Another in year admission question, is our LEA normal??

[CocoPlum]

Just wondering about this following a couple of replies on other threads ...

In our area, if you want to make an in year transfer (for reasons other than moving house/bullying) , you have to apply before half term. After half term the applications are processed and any spaces are allocated according to admissions criteria, and you start at the beginning of the following term. You can only apply to move once per academic year.

No waiting lists are held for any year group but reception (and that's just until Christmas). Is this normal? I've read threads where people are saying things like children are getting in on a waiting list in Y2 having been on there since reception.

I'm just wondering really, partly because we were told in Jan there was a Y1 space for DD in a different school so we applied straight away, come March we were told our application was unsuccessful as they were oversubscribed.

No, I don't think that's normal at all. I'm not sure that it's legal under the admissions code. Applications are supposed to be processed in a timely manner and I don't think that includes waiting until half term.

They don't have to hold waiting lists after Christmas of YrR, so they are right about that.

I'd be surprised if you couldn't appeal the decision to refuse a place on the basis that if they had applied the Admissions Code properly the place would have been yours. That would depend on who they allocated it to and whether some one else applied first.

So are you saying that if you moved in November, your application would only be processed after Feb half term, and you couldn't start until after Easter??!!!! That's ridiculous.

(sorry, not moving, but for any other reason)

Thinking about it, if they allow you to apply immediately for some reasons but not others, aren't they operating a sort of unofficial waiting list type policy and admitting in an order that doesn't follow the admissions criteria.

Our lea says something like this, in reality I applied, emailed them and had already spoken to the school we wanted, knew they had places and that the head teacher was happy for them to start. So I told the lea I was removing my child from the school they were at and expected they could start at the other school on... Such and such a date.

They wrre a bit snotty with me on the phone, tried to say I couldn't remove my child from school without a new place. I told them I could and if I had to would home ed until a place became available at my chosen school... Theu tried to tell me home ed was illegal... Anyway ds1 started at the school on the date I had agreed with the head and a day or so later I got a letter from lea saying he had a place...

Can't speak for all LAs but the 4 I know of don't do it like that.

I don't think they can limit the number of times you can apply. You are limited to one appeal though.

I'd guess they added that because the bizarre, no waiting list only deal with applications at specified times policy does invite you to make an application at least once a term if you want to maximise your chances of getting a place.

It certainly not how the three LAs I do appeals for operate but I have heard similar stories of LAs, who still seem to think they can make their own version of admissions up rather than obey the admission code.

The problem is until people actually take them to the School Adjudicator or the Local Government Ombudsman, depending on exactly what the situation is, they will continue to do their own version.

It is correct that the only time that a waiting list is required by law is in reception year / year 7 until the end of the Autumn term. Although waiting lists are in theory not required it seems to me that more and more schools are keeping a list of parents who have expressed an interest in a place at the school. If a place becomes available then appropriate parents are made aware of the place. Certainly that is what we do at the school I chair the governing body. We give parents contacted a week to apply and then check the admission criteria order to establish which should be offered the place. That to us is the fairest way of dealing with the place becoming available

The in-year process is in my opinion clearly not what was intended by the admission code - that is just a method to suit the admission office pen-pushers. Applying once in a year is also factually incorrect.You can apply at any time and as many times as you want. What you can only do once a year is apply for an admission appeal, unless there has been a material change in your circumstances.

Not for the first time, I agree with Admission. This LEA seems to be imposing all sorts of restrictions which are not within the letter or spirit of the admissions code, but it would need to be raised formally for this to be ruled unlawful.

Only holding waiting lists for the first term of Reception and Y7 is not uncommon and is permitted by the Admissions Code. The rest of it is not. Some of it is a clear breach of the Admissions Code. For example paragraph 2.21 says, "Any parent can apply for a place for their child at any time to any school outside the normal admissions round". Some used to be against the Admissions Code before it was simplified a few years ago. The Adjudicator and/or the LGO may still take a dim view of this and tell the LA to mend its ways.

Technically you can apply for a place at any time. If you've moved house to the area things are different.

I'll just explain our situation - wanted to move DD in Jan to school A (our catchment school) because we felt it would be easier when DS started to go somewhere a little closer (he's a late summer baby and knew he'd tire easily). School A said they had a Y1 space. We applied and also submitted DS's reception application for school A.

We received a letter telling us it would be processed after half term, it was, DD was turned down, DS got in. We think the school gave us weird.info as according to the school finder page on our council website they had 89 children in Y1 in Jan but when we asked the school why we were turned down they told us someone was going to move and free up the place, but they hadn't, so no place was available.

We applied again in May for entry to Y2, again turned down. At this point I called.them as we would have two children in different schools - DS went on waiting list for DD's school. Admissions office told me I could not apply for DD again until summer term 2016 for entry to Y3. They said I could submit the application earlier if I wanted but "they might decide you've already had one bite at the cherry, so to speak".

Although we have made (many complicated) arrangements for getting both children to school on time (20 mins walk apart and both start at same time) it's getting stressful as DD turned up to breakfast club today, having been told by the office we could just bring her this week, to find no record of this ...! DM keeps on at me to find out if school A have a place for her but I've told her I can't apply now ... but I could, if I made a fuss, if there was a space??

5 mad things, I wonder if you're in my area?!

Teen and Rafals - the only reasons that get processed.immediately are moving and I think bullying (although there's a whole page of process on this too, you can't just switch because of this). They admit according to admissions criteria but basically if there are spaces and more applicants than spaces they apply the regular criteria.

In our LA you can have a big argument with the school one week, and start at a new school the next week. Seen it happen quite a lot over the years, some parents round here are touchy to say the least!

they might decide you've already had one bite at the cherry, so to speak

If they did I would regard that as a clear breach of the Admissions Code. See the quote from paragraph 2.21 in my previous post. If they want you to apply once per year they should keep waiting lists. If they don't keep waiting lists they must, in my view, allow you to apply as often as you want.

OP's LA's policy sounds the same as my LA's - I wonder if it's the same one!