In-year application: how long should it take?

[ChaiLatte1]

There is a vacancy at the school, but according to the headteacher my child will only be able to start there at the end of September "because they need to put things in place " (c), meaning the child will miss out on at least 2 weeks of school! I'm aware that the local authority can take up to 20 school days to find a school place, but in our case the place is already found. Now it seems that the headteacher is trying to delay things on purpose (my child has SEN, maybe the HT is hoping that someone living closer will apply in the meantime and they won't need to cater for SEN, it was actually hinted in our conversation ).
Now the question is: how long can they keep a child out of school, given that there is a vacancy, which has been confirmed by the LA and the school?

What year group are they? If it is a standard admission point the LA may still be managing the admissions. In some LAs they pass to the school at the end of September.

Have you tried the LA admissions as well as the school?

Are you #1 on the waiting list? Does your dc need 1:1 support or is it something that can be managed with shared support? Have you done the in year transfer forms?

it's year 6. I have tried the LA, they told me that there is a place, but no official letter has been received from them. I just don't see how can they justify 2-3 weeks out of school if the place is available?

we're first on the waiting list, the child has a mild SEN condition, doesn't require 1to1 support, in fact a very bright child with some social issues (not violence).
The transfer forms been done weeks ago.

What was their attendance last year?

did you mean my child's? It was just above 90%, we had some authorised absence.

Perhaps the parents have said their dc has left but they haven't yet put it in writing so although the head knows he has a space it can't actually be allocated.
Or if you're very unlucky the L.A. have a child who legitimately jumps the queue who may or may not want the space.

Oh ignore all that, sorry I should have re-read your OP.
If the Head's delaying I think you need to get back on to the L.A.. Make sure you have it in writing and make an appointment with the Head to fix a start date asap. Be firm and if he says things have to be in place, make sure he specifies which 'things'.

thanks GiddyOnZackHunt, that is exactly what i'm going to do!