In year transfer - 'No local schools have space'

[mrsmortis]

I'm hoping some expert out there will help me understand what this means.

I'm in the process of applying for an in year transfer for my DD1 for Sept (she'll be in Y3). I've just called the admissions office and been told that it's had to be 'escalated to a manager' because 'no local schools have a place'. We're moving back to the UK from abroad so we definitely need a place.

Can someone explain to me what options the LA have if this is truly the case? Can they make a school take her? If so how do they choose the school (i.e. how likely is it that it'll be the school where her sister has a reception place)? Will she be an excepted pupil in this case?

Are there any questions I should be asking/things I should be doing? Or do I just need to wait for the 'week or so' that they have told me this is going to take?

They do need to offer a place, and if required can force a school to take another pupil; however, it would be the school best placed to take an extra, not necessarily the school you would like.

Make sure she's on the waiting list for the school her sister is in as having a sibling normally bumps you up the list. You would also have the option of appealing, which at yr3 would be easier than in younger years (though still difficult)

If schools are full - at or over their published admission number - then you ask, get rejected and move to an appeal.

If there are no places whatsoever, then the LA should activate the Fair Access Protocol (FAP) which forces a school to go over numbers to take in a pupil. The school will be the one which the LA thinks is best able to cope with the additional pupil, not the parents choice (though one hopes their preferences will be taken into account as far as possible).

I hope the escalation to a more senior manager is an indication that they are going down that track.

I think most of your questions have been answered by others but I think you do need to understand that there is a fair chance that the LA will allocate a school place at a school which is not where sister has a place. I know it sounds unreasonable but in legal terms it is not unreasonable. The Fair Access Protocol is about ensuring that all local schools get a fair allocation of pupils who move mid-year when other schools are full, so it is more which school is next on the list to receive a pupil under FAP which is within reasonable distance of home, rather than allocating the school where the younger sister has a place.
You do need to consider asking the LA for allocation of places for both children at the same school. That will probably be at a school further away from your home but that has got to be preferable to having them in different schools.

Thanks all for the info. That's basically what I thought.

We're already on the waiting list for all the local schools. Once we know where DD1 gets we'll look at getting DD2 on the appropriate waiting lists too. At the moment she's got a place at our first choice school though. So it's going to depend a lot on what we get and whether we get transport or it there is a breakfast club/after school club to make drop offs/pick ups work...

Just wanted to come back and update with my news. We got a letter in the post today. My DD1 has a place at her first choice of school. Both girls will be at the same school. We're all very happy, as you can imagine.

That's great news! I hope your move goes well and your DDs are happy in their new school :)

That's fantastic, so pleased.