Can I get a primary school place in two weeks.

[Barrytheunicorn]

I'm going to have to be as vague as possible as I think a few of the mums from Dd's school are on here.

Dd is at a prep school, things went well in her reception year and also in the beginning of year 1.
For the past few months there have been lots of incidents that have really concerned me.
The school got a really awful review by the independent school regulatory body and things went downhill pretty quickly.
There was a mass exit of staff and students and the school was down to absolute bear bones staff and students for a few months.
Dd's lovely teacher left and dd has since gotten a new teacher and there have been quite a few incidents that have made me uncomfortable where dd has been left in a risky situation.

I spoke to the teacher informally and was assured it was a one off but then a few days later dd had been put in the same situation again.
I spoke to the head teacher who agreed the situation she had been left in was a safeguarding issue and that the teacher would be spoken to, she also filled out an incident form.
A few days later dd was again put in the same situation again I told head teacher this was a regular thing now and it was not good.
Was reassured again this would never happen again and governors were informed as all agreed it was a risk that dd should not have been place at.
I went in school today and once again I found dd in the same situation except this time it was even worse.

I told the head teacher i couldn't believe this had happened again. (The situation means that dd is not safe at school, it's really difficult to go into but she was under no supervision at all when she REALLY should have been)

I took dd home early and I just don't want to send her in again tomorrow.

There have also been issues with the school putting lots of pressure on the students due to the bad inspection and there are open days constantly where theee are parents and children in and out of Dd's class all day, lots of children coming to spend the morning to see if the parents like the school and lots of distraction and lack of consistency.

Dd is just miserable at school at the moment.
She cries every single day all the way to school and is still crying when I leave her. She's nearly 7 and she's never ever been a clingy child when it comes to school.

There are also several other major'ish' issues but I know I will definitely be outed if I go into them.

My issue is I really really don't want her to go back to school after today.
The school are not safeguarding dd at all imo and it doesn't matter how many times I bring it up dd is still put in a situation regularly that the head teacher and governors have all agreed is in appropriate.

It's the Easter holidays here (N/E) for all the state schools so I can't even phone the local schools to see if I can get her a place after the Easter holidays.

I'm really just wondering if it is wise to deregister dd from her school tonight, in hope that I can get her in a local school after Easter?

Or is any school better than no school?

I don't know if the LA will help us more if she doesn't have a school place but equally I don't want her to be without a school, although the one she is at doesn't really feel like an option.

I was also wondering how quickly dd will be able to start a school on the off chance I can get hold of someone in the local council school admissions office tomorrow is after the Easter holidays realistic?

If anyone has any advice that might help me I'd be really really grateful.

You can ring the admissions department at your local council, they will be open during the holidays, and can help and advice you.

I would say keep your dd off school until you have found a school suitable.

It depends entire on whether the local schools have places OP. Because your DD is Yr 1, class sizes are limited to 30 by law and cannot go over this. Your LA will be able to tell you which (if any) local schools have places in Yr 1. You can phone them in the morning - you do not need to ring round the schools yourself. If there are places available, you can apply immediately and (assuming no one higher up the admissions criteria than you applies before you) start quickly.

However, if your local primeries are oversubscribed (most are- especially the good ones) then you may have more of an issue. Would you be prepared for her to attend a less popular primary while you waited for a place to come up at your preferred school?

Thank you for your answers thank goodness it seems a bit easier than I thought it would be to approach new schools, in that I just need to phone the council admissions number. I thought I would have to phone all the local schools after the holidays to try and find one.

To be honest at this point I'd happily put her in any school at the moment, the situation she was put in today was really not great.

I live in a fairly small town and there aren't really many schools, but all the local ones seem to have good or outstanding reviews.

Does anyone know if there were for example 3 schools with Places would the council let me know the three schools that were available so I could do a quick visit to them and select or would they just assign one.

You can ask to look at all the schools, although maybe not across the holidays.

Then you put down the schools of your choice, with your preferred at the top.

If your top school has a place you will be offered it. Admission will be able to tell you though, before you make your list.

If you really want one that is oversubscribed, still put it at the top, then you will get offer the next school that has a place, but you can be put on the waiting list for your preferred. Also some admissions may hint if there is a chance of getting in on an appeal.

Does anyone know if there were for example 3 schools with Places would the council let me know the three schools that were available so I could do a quick visit to them and select or would they just assign one.

Yes, they would be able to let you know which schools have spaces. You would then need to contact the schools directly to arrange a visit. This would be after Easter now obviously.

The council won't allocate you any place at any school over the phone, you would have to formally apply. You will need to fill in a form (you can usually do it online) naming the schools you want in order of preference. Once they'd received your form, the LA would then allocate you a school, operating on an equal preference basis. If there was space at your first school, you would get it, if there was no space at your first school but space at your second then you would get that one etc. If there were no spaces at any of your chosen schools, then the LA would allocate you a place at the closest school that had a place.

Do bear in mind though OP that most state primaries are oversubscribed and while it is possible you may be able to take your pick from a selection of desirable schools, you should also be prepared for the likelihood that schools with spaces at this time of year are those which are unpopular for some reason (poor Ofsted, challenging catchment etc) and/or some distance away.

You will probably have to pay a term's fees in lieu of notice.

Health and safety of children is not be to confused with 'safeguarding' which is a specific risk associated with sexual or grooming behaviour and has a completely different legal framework and policies. If you believe your child was not safe, why is the school continuing to have the same routine? It seems very odd. Paying doesn't always get the best school and this one seems dire. Have the children that have left gone to local schools? Have the places been taken? Isn't there a better private school?

The school sounds awful and I would remove her ASAP. Hope you get something local but you should be prepared that you won't. Good and outstanding schools are in most cases oversubscribed and may have a waiting list which you will have to join.

Our LEA has a list online with all school and available places under "in year admissions". Maybe yours has something similar?