No primary school offer

[Pan01]

Hi,
Hope someone can help or provide some advice from experience.

For my LEA primary school admissions, you need to select three preferences which I did. All three have came back as no offer. The LEA did not and do not offer an alternative based on their admissions criteria. On the national offer day our online portal simply said
‘it has not been possible to offer a place at the school(s) on your application. further information has been posted to you.’
My husband rang the admissions office who said all of the information would be in the post and we can email with other school options in list of preference.
When the post came, I was expecting some advice on what to do next, options available, schools with places and how to place an interest for other schools. All I received were three reject letters advising I can appeal.
Naturally I called the admissions line asking for help and all I kept getting was ‘you have applied for popular places’, ‘the process is all explained in the admissions booklet’ ‘it’s all explained in the letters sent’. Clearly it was not. I’ve read the admissions booklet back to front and there is no advice on what to do if your child is not offered a single place.
After a lot of questions to the admissions manager and what felt like some pulling of the theeth to get some information, what I have taken from it is:
We are not given a priority in the second round over anyone else who changes their minds or puts in late applications.
We can ask for which schools have places, however this can change as they are in a three week window of parents accepting.
We can email to be placed on a waiting list for schools which is no garuntee to be provided an offer and we fall into the admissions criteria again of sibling, in care, teacher child and distance taking priority.
I can contact a near by LEA and ask for available spaces and apply with them.
I have gone with the last option. The school has asked do have a few spaces at this point and they have helped us loads, but all anyone can do is put me on the waiting list and hope for the best that no one changes their minds or puts in late applications before the next round on the 7th May.

I’ve also asked where we are on the waiting list for my original options and I’m awaiting a response.

I feel like this is completely crazy and I think it is a fair assessment to say it is an unfair process to be thrown back into the mix.

I’ve read other LEA admissions booklets and from the looks of it, many offer the best suitable place based on their admissions criteria if your preferences are not successful.
I asked the admissions managers for my LEA why no other offer has been made in the first round and the response I got was ‘we can’t legally force you to go to a school you have not applied for’. I’m guessing this is completely off the mark to advise. It’s an offer, we are not being forced to accept and other LEAs are offering alternatives.

I’m currently looking at other options also, but most of schools don’t work for mine and my husbands jobs.
I’m mainly on my own and I work full time under contract to stay at work until 4pm. My husband doesn’t work close to home and is frequently not in the country due to work. Trying to find a school with hours that will work for me to stay in my job is proving difficult.
Grandparents can and will help as much as possible, but they still work and it’s a huge ask from us for the next seven years. I’m looking at an option of a child minder with after school pick ups, but we don’t know if we will get an offer, or If we need to look for openings later, where the school will be, so where do you start with child minders and what if they don’t have any spaces.

I’m genuinely gob smacked by this process.

Anyone experienced anything similar and what did you do?

Thanks, from a bewildered mother currently in admissions limbo.

You say you don't know what to do, but have listed all your possible options.

You either have to apply for a school that does have spaces available, appeal the decision not to offer you a place at either of your three choices or go on the waiting lists or all of the above.

It's not up to the LEA to tell you where to go, they can tell you where there is space and you decide.

Where do you live compared to the schools you've applied for? Did you not put your nearest school as one of your preferences? Are you not in catchment for any of them?

Hi fatted,
It wasn’t my intention to imply that I didn’t know what to do. I know what to do now after a long process of trying to find it out for my self, lots of trusty googling and questioning the LEA to get them to give me some information.
I’m asking for peoples advice from experience on this. There is little out there about people without an offer and what they had to do/go through.
Yes I applied for schools within my catchment area. There is only one school closer which I did not apply for because it doesn’t work for mine and my husbands employment. To me this is a key element to selecting a school as we need to be able to keep a roof over our heads.
if you have to apply for the one that is the closest possible, what’s the point in the application process in the first place? Is this stupid of me to think this?
In heinsight, we should have applied with neighbouring LEA from the start, as there are two schools of a similar to equal distance to our second choice. Our first choice which is the second closed school to me is 0.8 miles according to google. I don’t know what system the admissions use to calculate the safest walking distance. However it’s in a highly populated area with more and more new houses been built. It was going to be a hard one to get into.

Surely you have a catchment school, not multiple catchment schools? My DC are not at a catchment school but the one they are at is probably slightly closer than the catchment. Doesn't alter the fact that the catchment lines are drawn where they are drawn.

Why doesn't the catchment/closest school work for your employment?

When does your dc turn 5? It might be possible to leave them in their current childcare and start later. You could apply to the nearest school so you at least have a place.

