Late school application

[sarah1601]

I want to hear from mums that have made a late school application, the closing date was yesterday and I completely forgot, the number on choice school is in the catchment area but is popular, can mums who have made a late application tell me what the outcome was? I am worried sick!

I don't want to be another person giving duff info so am fully prepared to be corrected, but when I applied three years ago, there was a second 'deadline' in mid-Feb that was different to just late applicants. Think it was 'late with good reason' or something like that. Not that forgetting is good reason, but if you have had issues to deal with plus the site being down, then it could apply. If it still exists as a thing.

IIRC, the thread about the dad was about him not applying for the eleven plus exams and yes, he did get a roasting because he said he had done it when prompted before the deadline - he'd lied, as well as forgetting/not getting around to it!

It is a very important deadline and hard to miss, yes - but it's happened. The OP is trying to fix the situation.

As I said, we moved after our initial allocation (hundreds of miles) and the new area's admission team were very helpful and we got a place at a school. Luckily for us, it was also a low birthrate year (the one after is extremely high and we wouldn't have got a place!) and it is a big school - this comes in handy when they go to secondary, though. There are a lot of small village schools near us but the secondaries are huge! It's a big change from a one-form year, even a multiple-form entry school like DD's is about half the size of the secondary intake. They are looking to expand further because of the high birthrate too.

Good luck OP, I hope your DS gets a lovely school.

All it takes is one typo to think the deadline is the 16th rather than 15th - I’ve done similar myself with different things (albeit with less consequence). There’s no point beating yourself up. He’ll be fine.

This might mean you have to consider a different option but that option might end up being perfect. All you can do is move forward.

It depends on your LA.

Our LA states:

'Late applications will be considered up to 17 February*, the date specified in the [LA] coordinated scheme, providing the applicant can provide evidence that they have moved into the area after the closing date for applications or can establish at the time of completing the form that there were exceptional reasons for missing the closing date.'

In reality they tend to accept all late ones for a few days - it seems as if your LA are acting in a similar way.

In reality they tend to accept all late ones for a few days - it seems as if your LA are acting in a similar way.

can I just say again, that if your LEA does this, and the late applicant gets a place ahead of someone whose application is in on time, then it is grounds for an appeal on the basis that they didn;t follow the rules.

On that basis, I would be very surprised to see any LEAs doing this, unless they generally don't have problems getting all the kids into their first choice school

genuine late applications, like in the first paragraph where it says they have to be accepted up until 17th Feb, need real reason, with paperwork, eg house move, you were in hospital the week before the deadline, etc

I deal with a different area of law, but "exceptional reasons" tends to be far more exceptional than "I forgot", typically including unexpected hospitalization or widespread electricity/internet outages.

Hope it all works out for you, op.

Agree with steppemum. Any LA that treats applications after the published deadline as on time is opening itself up to appeals. There must be exceptional reasons such as a change of address, serious illness or similar. Simply forgetting is not an exceptional reason.

I'm sorry but the person at the council who said it shouldn't be too bad because you are only 1 day late doesn't know what they are talking about. If you are late it makes no difference whether you are 1 day late or 2 months late. Your application will only be processed once all the on time applicants have been allocated places. They will come up with a place somewhere but it will be at the nearest school with places available. You may get lucky and get one of your preferences but the chances are that it will be an unpopular school.

I agree with Admission's advice.

Big school are better because of more children = more resources.
You never know, if your ds was allocated to the school you didn't want for first choice, it may be the best choice for him.
Good things is, you will be high on the waiting list for the nearest school, if you live only a minute away.
My ds goes to the school which was very popular and a lot of children were on waiting list at the time he started. 6 years later it's the worst performing school in the area. A lot can change over the years. You haven't ruined your ds's life at all.

steppemum - how would you personally know if the LA had done this?

My additional advice would be to talk to the school you want as well as to the LA. Although the admissions process is initially handled via the LA, that process is handed back to the individual schools in around June after the reallocations have been done. At our school, it is not uncommon that we are oversubscribed, but then a couple of people tell us over the summer that they no longer want their place, usu because they're going private or because a place has come up at their first choice. At that stage the LA is no longer in the equation - we are left to fill those places through direct applications, which are quite rare because everyone has already accepted places elsewhere. So talk to the school if you don't get your first choice - they might have local knowledge that the LA doesn't.

My LA says:

Between 16 January – 12 February 2018
If there is a genuine reason for late application or changes to your application – for example a change of address or circumstances - supported by written details and evidence, we will treat your application as on time only if the details reach us by 12 February 2018.

Genuine reason is not further defined so if your LA has a similar clause then you could try pleading your case.

steppemum - how would you personally know if the LA had done this?

well, the most common reason that people know is that someone tells them. My nieghbour's application was late and LOOK! they got a place. You see this quite often with people misusing addresses.
From there, you can ask the LEA for details.

sarah1601 I made a mistake with my DS secondary application. I registered, started the application in September and was only selecting one school, two deaths and an illness and suddenly it was November and I hadn't clicked submit! Worst moment of my life, its my third child and I have never missed anything so important in my life, we also live in London and the local secondary is hugely over subscribed and there was no way he would get offered a place now. It was only ever a back up as we had applied to independent schools but it added a different layer of stress. Thankfully my DS got into his chosen independent school. However the council were quite clear that my application for state was viewed as late, and it wouldn't be considered until after the offers day in March. I am interested to see what they actually offer. In your case it looks like they hadn't closed the online applications as they allowed you to do it. Have you got an email confirming the application? As I would be asking if it is being considered as a late application or not.

Hi I'm a mum that also made a late application for a primary school I also missed deadline but have been told the 8th June I will find out by email or letter

Dolphinrus

I would start your own thread for advice. It sounds as though your LA has accepted your late application, but that your application will only be looked at after all the on time applications have been dealt with , offers made and accepted.

You will then be offered a place in the nearest school which has empty places which might not be very near at all. You could be lucky and get offered a lovely accessible school, but it is also possible that for a number of reasons the school is unacceptable to you.

The advice will be to accept whatever you are offered, otherwise you won't have a place at all, but then to make sure you go on the waiting lists for preferred schools.

Good luck.

So what happened at the end @sarah1601