Moving house/primary admissions

[user1492287253]

Can someone with some knowledge of in year admissions help? My older children have always just gone to our local catchment schools which were good so really ive never had to do anything difficult with regard to schools!
We are relocating to a town around 150 miles away. We only have dd3 to consider. She is currently in year 4. We are buying to ensure she is in catchment for a good secondary ( seems essential as at secondary there are either outstanding or requires improvement and nothing in between).
So we need a year 4/ year 5 for dd depending on which side of the holidays the fall moves.
Lets say there are 10 primary schools in a 5 mile radius. An academy trust runs 6 of them. They say none of them have a space. The la deals with addmissions for another 4, they say no spaces at any of them. None of them have provided any detail.
What should my next steps be?. Dd is on school action plus if that is of relevance. Do i just pick the most suitable, apply and appeal? If a school takes 60 in the year at reception and only has 56 by year 5, can they say they have no space in the year because they have excess numbers in other years? Any clues as to where to start would be gratefully received

We are moving this year too and the schools nearby are full, but there is always student turnover and when we move in and get our council tax number we will apply for everywhere and hope for the best, ideally getting both of them in to the sane school.

I applied before we moved, she didn't get in, but I was told (by the local authority) to submit an appeal, which would keep her on a waiting list. Someone left, and she got their place. Should be easier above infants because infant class size legislation is strict.

The local authority have an obligation to provide a school place but have no obligation for it to be nearby or at a school that is any good. If it is more than I think 3 miles away then they pay for transport (but that can just be a bus pass for DC). However, they have no obligation to you at all until you have actually moved, and most will therefore not lift a finger in advance (some will start to take an interest once contracts are signed but don't count on it).

The legal limit of 30 per class only applies for years R-2 so the LA can make a school take a class of 31 or 32 but they are more likely to give you a place at an undersubscribed failing school 7 miles away.

Would it be at all possible to home-educate for a term or two until a place is sorted or do you both have jobs already waiting? Would you be in a position to scrape together 2 years of private school fees (eg by adding £24k to the mortgage you are presumably in the process of arranging)?

Hi User, it might be easier than you think if she has a statement or an EHCP.
Children with SEN
Children with Statements and EHCPs
All governing bodies are required by section 324 of the Education Act 19966 to admit to the school a child with a statement of special education needs that names the school. Under section 37 of the Children and Families Act 20144 the school named in an Education, Health and Care Plan must admit the child. This is not an oversubscription criterion. Schools must admit such children regardless of whether they have places available. Admission authorities must not imply in their published admission arrangements that they have discretion over the admission of children with statements of special educational needs or an EHCP.
Children with Statements of SEN/EHCPs are not admitted through the admissions arrangements and are placed in schools through the statement/EHCP process
(Taken from childlawadvice.org.uk)

So if there are say 4 schools nearby should i apply and appeal for all of them? And on what grounds do i appeal? Im honestly not precious, any of them would do but would like to be reasonably close to new house to help with friendships and to hopefully know a few that will go to secondary

I assume that school action plus is not the same as a statement? We are moving from a lower school that stops at year 4 ( hence the timing of the move).they have been brilliant with her and pulled her up every year.
We could in theory go private but i am reluctant to go down that route unless i exhausted everything else. There is a mixed ability private school that look great but it is £15k a year in year 5 and is an all through school up to 16/18
Id be reluctant to start her there then remove her again at year 7. And paying private secondary fee isnt really in the budget.
I shouldnt have too much trouble finding work but do not plan to start looking until she is settled
I would keep her at home but as effectively an only child (dc1 and 2 are young adults and not moving with us) i think that school is really important in terms of not feeling lonely

I am grateful that i only have the one to place! Must be difficult with 2 or more!

La have told me they will place on exchange of contracts, which seems reasonable.

Apply for whichever schools you want. If you don't get them you can appeal on the basis that the disadvantage to your daughter through not attending the school outweighs any problems the school will face through having to cope with an additional pupil. You would need to build your case around things the school offers that are missing from the allocated school and that would be of particular benefit to your daughter.

School Action Plus is not the same as a statement or an EHCP. An EHCP would be the next step if the support she gets on School Action Plus turns out to be insufficient.

Phr47. Thank you. So i apply for preferred school. If unsuccessful the LA allocate and i can then appeal to prefered school?

School Action Plus technically doesn't exist any more, it's supposed to all be SEN Support now, but at this point it's academic; it doesn't help with school allocation.

Yes, apply to your preferred schools and if rejected then appeal.