Returning to UK from overseas, primary school admissions

[The8thMonth]

Hello,

I know this is early, but...

We intend to return to London for September 2019 intake. We will return in July 2019. At this time or children will be entering Year 1 and Year 3 in September 2019.

We own a home in Redbridge council, so should be able to provide all the applicable documents proving our address such as council tax invoices, driver's license, bank statements etc.

Should I be applying by the January 2019 deadline? Is it better to wait till we're back in July 2019? Does this matter given the year groups need?

As we are not looking for reception places, do we apply via an in-year application? Or just the normal admission to primary school application?

Does anyone have experience doing this? How did it go?

Thank you!

If you don’t need reception place then depends on your council whether you apply directly to the school or through the council. You require what is called an in year transfer. Check out the councils website for their specific way of doing it. You may need to make contact with a number of schools to see who has spaces in both years and that might be your biggest problem. Also it’s whether the school will hold places for you until you are back in the country or whether you can only start applying when you actually return. Definitely worth speaking to Council admissions department in the first instance.

You'd be an in-year admission (I'm assuming you are applying state schools and the year 3 child is going to a primary school and not a junior school)

You can't apply until you're physically back in the UK. I would try to get back early July before the summer holidays so you can see the school in action (and hopefully have things processed quicker as during the summer holidays it may be just Headteacher, caretakers and cleaners in school)

You would need to do in-year applications -

www.redbridge.gov.uk/schools/admissions-during-the-school-year/

So no Jan deadline. Unless you are returning military, which I am assuming not, there is little point applying early as once a place is found, you would be expected to take it up ASAP. You will be allocated schools with space, and no guarantee of the same school for both.

Ideally you would apply early July, so you are in the system as it were before schools break up and little can be resolved before sept.

Thank you very much. No, we are not returning military, just been working overseas for a few years.

Not sure how we would manage drop offs if they weren't at the same school... They often give sibling priority on reception admissions, so should think it reasonable they should be placed at the same school. Although nothing reasonable about school admissions.....

As you’re it applying for reception place no school has to offer you sibling priority. If they haven’t got both year group spaces they haven’t got them. You may end up in two schools and on keep the yourself on the waiting list of the school you prefer then you would have sibling priority. But still you’ll only get a space when or if someone else leaves.

As your Not applying for reception place. that should say

Once one has a place, the second will get sibling priority (if relevant for that particular school) and that might move them up the wait list for a place too.

Hi there,

Thought it would be helpful to let you ajd others know that I applied for a Reception September 2018 school admission from South Africa, using my South African address and my son got a place, in fact I only put down one preference in terms oj schools and he got accepted.
I applied before the usualy Jan due date and found as all others did in April.
I called the LA beforehand and asked if I could do an overseas and application and they emailed me the form to complete manually and I scanned it back. I attached an overseas utility bill and my sons passport. It worth calling the LA to find out if you can apply from overseas, it doea save you so much stress if you could do it. I probably got lucky because the state school was undersubscribed but so so happy. Good luck

I would check out with individual schools what their situation is with class sizes and current waiting lists to gauge which schools to apply for.

I know that a few years ago Redbridge primaries were full to busting, even though many of the primary schools are four or even five form entry.

The "better" schools are usually full and any vacancies fill very quickly, don't apply if you are not in the country because they will expect you to take up any places offered immediately, apply as soon as you come back. If they offer places even for a few weeks at the end of the summer term then take them and get your children started, the places probably won't be there in September !

I'm afraid admissions won't care about the logistics of getting children to two different schools, if you want the children in school the accept places, then start jiggling with waiting lists.

Hi @viques

I think, as you say, the schools are all still fully subscribed in my area of Redbridge. I will probably end up having to schlepp the kids to a school miles away when the nearest two schools are each less than half a mile away.