Not all areas have fixed catchment areas, here it is just done on distance as the crow flies.

Your employment is neither here nor there. Do you not think that most people have to work, the majority past 4pm. You have to do what the rest of us do and use an afterschool club/childminder/change work hours/use family.
You should always put a choice down as your last choice that you are fairly certain you will get into (eg the closest one possible to you) at least then you have a school that is nearby rather than a possibly worse school far away.

Surely though, all school operate broadly similar hours?! If you work, you need wraparound care.

So see if they have space at the nearest school and they look to find a CM locally with space?

That sounds crazy! Surely they have to offer you a school place somewhere?

Can the LEA tell you which local schools were undersubscribed? Or are literally all schools oversubscribed?

Not all schools have wraparound care. And some schools have no CM's picking up from them. Not saying it wouldn't be helpful for the OP to explain a bit more, but just to say that for us, there certainly were schools that would not have allowed us to continue to work the hours that we do in the jobs that we are in.

sounds like a tough situation, Did you have more than one school in catchment? in our area it's only possible to be in catchment for one school and our admission leaflet advises to put that school as an option as you are pretty much guaranteed a space there..otherwise you may receive no offer. I hope you find a place that works well with work, or a good wraparound child care option.

The LEA have to offer you a place, unless you rejected an offer that was already made. I thought the usual practice was to offer you the nearest available space even if it wasn't a school you applied for.

Have they said that there are no spaces available at all? If so, they may be trying to arrange a bulge class somewhere. Otherwise they will be obliged to offer you a place at the nearest school with a space and arrange transport if it is beyond a certain distance.

If there are schools with spaces in your area, they should be letting you know so you can get put on waiting lists. I'm afraid the childcare issue is not relevant and you will have to find a childminder or after-school club. Even if the schools themselves don't run one, there are often local providers who do pick-ups, eg some day nurseries.

He turns five just after September. So holding on past september would be in my opinion, unfair on him. He is very much ready for school and looking forward to it.
The catchment is on distance in our area, not a single school. And just because you live closer to it doesn’t mean you will be offered a space based on the admissions criteria. Nor does attending a feeder primary school to a secondary school mean you will get into the secondary school.

Yes I understand everyone has to work and sort out childcare. However, putting the closest option down doesn’t mean i can get childcare for it closing at 3pm or 4pm on days you can grab an after school club. Yes he needs an education, but I also need a job.
If I got my first preference school, childcare would have been covered from 7:30 until 17:00, or even until 17:45 as he could go into the nursery which he currently attends until he is age 7. Again, another reason why it’s popular. You may think this is a long day, but my child already does 7:45 until 17:00 at a nursery. When he goes to school, he’s going to think he’s on holiday attending for shorter days.
I have a list of schools with current openings, however that can all change come the 5th May when everyone accepts, puts in appeals, requests a place elsewhere.
We are then placed back into the mix with everyone else and put through the exact same process.

I take it none of you have experienced a no offer situation then.

it’s good to get everyone’s thoughts. Maybe I should just put his name on all school waiting lists and hope for the best. I wonder if there is a limit.

I agree this is very poor, they should have offered you somewhere.

OP - it sounds like you haven't been treated very well by your local authority.
You can put your ds's name on one or more waiting lists of your choice. You can also appeal for the any of your original preferences.

From what I understand waiting lists are not finalised until a certain date giving parents time to accept/decline offers made so that is probably why you are struggling to find our where there are places/ waiting lists.

It is unusual but not unheard of to not be offered a place at any school. However I believe your LA does have a duty to offer you a place somewhere whether or not you expressed a preference in the initial application.

The only time I’ve heard of people being offered no place at all was when all schools in an LA were full so there were literally no spare places at all within the LA.

Is that the case for your LA?

I know the normal procedure in my LA if you didn’t get any of your preferences would be to offer you a place at the nearest school with places still available (and of course parents are free to reject the offered school if they choose to).

It is a difficult situation for you, OP. I think this happens in London sometimes but I have no experience of it myself.

The form is a chance to express your preference with no guarantee that you'll get it - I don't believe that statement about the Council not being able to force you to go somewhere you didn't express a preference for, tbh. I would say it is unusual not to allocate a place but I am aware that there are some years with high birth rates so they may simply not have enough spaces unfortunately, and if this is the case your plan to try the next LA for a school place is probably your best best.

If there is a school with a place, I'd ask them directly if they know of any childminders who collect from the school - sometimes the school can help with this.

In my LA you can go on as many waiting lists as you like - I'm aware that some LA do things differently but mine holds the list until the start of term and then the school holds the list until Christmas. Some authorities automatically put you on the waiting list for a school you didn't get, mine doesn't and you have to ask.

