Missed primary application deadline - what now?

[emmamaw]

Hi
Bit of history - I have 3 children, DD1 (12) and DS (8) have both attended the same nursery and primary school. Their names were down for nursery shortly after birth, they had their early years nursery place plus some private wrap around care in the primary school. They then went up to primary school and DS is still there in year 4. DD2 (nearly 4) had her name down for nursery from birth. She was offered a nursery place but they couldn't accommodate the wrap around care days we needed (DH and I both work full time). We were forced to send her to a different nursery, but always assumed she would still go to the original primary school alongside her siblings.
Fast forward to two weeks ago, dropping DD2 off at the private nursery, room manager asks if we got our first choice? I was completely oblivious to the fact that we had missed primary application deadlines - it hadn't even been on our radar! When I dropped DS off at primary I asked the receptionist if I had missed it and she said she thought DD2 would have a place, then checked and said no she hadn't. She was as shocked as I was and said that the private nursery should have reminded me and the local authority should have sent me a letter. I phoned the education office and explained the situation. They said it wasn't their responsibility to write to every household with a 3 year old! They said the nursery should have informed me. They sent out a late application form but told me my preferred school was full. I filled out the application form and took it straight back by hand the next day.
On Friday I received a letter telling me DD2 has a place at the primary school in our street. This school has no afterschool club. It has just had its ofsted rating 'needs improvement' and less than 10% of its pupils are at the required standard of reading, writing or maths!
I am in total despair. We are going to appeal on the grounds of we need a school with afterschool care and her sibling attends there but I know my chances are slim.
My questions are: how was I supposed to know the deadline dates? (Obviously I need to take some responsibility for not applying but surely the local education or the school or the nursery should have alerted me?)
Any tips to maximise my chances at appeal?
And what do I do if I lose the appeal? The only option I can see at the moment is DH giving up his job - no one else could pick her up and mind her five days a week.
Totally pulling my hair out at the moment.

That makes sense - thanks.

Can't you just send her to the school she's got a place for until a place comes up at your preferred school. Once out of the reception Year, the max class size of 30 no longer stands so at worst she's at the crappy one for a year. And it's only reception, so it's not the end of the world in terms of the impact on her education.
A chilminder for pick ups is more cost effective than one of you giving up work, and probably still cheaper than the nursery place you've currently got.
It is all a bit messy, but it's a situation of your own making.

Feel sorry for you and can see how this has happened, esp with third child when you can be so busy you miss things. My DD's reception class had a girl in it who didn't get into nearby primary with sibling. She left after a term when place came up at the older sibling's school . If the school you're after is two or three form entry, there is even more chance of this happening as there are physically more families in the year to move house. Sounds as if you would be very hear the top of the waiting list.

Surely childminder for pick up would be cheaper than current f/t nursery though and not much difference to after school club fees. But if you're not keen and are thinking of deferring and keeping her at nursery until a place comes up, doesn't the 30 hours free childcare come in from this September? I read somewhere that a child deferring can still get the 30 hours funding until they actually start school. Might be the least disruptive option while you wait for a place to come up.

Good luck.

If you are deferring a reception school place you don't get the free funding any more because it starts going to the school. I know someone who just deferred starting reception for a few weeks for practical reasons and ended up having to pay full whack of nursery fees for that time.

lions please would you, or someone else with knowledge on this, confirm that ICS rules only apply for reception like you just said because I was of the understanding that they applied for Y1 and Y2 as well?

ICS applies to Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Class sizes cannot exceed 30 per teacher in those years except for rare cases of "excepted children", which might be those admitted after a successful appeal (if the admissions authority made a mistake in their application that cost them a place, for example), or they were admitted on an EHCP which names the school.

Thanks Patricia

Now putting school application deadline in the calendar for as yet unborn Dc3 thanks op