School admissions timetable - any flexibility? Moving related.

[Questionsandanswers]

Not going to have exhanged before the January cut off, but our county (Essex) gives a second deadline in early Feb, if you provide them with exchange of contracts evidence by this date they will accept it. My question is, would there be/has anyone had any experience of flexibility beyond this? On paper it would seem not, but if you exchanged within a week/two of the February date would they perhaps accept the new address? We will note our new address in the additional info section on the application, but if we can only provide exchange evidence after the 5th is that really it?

I would imagine that it's all or nothing by that date to be honest as there has to be a cut off point. If they break the rules for one person then it isn't fair on others really.

Your best bet would be to ring your council and ask them directly as responses may vary to this one across the country1

Afraid the second deadline and being allowed to apply if you have exchanged but not moved is the flex, they can't have a secret unpublished third deadline.

You can usually put in a new form as soon as exchanged, but it will be treated as a late application. Is there far between the addresses? We've had chains fall through at the point of exchange before. You really can't rely on things until they are signed.

Hope you can get things through in time. Are school places very tight where you are?

Probably not as giving anybody extra time opens up a potential can of worms for the LA BUT the best course of action is to speak to the LA admission office and see what they say. If you can be specific about the date and it is close to the deadline there is a possibility that they might help. Make sure that every thing is confirmed in writing.

How tight is it for school places where you're moving to? If you apply for schools in the new area but don't get in on distance, you will jump to the top of the catchment school list once you move.

However at our school (Essex) we have several within catchment still on the list from Sep 2015.

The LA do occasionally intervene and force schools to take children who move into the area and are otherwise without a school place though, but that will depend if there are other schools with places within "reasonable" distance

Thank you for all your replies. Its a move across town, the school is not overly popular, so there is a chance we will get a waiting list place, if we cannot get evidence of exchange by the cut off.

Will you apply for new area school from old address anyway if it's not far? Would put you further up the list than being a late applicant. And if you don't get in then you would still bump up to top of waiting list when late applications are processed.

Thanks Tiggy, what is it that makes a school oversubscribed? Is it if the number of first place choices exceeds the pan, or is it if the total number of applications (1st -4th choices) exceeds the pan? If it is just based on first choices/sibling link then we could be offered a place.

Thank you, that is really helpful to know.