In year applicant-difficulty

[amberexpat]

So, we just moved to the UK. I had no idea getting my kids into primary would be so hard. They have been out of school since last school year because of the move... so stressful.
Anyway, what does oversubscribed really mean? I applied to a school that was not labelled oversubscribed to find out there is no room for them.
I applied to another that is labelled as such and really really hope to get in as it is.... ACROSS the street. ugh!
Any insight on if we will every get into school..
Looking at Hanover, St John Evangelist, and now adding Rotherfield.
Anyone have a school they highly recommend? We are 5 minutes east of Angel.

It appears you are in Islington. The council can tell you where there are vacancies. Once you have chosen your preferences you must apply to Islington Council, NOT to individual schools. One you do that they have to come up with places for your children even if all the schools are full.

A school being oversubscribed means that during the normal admissions round they had more applications for places in Reception than they had places available. It doesn't tell you anything about the current situation in Reception or other years.

You may well find that your children end up at different schools in the short term like my friend did. Yep, three children in three different schools for four months.

As soon as one got a place at a school they put the other two children's names on the waiting list. Sibling priority meant that they were at the top of the list. A place for one child came up after nine weeks and they moved over, with the remaining child after four months (they are in Stoke Newington).

Sorry, that's probably not what you want to hear and the element of choice might not be available to you. Home education might be an option if you are prepared to do it and then "trickle" your children into a school as and when places become available???

You will also find that if your child is Y3 or above then there is less pressure for places as class sizes aren't strictly capped like they are for the younger ages.

Hope that makes sense!!

How old are your children?

As already said, Islington have to come up with places somewhere, but they don't have to be in schools of your choice and could be different schools. If you have been here since the start of term and they have offered you nothing yet, you should start putting pressure on them to do so - if there is no school with space, they can force one to take an extra child, but again it may not be in a school you want.

If they have offered you places but you have turned them down for some reason, they have no obligation to offer another.

If you have applied and been turned down for a school, you can appeal for a place, but your chances of winning an appeal for reception (assuming there are a multiple of 30 children in the year) are very small. They are better for Yr3 and above, but still small.

Zodlebud (sorry i don't know how to tag/respond properly yet) thank you for keeping it real and not getting my hopes up! They are year 1&4 and while i have no problem home schooling them, it kills me as they have no chance to meet friends/kids their age and they are super bummed leaving all their friends in the first place.
Luckily I have been working with them on school work this whole time to not let them fall behind.

PatriciaHolm- they are 5&8 years old. I have put in applications to all 4 schools within walking distance to us, one will NOT get back to me... one has turned us down and still waiting on the other two. I have called/emailed the school across the street and can't get a response. If they are full I hope they would just say so as I submitted my app to them on 12/10!
Thank you for letting me know they have to find a place. Makes me feel like there is an end to this. There area couple schools I would rather my girls not go to, if this is where they find a place for them then I will home school and try again. I just hate to have them lose socialisation (one daughter thrives on friends and is super bummed as it is) until next year.

Thank you, i'll keep pursuing!

I don't understand. Are you applying to private fee paying schools?

A state school cannot turn you down. You can go on the waiting list for any state school. As said above you need to go to primary admissions for your borough (which is Islington) and do an in-Year transfer application. You can apply for any school in any borough. If they don't have a place go on the waiting list.

Hi - school isn't the only way for them to meet other children, of course. Have you looked into things like Brownies?

As per my earlier post, as you are in Islington you need to apply to the council. Once you apply to the council naming your preferences they have to find spaces for your children even if the schools are all full. If you apply direct to schools you will only be offered a place if there is one available at that school and no waiting list, so you could be looking for a very long time. The council is the admission authority for all the community schools so some of them may not respond at all if you apply direct.

Amberexpat - you need to contact the council rather than each school.

Yep we are in the same situation.

If you are applying to state schools though the council has to find places. It may not ne where you want or any ypu have applied for, but it will be the nearest school with places.

You then have right of appeal for the schools that were on your preference list.

Ot should only take them a month to find you a place.

amberexpat while you are waiting to find out if you can get a place have a look for homeschooling groups nearby to where you are living. Theres lots of groups on facebook. They meet up regularly during the week so the children can interact with others the same age.
They sometimes organise trips to visit attractions and use the education discounts that schools normally get the use of for places like the zoo and castles etc
Locally to me (Midlands) homeschool groups book sports attractions like climbing, swimming and riding during the day. It isn't as lonely homeschooling as you might think it is.
In the meantime fill out the forms with the LEA for in year transfers and get your name on the waiting lists for the schools you want.

Be careful about "Home Schooling" them - or telling the council you are home schooling them. Am not an expert but from what I have seen on here the council can take that as meaning you no longer want a school place for them/they are no longer obliged to offer a place.

When applying for in year admission when my son changed schools our council had spreadsheets in their website with a list of available spaces in each school. Can't find this on Islington Council's site but it does state you can contact admissions at Islington Council who can discuss possible vacancies with you. You do need to go through the Council to start the process not directly to the school.

Contact the Council on 020 7527 5515 or email [email protected]

Once you apply it normally takes 10 days but worth ringing and talking to admissions who can discuss available spaces for each year group in your chosen school.

In London you can apply over council borders. It's worth looking at transport and seeing where else is easy to get to. Enquire with them about spaces and apply through Islingrown for a space if they have one. Children will often travel via tube, bus or overground for school in London suprising distances.