No School places - feel dejected

[Ahmawa]

So not slept since logging into the system at 12.30 to see my shock.

After calling all morning to the LA. I am in the following

1. School A - no7 waiting list (academy)
2. School B - no25
3. School C - no 12

A decent school near me (School D) - 5 in waiting list (not on this list)

Offered a place at a new Free School that hasn't been built, the building is behind schedule so they will have portacabins in place.

This school has 60 places of which 13 have been offered of which one is mine.

So after speaking to the LA I think the following is correct.

I can re-apply for school preferences and change the schools I had down in my application. What is the downside to this?

The LA adviser said I could give up the place offered at the Free School and then re-apply and drop one of my school preferences for School D.

However they said if I make a re-application they will not consider it for 2 weeks until the acceptances have come back. So should I just bide me time and see how things transpire or put in a re-application asap?

My DS has been attended the nursery attached to School B for 5 terms after he finishes this summer. He loves it there. Has made loads of friends and I have applied for my DS to attend there next Sept. Now are these strong enough grounds to appeal? The School only has 30 in each reception class.

What a horrible start to the week.

Take the place, so you at least have something - this is always the advice, as if you decline it, the LA have discharged their obligation to find you a place and you may be spaceless in Sept.

Go on the waiting lists for the schools you want - are they saying you can only be on 3? That's dubious, but some LAs do restrict. Depending on how many places they offer, 5th doesn't sound too bad.

And no, if the school has 30 in reception, those are not grounds for appeal - it would be an ICS appeal which relies on the admissions criteria being unlawful, a mistake having been made, or the decision not to admit being so unreasonable a regular person would not have made it. These are very very hard to win.

Can I say which LA it is that has told me that I can only be on the waiting lists of schools that I have a preference for?

None of the reasons you list would win an appeal i am afraid and your best hope seems to be the waiting lists. School A sounds like your best bet to be honest (unless you go on the waiting list for school D). What are there intakes? A larger school will have more movement so you may be more likely to move up the waiting list quickly whereas if school B is a 30 intake and you are number 25 on the waiting list it is really highly unlikely that you will get a place .

Intakes as follows

School A = 120 = 7th
School B = 30 = 25th
School C = 90 = 12th

School D = 150 = 5th

How long can I be on a waiting list. Is it correct that I cannot be on a waiting list of a school I did not apply to?

I really dont want to send my DS to this new Free School (I don't believe in Free Schools morally)

You can say yes.

It is a bit dubious because the admissions code says anyone can apply for any school at any time. Not allowing you to stay on the waiting list of a school if they don't have spaces would seem to be counter to this, but it's not been tested in court/LGO so some LAs still do it...

You can stay on waiting lists as long as you like, though you may need to reconfirm you wish to stay on them at regular points. Waiting lists must be held until the year, after that you may need to reconfirm, but that depends on the LA.

Take the place. You may well get a place at A as a lot of movement can occur on waiting lists

The point I am trying to work out is the LA wrong in not allowing me to be on waiting lists for schools I did not apply to?

The LA has to follow the law not their own policies? In that case then I will accept the offer and stay on the lists.

If the LA insist you can only be on 3 waiting lists at once, there is essentially very little you can do about it. So you have to decide whether to stick with the 3 you have or swap in others.

I work in admissions. It's been a long day 😬
It will depend on the LA. Some LAs will hold lists til summer 2019, others will until Xmas.
We wouldn't put anyone on a waiting list for a school they hadn't applied for. Parent would need to reapply with that preference indicated.
There can be a lot of movement within waiting lists. Hope you get something sorted 😊

Just one point.

School D which has 5 in the waiting list we live in the catchment area. So could I phone up and find out if I would be higher in the list than those already on it before making a decision to choose it as a new preference?

Our local free school is in portakabins at the mo but it’s a fab school. Where are you in the country?
This is often the case where I live but there is a lot of momevent and everyone gets a place before Sept but you have got a place haven’t you? Just not one of your selected schools?

Some parents will have decided to go private and may decide the schools you picked as back up

Some children can put a religious school and get accepted in to another non religious school so effectively 2 offers - they will define one in the next two weeks

Some parents may have moved

If school B was so good why wasn't it school A in the list?

This sounds like a nightmare. I would probably just have a nervous breakdown undervthese conditions

Surely the new school is a better option if there are only 13 children in his class. You wouldn't even get a class that small in most private schools. What is wrong with free schools put of curiosity?

School A was much closer, 5 minute walk albeit across a busy A road.

Place at a Free School.

My concern is the Academy that is building the free school has about 10 schools under its umbrella. They seem to be just hoovering up schools - how can the head of the Academy oversee so many schools effectively?

They seem to focus on poorer performing schools.

it's not been tested in court/LGO

This was referred to the Schools Adjudicator a while ago. Much to the surprise of all the Mumsnet admission experts who were around at the time, the Adjudicator decided that LAs can limit the number of waiting lists you can be on. I still think the Adjudicator got it wrong but the only way forward now would be for someone to refer it to judicial review.

Voluntary Aided schools control their own admissions so you should be able to be on their waiting list without involving the LA. Any near you?

I would speak with your LA OP, some of the advice being given here differs between LAs so ascertain what the situation is from the horses mouth.

Can I call round to another LA to see if they have places available?

I believe any and all applications need to be made thru your home local authority

Sorry to hear your news but agree you should accept the place and wait for movement.

Unfortunately parents hope that being at the school's nursery might work in their favour for admissions (I know we did). It's a bit of a myth (like putting just one preference down on a CAF) that HTs might favour current nursery pupils - when it's out of their hands.

Similar happened to me with ds1 (hrs now on yr8 so it was a while ago)... 350 kids in our city just didn't get a school place at all that year. Parents groups formed and orchestrated a media campaign (I'm not saying you'd need to do that) as the LA proposed things like bussing 4yr olds out 10 miles to a school with places for one area and I was told to contact the LA's home Ed advisor. In the end additional funding was laid on and kids got places after schools put in extra classes etc. It was stressful. Good luck and sympathies. My to top would be do your research, hassle the admissions office a lot.

Top tip even....

You can ask another LA about places but any application will have to come through your own LA.

So what happens for Schools that have a catchment area that falls into another council area?

Do you apply through your local LA but it wont list the school or the adjoining LA but you wont be a tax payer there?