School place withdrawn can they do this?

[stacey36]

i applied for a place at my local CofE school in November. We then had a house move which was across the road from where I currently live fall through. Within a few weeks we found another house but in a town next to ours and due to me expecting my second child we decided to go for it. The move was not easy though and fell through three times before finally going through at the end of January. I spoke to LA and they informed her my DD would only be considered for a school in my new town if I had moved by the time the applications closed. I had to apply for schools based on my current address. As we didn't move by that date and in fact the whole move was off at that point we decided to stick with our current school choices as advised. I did inform the school sometime in February that I moved via a letter into their reception. In April I was informed I had received our first choice and was really happy. However three weeks ago I received an email from the schools admission asking to prove my current address. I obviously did this quickly and they said my application was correct as you need to base it on your current address as they had previously advised. I then double checked with the school and it appears they didn't have my new address so i wrote to them again with my new address.

I have now received a letter from my daughters offers school saying they are withdrawing the offer as they are saying we made a fraudulent application despite the LA confirming on Thursday all was fine as I had proved I hadn't lied on the application. As you can imagine I am frantic with worry about where my DD will now be going to school and we are stuck waiting till Monday to find out what is happening and we can not speak to anyone for advice info. I was wondering/hoping someone might have some info on if we did in fact do anything wrong? And if they can withdraw the offer thank you I can't believe how ridiculously stressful this is x

That's really unfair. Can you provide the school with proof you were at the address you applied from at the time you applied?

Yes I have provided our sale contract that shows the day we sold her old house and the date we bought the new one. I also have provided council tax letter which confirms the date we changed address. What annoys me more than anything was they sent this letter Friday knowing I would receive it today when there is nothing I can do but worry all weekend until Monday morning. I was at the school twice on Friday for pre school drop off and pick up grrr

On Monday, see if you can arrange a three-way phone call between LA school admissions officers headteacher and you - hopefully just the school misinterpreting LA rules and quick to sort out. They won't have given the place away since Friday, so hopefully just a matter of reinstating your DD. good luck!

Were you at the old address when the deadline for applications passed?

Yes we moved out two weeks after deadlines for application passed. We didn't even think it was going to go through when deadline passed as the guy we where guzzumped it was only after beg and borrowing some more cash it was able to go ahead.

Let's hope so it's going to be a long wait till then 😢

As this is a CofE school it is likely to be a VA school which means it is its own admission authority. Unfortunately that means it is not bound by the LA's decision, although that is clearly very persuasive. Having said that, if you moved after the closing date for admissions it would be very odd to regard your application as fraudulent since the address you used was clearly correct at the time of application.

The school is entitled to withdraw the offer if they believe your application was fraudulent. I am assuming you wouldn't have got a place at this school based on your new address. However, they must offer you the chance to appeal against this decision. Based on what you have posted I think you would have a good chance of winning any appeal.

I hope, however, that it doesn't go that far. If you would like to PM me the name of the school and the LA involved I'll take a look and see if I can provide further advice.

Did you move after admissions deadline but use the old address. I thought in that case you were meant to give the new address once you've moved but then you're treated as a late applicant, which seems dreadfully unfair to me. That's what happened to a friend. Thankfully she got in from new address on waiting list, but at one point she had one miles away.

Yes I moved after the admissions closed I did give school my new address but they state they didn't receive it odd as I handed it into the reception office myself. Its so frustrating as I could now potentially find my daughter at a poor school with none of her friends all because I followed the rule process I was told to follow by the LA

The chances are they think you intended moving to the other town all along, and were only at your previous address long enough to get a school place. I'm not an appeal or admissions expert but I would assume it will be easy enough to prove that you kept the lea informed and acted on their advice, and that you only intended moving across the road.

Stacy,
I think this is quite difficult to be sure about without you giving some very specific information, which is probably best not done on here.
If you want to PM me with the date that you moved from the address that you say the LA and school should have used, the name of the school and the LA involved. I can then check exactly what the LA says about admissions, what the school says its admission criteria is and most critically the dates that are pertinent.
This is always a difficult area and needs careful consideration.

I've taken a look at the details for the school involved. They have only set oversubscription criteria. There is nothing on their website about changes of address. That suggests they are bound by the LA's co-ordinated admissions scheme.

The LA says that if you move you must notify them immediately if you move and supply proof of exchange of contracts or a tenancy agreement. If that evidence is received after 5th February they will use your original address for admissions purposes. So provided you notified the LA promptly and that was after 5th February they were correct to use your original address. Even if you didn't notify the LA, if you moved after 5th February they would have used your original address anyway so your failure to notify made no difference.

My concern is that you say you moved two weeks after the closing date for applications. That suggests you moved in late January. If that is the case I'm afraid the school may be able to withdraw the offer as the LA would have used your new address if you had notified them promptly.

I was never told that when I rang back in early January to ask what I should do about applying. I did however send a letter not long after I moved stating I had moved but wished to keep my school selection the same and not make a late change. I never heard anything back but assumed all was well. I am not sure if it was before 5th February as I was changing my address with everyone just after I moved on 29th January but obviously it was a few days after I moved in and it was posted first class. Had I been aware it needed to have been there by 5th I would have done it on the day we moved or got the solicitor to draft a letter when we exchanged as this is why I called and asked all these questions as I didn't want to do the wrong thing and end up with no school for my daughter. Hopefully when I call on Monday it can be sorted quickly. This is so stressful and I am really worried my daughter will now be forced to attend any school that has spaces which probably won't be the best. Not to mention she has missed the settling days etc. Thank you so much for you the information though it has helped me feel I have definitely done everything by the book so fingers crossed they will see reason

Good luck for tomorrow.

People move all the time and it's about time the various local authorities made life easier and not more difficult for those who move during the admissions process.

You did the best you could to follow the advice you were given and they should not penalise your child because you did that.

Can you remember who you handed the letter into at their Reception? If you could describe them or know their name then it could help prove your statement that you handed it in. It's very convenient for them to say they can't find it.