School admission in Trafford

[sr76]

Hello,

I’m hoping to get some help and advice if possible. It’s my first post here, so please forgive if I get anything wrong. Currently we live in Rochdale and planning to move to Trafford area in 3-4 months, around Sale/Altrincham due to DH job commitments. Our DD is in Year 4 in a local school so I need to make an in-year transfer application when we move.

My main concern is around the admission for our DS as he is due to start school in Sept 2016. We have already made the school application for DS here but that will be irrelevant. When we move and make a new application to Trafford LA in April/May, I guess it will be treated as a late application so I am unsure what are the drawbacks, will we be given any priority to the catchment area or proximity to the school etc. Closing date for Trafford school admissions is 15th Jan 2016, highly unlikely we can find a house to rent before then. The last thing we want is for the kids to go to different schools.

If you can suggest any alternatives or advice, I would really, really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

I know they are extending/adding extra classes in some schools. I've know ppl to get their first choice a week after taking the option given to them

I would attempt to have moved well before April 16th which is the date when places allocated are announced.
That means that you should be able to get your elder child into a school quickly and then be in a position to be able to request the same school for younger child for reception in Sept 2016 by the April 16th. You will probably not get a place immediately but you will be a child with sibling priority as soon as clearing starts of places that have been rejected. You do however need to understand that Trafford have for maintained schools an admission criteria which has looked after children, then siblings living in catchment, followed by those pupils living in catchment and then siblings living out of catchment.
Your problem is that the place allocated to your eldest is likely to be an out of catchment school, so you will not have as much priority as you might have wanted. I am afraid there is nothing you can do about this. Hopefully you will get a place for the younger child that is acceptable to you and as tiggytape says it will be far easier to go to appeal with the elder child in year 4 than for reception.

Thank you so much tiggytape for such a detailed response. If we can't find a place and rent it before cut-off date, then as you suggested, I'd have to accept the place for Reception and then move my DD there.
Thanks Towelonthedoor for the info.
Admission, thanks for your reply. We are looking to move in soon as and see what happens.

One other thing to add - OP have a read through the school application procedure on the Trafford website. I think for the Council to accept your new address as the one they consider to be your "permanent" address, in Trafford, that means a tenancy of at least 12 months if you're renting. It might be worth speaking to the Council to see if that applies when you are making a late application.