Moving house with two children in different school years

[Pinkjenny]

We are moving house in the Summer. Dc are currently in Years 2 and 5. I've just done a bit of nosing around the council website, and now I need a good lie down. So basically, I have to put their names on waiting lists, and then just hope a place comes up in two different school years in one school?

Dickens Heath, Solihull.

Not exactly. Secondary schools usually have catchment areas or other admissions criteria (11 plus for example). You need to look at the secondary schools you would be interested in and make sure you fit their criteria. So if they offer most places based on their catchment, look at the map and make sure you live inside it. If it selects, are you realisitically going to get a place there? If not, what are the alternatives and how do you get into them? Do some have religious affiliation? Do you meet that criteria? What primary school your DD attends usually makes no difference at all as few are linked in that way. You must look at the admissions policies for the secondary schools and usually living in catchment is key.

For your child in Y6 in September, this is very important as one year in primary will be less important than 5 or 7 years in the secondary.

Don't rely on information from the school secretary or even the head teacher. Contact school admissions in the LA you are moving to.

The problem is that in some LAs, like ours, admissions don't always talk to other departments, such as special needs. So in our last year's Yr6 class, which had 7 children with EHCPs, admissions were telling the parent there was a space but the class would have been a terrible for for the child looking for the place. I wouldn't underestimate how well head teachers know their classes and what works best for everyone, even if admissions say otherwise.

*terrible fit

Solihull Metropolitan Council lists its secondary schools and each one has information on how places were allocated in the past. Look at this info and see what suits you best.

Oh. Forgot about grammar school applications etc.
(Happily lives in all comp areas)

Helpfully, a friend has just told me that Solihull is one of the most oversubscribed authorities in the Midlands.

God, maybe I'll just have to stay where I am.

A school cannot refuse to admit an EHCP child if they have space. It would be an extreme need to get away with refusal.

Neither has SEN.

Can you be a bit more flexible about where you move? Must it be Solihull? Are there other options, in Warwickshire, for example?

No.

This is the area we want to live in, it's where dp already lives.

Could you move sooner? It would give your elder child more time to make friends.

In all honesty assuming your elder DC will be going into year6. I would concentrate more on getting into a good catchment for secondary and finding a good place for younger dc and the elder dc will just have to go where a place is available. If he would only be attending for a year anyway, I would personally put least emphasis on that.

I'm not sure moving earlier is relevant given it looks like moving later is going to be an issue!

Agree, secondary is the priority for dd, primary for ds

So if there is no flexibility, you will have to make the best of the situation. Speak to the LA asap and decide if secondary is a priority. If your DP is already there, then that address will be in a catchment area for a secondary. So that at least gives some security of knowing there is a local secondary school. You will have the usual problems that anyone faces if you do not like the secondary school.

You will just have to bite the bullet regarding the primary school(s) and take what school has spaces (or schools).

I'll call them tomorrow when they are back and keep you posted. I can't believe I stupidly didn't think this would be such an issue.

Are you moving in with DP or finding a new house?

We can do either, to be honest if it's in the short term, but our plan is to rent together to start with.

With Y3 and Y6 children, I wouldn't worry too much about getting them into the same school - which cuts down a lot of the issues!

We moved for dh job, I picked the schools I liked and spoke to them. Then I spoke to admissions.

Both our favoured school and admissions said to put favourite first. Then if we didn't get both or neither in to the same school, to then go to appeal.

Dh moved before us, we then put the application in, one got our second choice school the other got a school ten miles in the opposite direction which was in special measures. I spoke to admissions about an appeal and the HT of preferred school. Then we were given places for both at our first choice school.

I don't know how it was settled but we didn't go to appeal. We were just offered it.

Both your children will be in Key Stage 2 next year, so the line about 30 per class isn't as 'hard' as it is in Key Stage 1. You will have better chances to force a school to accept them past the '30' mark if they are without a place if you live in the catchment.

So as an initial plan of action, it's best to speak to admissions tomorrow? Is that my first port of call?

If you move in with DP can you use that address for applications?

Yes, but I think my name would also have to go on the tenancy agreement, which wouldn't be an issue.