School application hell!

[Hairband500]

Hi, after some advice on best course of action for the mess that is dds school application..
Due to start this September, but are in process of moving house which is taking forever!! Originally put application in for catchment school of our current (old) house but once we were told exchange was happening I managed to change preference to brilliant catchment school for new house before the deadline in Jan..all great except the house then fell through
now in a small chain for a different house but same road as before (hoping to complete within 4 weeks) but have obviously missed the ‘change of address’ deadline which has to be supported by solicitor proof of exchange.
So stressed with the offer deadline coming up as we clearly will be offered a school on the other side of town which I really really do not want her to go to at all, and which sparked the move in the first place but it’s just taken so long!!
We can’t appeal - have no grounds, and can only go on the waiting list for a very popular over subscribed school which is a 2 min walk away.
DD is our eldest so no experience of the process and where we may be on the list/how long it will take if ever.
Has anyone deferred until after 5th birthday? Homeschooled till a place was available? I feel quite strongly that settling her somewhere for X amount of time and then moving her would be worse than waiting it out..but maybe I’m wrong!! Just don’t know what to do for the best!

Sorry for long post!!

I’d homeschool until available. My friend did that with her son after moving house.

How long did it take for a place to become available? Did her son settle ok mid year/be behind at all do you know?

A friend has been waiting for a waiting list place at her preferred school for 3.5 years now. Been between second and sixth on the waiting list (slightly fluctuating).

The year above and the year below have free spaces. But not that year.

Just as a note of warning. Even if there 'usually' is a lot of fluctuation, it doesn't mean a place will come up for your child. If you decide to wait it out, you need to be prepared for the long term. Nothing wrong with homeschooling, but I wouldn't do it if you were dependent on a school place coming up within x months.

How frustrating. It isn't the end of the world though to have your daughter settled in one school and transfer her. My dd was at nursery at one school and then reception for 6 months before we transferred her to a French bilingual school (we are an English speaking family so it was a big gamble with the whole new language for her to learn). She was supper happy, content and thriving at her old school so I felt guilty taking her out, but I really wanted her to be bilingual and thought I would take a chance. Best decision ever, as she is super happy at the new school, made a lot of great friends and she is completely fluent after a year. Of course the first couple weeks were a little difficult. Her teacher said she said she missed her old school (which is normal), but she never complained about it and quickly made new friends. She now tells me I chose her school well. So do not feel so worried about transferring her. I also transferred my son out of a nursery he was at. He had a good friend there and teachers were lovely, but again wanted him in the bilingual school. He is also thriving and super happy there with loads of friends. I think as long as you prepare your dd for the transfer it will be fine. I set up play dates straight away, made efforts to chat to the other parents etc

You originally applied using old address and then before the January deadline, you changed your preferences but did you change address to the house that subsequently fell through as well? Have i got that right?
The reason I ask is because the rule is that you need to apply quoting the address of the house you and child are living at on the 16th January. If you got the address changed to the house that subsequently fell through, then you have supplied an incorrect address and any place offered on that basis will potentially be removed if the LA become aware of that. The rules are that if you move after the 16th January, then there is a short period of time to allow house moves to take place but then after the second cut off date, the LA will use the address submitted originally even though you might have moved between January and April.
If you still have the original address then this is fine in terms of the admission process but you are as you rightly say not likely to get a place at the second preferred school because of the distance to the school from the original house. The other point to make is that you still do not have a move date that can be supported, the four weeks is only still a gestimate of when you might complete. Four weeks will take you to after the place allocations anyway, so no matter what the situation you will have to go on the waiting list for the new preferred school and hope that places become available.