be just; the current "distance/siblings/on time application" system seems as just as possible.

Sorry, I was hoping to receive a little bit of support and advice here, not negative comments and not attacking anyone.

On another note, I am not left with the impression that education is very important for some parents at least in the area where we use to live before. My son has been told by a school mate - why do you have to study if the government will take care of you when you get older? Not being judgmental about all parents and do not want to commence discussion about goals of parents, so I will stop here.

It is unreasonable and not achievable to travel to school 50 minutes (I get to the City for 45). The government should make plans and arrangements for all children to be able to receive education. Furthermore I live in the area and opted for 5 schools, not for one only. I understand the pain of other parents who are in similar and even more difficult position and feel for them.

Wankerchief, yes, if you are receiving work tax credit your child is entitled to free school meals and free bus by law, etc.

You are not going to get support when you conflate the benefits people get with your ability to find a school place. You have written it as if you are saying that people who pay taxes should get priority for the school places they want over people who don't pay taxes for whatever reason.

I really don't think you'll find support for that.

Otherwise yes your plan seems sound to me. Home educate - you can do this. Just de register. And if you are happy with any school in your area then just go with whatever the council gives you. There is a danger you'll get two different schools but you could continue to home ed the year 6 while applying on sibling priority for the other school, or if possible let the year 6 get to and from school themselves.

Also no it doesn't affect the 11+ if you home school, and whether you approach the school or not depends on their admissions policy. It should say on the website if they have places. But you can try calling schools to see if they have vacancies and then apply directly to the LA.

Thank you for your input NinaevesSister. Just wanted to hear I am on the right track.

The problem is also that the schools are now closed and from 1st September we do not have a school.

2.8 miles isn't bad for a school distance. In fact the nearest junior school to me is 2 miles-that is no other schools that take juniors, not the nearest with spaces. The nearest secondary is about 2.5 miles.

The children are old enough to walk that together in less than an hour. Mine walked together on their own from when they were in year 3 and 6 (so not on their own) and on their own from year 4 (when the year 6 left) Or surely they could manage the bus together if you feel they need to take the bus?

What are you planning on having the children do while you're at work though if you opt to home school them. I'd have thought a MIL with dodgy knees might not appreciate having 2 lively children left with her 6:45-16:00 5 days a week.

tiggytape, thanks for the valuable advice. We had tutors coming to my house whilst MIL was at home. Much easier for her and DC do not have to travel either. Tutor would cost less than travel and will be less time consuming. I don't think in schools they spend much time learning, very often DC share that they have been left to play in the rain for hours.

Witchend, 2.8 miles is ok if it is a straight journey with one bus. This one involves bus change and walk and I don't appreciate the area, it is mostly estates and people with anti social behaviour. I do not care what the LA thinks is reasonable, these are my DC and I wouldn't agree with what they think is suitable.

It was working well so far in summer with the 11+ prep and long and complicated travel is not an option.

Will contact the schools and appeal if necessary.

" I don't appreciate the area, it is mostly estates and people with anti social behaviour. I do not care what the LA thinks is reasonable, these are my DC and I wouldn't agree with what they think is suitable. "

This won't be taken into account, of course. I wouldn't include anything like this in an appeal.

I posted on your thread in Local, with a suggestion about how to make the journey to the current school shorter. Would this not work for you? Or have you actually de-registered from the old school, already?

Your older DC has only one year to go at junior school, and even if they don't get into a grammar, there are very good senior schools nearby. Perhaps you should stick it out at the current school for the older one, but put more effort into getting the younger one a place in a more local school, as they will be there for 3 years.

Also, no local state schools will prepare for the 11+. Whatever preparation they do, you will need to organise, whether that be tutors, or going it alone with some work books and practise tests.

"Wankerchief, yes, if you are receiving work tax credit your child is entitled to free school meals and free bus by law, etc."

Untrue. FSM are not allowed if you get even 1p of WTC and free transport only if you get the maximum amount of WTC, which in practice means lone parent earning NMW for 16 hrs per week, or a couple with one person disabled/a carer/in prison and the other working 16hrs per week at NMW. Even 1p of deduction from WTC (so income over £6340 now, or £3850 from next April) prevents free transport.

What level of tax should one have paid before one gets to choose a school place then? Given that a primary education costs about £10k p.a. per child.

You may be surprised to know that even if one is paying fees for schools, one does not get entirely free choice. All good schools have waiting lists, state and independent alike.

re 11+

dd will go into year 6 and take the 11+ in sept.
The registration period for our area was in June/July, and if you didn't register then then you can't sit it.

If every school in your area takes the 11+ through school, then you may be too late to register independently. In that case your best bet would be to leave your year 6 ds at his school until after the exam - it is only a couple of weeks anyway, and then take him out and home school.

Please don't de-register him from school before you have checked his eligibility to sit 11+

DS has been registered before end of July to sit 11+. My point with the whole selection of schools was that for 1 year tutoring 1 hours per week made DS made progress that he did not achive withing 4 years in school. So I think this works for us for now until we receive a space.
The 2 tests DS will sit are in different venues, not in his old school.

And yes, I send a letter to de-register.

Where I am coming from there are schools for all children and 90% of pupils get in to universities after that, this is why I don't understand why is this system not working. Good Education for my familiy has been always extremely important and I will fight for this.

I made my decision and will wait for response :-)

Thank you to everyone who provided their valuble experience and feedback!

I don't think in schools they spend much time learning, very often DC share that they have been left to play in the rain for hours.

Really? You do have some very odd ideas about people on benefits and what happens in schools.

Will the tutors cover the non 11+ stuff? Don't forget the school has been keeping up the basics for the tutors to build on.