Good luck OP, I hope a place at a lovely school pops up for you ASAP!

It sounds like the LEA are penalising you for not putting your closest school as an option. I'm surprised they didn't offer you it? It's usual practice to offer a school that hasn't been listed as preferred rather than no option. Does your nearest school have a bad reputation? Poor Ofsted? Next to a housing estate? If so, I think they are probably penalising you based on that. Did you put in the supporting information about your son being at the nursery of the school you wanted etc?

Thanks everyone.
It’s good to sound this out and hear what people have to say.
From the stats published locally, my child is one of 36 who wasn’t offered a place in my LEA.
According to the national news, this could be 4000+ or 2% of the applicants for all primary admissions made for a place in 2019. However that figure is based on missing out on your top three choices and from what I read, in some areas you can put down more. I could be wrong though.
It’s no wonder I’m finding it difficult to find advice, so thank you for each and everyone’s thoughts and help.

If they haven't offered you a place because there literally are no places available, you may just have to sit tight and see what they offer eg. a bulge class somewhere.

Hi Slapinthebass
The school next to me is average. I wouldn’t say it’s bad. All of the schools I have applied for are on the edge of or in the middle of a housing estate. All the school in my area and near by area are the same.
Being in the nursery doesn’t help. It’s based on distance. It points it out in the admissions book that they do not consider it.
I do and I don’t feel penalised. I feel their process could be clearer and fairer.
Looking at other LEA admissions guidance, they are so much more well explained and cover so many different aspects in comparison to my LEA. I feel I have a case to raise around this and the lack of up front advice.

They have to offer you a place by law. It may not be what you want or have the right childcare for you, but they have to offer you a place even if you didn’t qualify for any of your preferences, this is generally the closest school with a space. If they have offered you something and you’ve turned it down, then you have no option but to go on waiting lists or apply to any school with a space.
It may be that they are neogiating with a school to put on a bulge class for those without places. However hopefully the admissions experts will be along shortly to give you some great advice.

The LA do have a statutory duty to offer you a school place. And in my experience that pretty much always happens; but not always until nearer the end of the summer term when they see how the other 97% have shaken down. You’d be amazed how many people give up places due to moves, choosing private school etc.

They have a statutory duty to offer a place; but the language about whether they have to offer those places by national offer day is much woolier:

3.1 National offer day
On national offer day, parents and carers should receive one offer of a school place, which they will need to accept or decline.
Where the LA is unable to offer a place at any of the schools a parent nominates on the application form, it may allocate the child in question a place at another school with capacity. This could be at a school some distance from the child’s home; information on home-to-school transport and when this must be arranged can be found in Section 6 of a separate Library briefing paper, Constituency casework: schools.
Occasionally, an LA may be unable to offer any place at all on national offer day. In these cases, parents may wish to seek independent advice from a specialist organisation on how best to proceed. Organisations that might be able to assist include:
• Citizen’s Advice
• ACE Education
• Coram Children’s Legal Centre

Taken from here:
researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN07147/SN07147.pdf

I reckon you’ll get a place in the second round of allocations. Loads of negotiations will be happening with the LA and Headteachers etc behind the scenes. But I appreciate that is still really crappy for you right now, and I’m sorry.

Get onto as many waiting lists as you can. Sound out childminders in the most likely areas.

I’m sorry.

They must come up with a place somewhere. However, they have until September to do so. If there is a shortage of places they will be negotiating with schools to find one or two that are willing to open bulge classes. They may also be talking to neighbouring LAs to see if they offer any options. And they may be hoping that enough parents will drop out (e.g. deciding to send their child to an independent school) to make the problem go away.

So I'm afraid you may have to wait. When they do offer a place it is unlikely to be at one of your preferred schools. It may be at a school you really don't want. But they will come up with a place for you.

Hi all,
Thank you for your help, especially the link to the parliamentary document. This will be a good read.
My fingers are crossed for the second round of allocations. It’s just rubbish living in limbo with little to no advice on what we do next.
I’m sure there will be a school with places left still come the second round. i’ll just have to figure something out if it doesn’t work with my employment hours. Maybe he can walk him self home at the age of 5 where I can’t get childcare? (Only joking, I wouldn’t do that, i’d at least wait until he is 5 and a half)
It’s silly that there are spaces at schools at the moment, but all I can do is be placed on a waiting list for schools and hope no one else is offered the ramining spaces where they put in late applications or change their minds on an offer they already have come the beginning of May.

Thanks all.

Just to calrify, the walking home is a joke. Just in case anyone thinks I’m being serious and takes it the wrong way.