In year admissions - how long do they take?

[Lioninthemeadow]

Anyone have any experience of how long it typically takes a LA to process an in-year application?

We're moving house and I've recently applied for a transfer for my DD to a closer school. I was hoping we would hear if we have a place by the end of term (so my DD can say her goodbyes if needed and start the new year at the new school) but the LA have said they are busy so might not even process applications now until after the new term starts in September!

Is it really likely to take over 2 months to process an in year application?? You would think they would want to get places sorted before the new school year starts. My DD (currently in Reception) is an anxious wee soul and desperately wants to know if she will be staying where she is next term or moving on.

It depends on your authority. In ours we are required to process information and send it back so the authority can send out offer letters within 2 weeks. However, as vacancies come up we are required to check applications for this year, but if there are none, we are free to offer a place from September from applications put in for the next academic year.
I would ask your LA how long it normally takes. If it is two weeks, that may be too late to take it up before the end of the school year!

Apparently they usually aim for 10 working days but as they are so busy, it could take a couple of months to process the application, which seems crazy! I might call up the school next week to see if there is anything they can do. It's annoying as I know there is a space atm so really want the application to go through quickly.

When we went through it, they needed proof of house purchase so at the point of exchange, we scanned over our documents to the LEA. They received them at the very beginning of December. The school rang a week later to invite him in for a few settling in sessions and it was agreed that he'd start full time after Christmas. They try and stick to 2 weeks here. I hope it resolves quickly.

We did a standard in year transfer a year ago when we moved into a new area.

We completed our applications, sent part 2 forms from previous school and documentation to prove new address . We had school space offers 10 days later ready for starting school on day 1 of autumn term...

A lot of authorities don't/can't make offers over the summer holidays as the schools are closed. The LA I work for is in that position. We will log applications as fast as we can and send waiting lists to the schools weekly to determine vacancies and make offers but we probably won't make any offers after the end of next week. If there was no vacancy at your requested schools and you are within 2 miles of your current school you would be low priority for us to find an alternative offer compared to kids who have moved from another town and have no place at all. I work for a very large LA with over 120 primary schools and thousands of in year applications a year. It may vary in smaller LAs

It is complete rubbish. They should have processed it within 2 weeks. They can do it on the same day. Thete is no mystery to it if thete are places.
LA receive form
LA check numbers - on computer
LA forward form to school electronically and instruct them to admit your child.
School admit child - if they have places they have no choice.
They are not allowed to wait and see if you go away, or interview you to see if they want your child.
If they have no place in your first school of choice they should send it to the next one that has a place.
If there are no places in the schools you have chosen they should ring you and tell you and tell you where they have places and you can choose.

Do not accept what they are saying about having to wait. It is entirely unreasonable. Tell them you will make a complaint unless this is dealt with.

Our applications were received and accepted on 14th August and we had offers on 24th August.

Not always correct though Lulu.
A lot of schools handle their own admissions outside of the standard Reception entry - the council aren't involved at all. So they have to receive the paperwork from a parent, and convene their admissions committee to meet to see if they can offer a place - that can take some time if it's made up of teachers and governors. At this time of year they may know of places opening up because children are moving, but can't offer those spaces until very close to the end of term when they know for sure that child is leaving.
It can take a couple of weeks to get to the stage when you know for sure if you can offer a place.

We changed schools part way through this year and it was much easier than this sounds! We looked at the school on the Wednesday, filled in the application form and handed it in to the school whilst we were there and Wednesday afternoon got a phone call saying we could start Monday.
I didn't realise in other areas you applied to the la not the school.

Always that should not happen if they are a LA school. The LA is the admissions authority legally. That is how schools 'weed out' children and famillies they don't want to take and take the ones they do.

We're applying to a school where admissions are managed centrally by the LA - if the school did them itself I'm sure it would be much quicker.

thecraftyfox that's interesting to know, although it seems mad that some LAs don't work over the summer. There must be so many kids who want to start the new school year in a new school.

What's really frustrating is they make it impossible to get through to anyone on the phone, so I can't chase it up or find out what the progress is!

Lulu - that's still not correct.

All state primary schools are overseen by the local authority. However many school are voluntary aided in the case of many church schools or academies. In which case they handle most of their own admissions.

But your suggestion that they can weed out families they don't want is completely untrue. They will have an 'admissions policy' that will be agreed by the governors or the Diocese. They HAVE to follow those rules. So if there's a space, they HAVE to offer it, using the admissions rules to determine who it goes to if there's more than 1 applicant.

I know this because I am the administrator at a Church of England school.

The County Council handle our admissions at Reception, and additional children finishing infant school and joint at juniors (yr 3). We handle all other applications. The council call us if they've had an enquiry outside of those years and make the parents contact us directly. They are not allowed to offer on our behalf as it has to be done internally by the committee of governors, Head and staff.