In year application and moving house/ area

[belindarose]

Could anyone please advise on timescales and how to go about organising this?

House has been sold STC and we have bought the one we want (STC). DD will be moving schools (year 2). It's a town about 20 miles away, so near enough for visits, definitely not bear enough for any kind of commuting.

So, we'll be moving within a few months. But no idea yet about a date. What do I do about choosing (if I can!) a school? Do I visit schools with vacancies and hope a place is still available in a few months? Or is it too early at the moment?

Thanks for any advice (and success stories would be good too!).

Firstly talk to the LA admission office where you are moving to and ask them exactly when you can apply for a place based in the new address. It is normally when you have exchanged contracts and your solicitor can confirm this in writing but it does vary. By all means go to schools and look around them, so you get a feel for them and have an idea of the preferred schools.

When you have a much better idea of when you will be moving, then there is another option that you can take prior to actually getting to exchange of contract. You can apply for a school place for year 2 via your current LA using your current address for the preferred schools in the new location. Obviously if they are full then you will simply get a no answer but if the school has a place then they are legally obliged to offer you the place as long as you can take it up within a reasonable time - normally 2 to 4 weeks.

If it is a no answer then they will offer the opportunity for an appeal. I would not take up that offer but wait until you are absolutely cast iron moving, that is you have exchanged and you have a moving date. You can then reapply using the new address and see what that gives. It may well be that there is no places and then you should go to appeal.

Thanks, that's really helpful.