In year admissions - AIBU

[Loueytb3]

We are moving. DS2 will be starting yr6 and DS3 will be starting yr2 in September. DS3 didn't get a place at the same school as DS2 as it's full. Yr2 generally is fairly full in the area. He has been allocated a place at a school on the other side of town. However, the next nearest school is a faith school which is its own admitting authority (so not dealt with by the LA). I filled the forms in and phoned the school to ask where to send them. I asked the admissions lady how long it would take to get a decision (from the governors) and she said not until the end of the summer. On further questioning, she admitted that actually they don't look at it until after term has started. So DS3 would not know whether he had a place until then. AIBU to think this is absolutely ridiculous? There are 3 spaces in yr2 (and this is probably why). Surely it would take them 5 minutes to make a decision when there are 3 places available? I can't let him go all through the summer not knowing where he is going to school.

I hope someone with knowledge comes along soon.

If they don't look until the start of next term, you could be disadvantaged if 3 more people apply in the next 6 weeks who live closer than you. That doesn't seem right.

You coudl write letter directly to the chair of governors and ask if there was any way possible of speeding up the decision as you have just moved and need to know where the kids are going to school.

It may be possible, for example, 3 places, 2 applicants, simple double checking of church reference letters.

May be impossible eg 3 place 5 applicants, decision needed by more people.

just to add, I am a governor, and our last meeting was 2 weeks ago, and next not until 3 weeks in to term, so if it is dependent on a governors meeting, you may well have to wait.

But it should be possible for an interim decision to be ratified by the full governing body at the next meeting.

If there are 3 places and 2 applicants you wouldn't need church reference letters. You could be a devil worshipper and they'd have to let you in.

If it's for next term then they are not supposed to look at them until next term in case anyone applies to start this term as they would be offered any places first.

It is difficult for parents as they just want to know which school their children will be starting at.

Usually there is a clause that says 'must start within X weeks' (where the number of weeks is school weeks not actual weeks)

e.g. Hampshire states: 'Applications are considered no more than four weeks in advance. Exceptionally, applications requesting a September start will be processed from 12 June 2017.'

For in-year there is usually a clause, but if it to start at the beginning of the school year, there isn't.

Teen - not sure if that is true if it isn't normal criteria?

sorry, I meant the bit about they have to take them if only 2 applicants for 3 places, are they allowed to refuse if they are an academy etc (no idea)

Two others at random:

Derbyshire: 'Upon receipt of an application the school will be notified of the application and asked to confirm if a place is available or not within 5 school days. All decisions will be confirmed by the Council acting as a clearing house. Where a place is offered and the application is made on the basis of a house move, the child will normally be admitted within 10 school days of the parents contacting the school following receipt of the offer'

Cambridge: 'An application can be made up to six teaching weeks prior to the place being required. The Admissions Team will consider the application and make a school offer within their normal timescales. Your child will then be put on the school’s roll, and if you do not take the place up on the date specified your child will be marked as absent without permission. '

OP - double check what is says for your area.

If you have space during the academic year in that year group you have to offer the place even if you are an academy.

The quotes from 'Tween' are all related to in-year not for the next academic year.

I don't think they are allowed to refuse. I thought if a school has a place and you apply you have to be accepted (unless EHCP, or excluded from elsewhere)?

Hopefully admission, prh, PanelChair and PatricaHolm will turn up this evening.

Teen both of those are LA admission though, this isn't

Charmatt That is true. But doesn't 'in year' just mean 'not at usual admission time' as in not yR/y7?
And therefore anyway can't they apply now for e.g. a y1 place, but then not take it up until start Sept owing to the fact that there are

steppe You are right I'm quoting LAs not schools who are own admission authority. But there are 'rules' for admission that everyone has to follow.

I'll be interested to hear the experts view on whether they are really allowed to sit on an application even if there are spaces ...

The LA where I work are very difficult and insist that the application of places is within the academic year. Application for places from September 2017 (even for the first day of term) are not processed until after the end of term. This leaves parents in a really upsetting situation as they just want to know where their children a going to school. Equally schools would prefer to settle the paperwork with parents to ensure they know a start date for a child. I work really hard to stay within the procedures but to help parents know they have a place.
The pedantry over application of the procedures is at the heart of it all.
Our LA does not chase up parents who do not accept places for first admission, but have very strict rules for those who are in-year admissions.

I believe that the procedures could be applied in a way that balance the issues of both sides, but it depends who runs the scheme!

Wow.

Ok, so it's an in-year admission (ie an admission not at yrR). The normal rules in the LA are that for September starts you can't apply until 1 July of the preceding term.

So we put an application for both DCs for the same school on 1 July. It takes the LA a week to respond but then they allocate a place for 1 child at the school we want but not the other.

Our backup (the church school) is it's own admitting authority so you apply direct to them. But they have apparently the same rules as the LA, ie that you have to take up the place within 10 school days. There are only 6 days left of term.

I was wrong when I said they have 3 spaces in his yr group currently. They have 7. There is no way that they are going to have 7 children arrive over the summer who all fit faith criteria. I've spoken to a friend who is head of a faith school and she said when there are vacancies they just give to the next person on the list. It wouldn't need to go to a governors meeting. She can't understand why they say we won't get a decision until September. It's not good for the child, the teacher or the school. I have left a message to speak to the Head and see if I can get her to see sense.