Secondary admissions - moving after offer day

[Avala2019]

We are thinking of moving into the catchment of our 1st preference school, 10 minutes away from where we live but v small (0.4) catchment. Just thinking through how it will work if/when we sell the house and move. We are looking at a house that is well within catchment so will assume we'll be moving there. So, we move in then presumably notify the school/LEA that we have moved and so will go up the waiting list for that school. We will then be waiting for a place to become available (possibly people won't show up on the first day in September etc). I assume that DS will keep his place at the school he has been offered (our 4th choice) until a place comes up at our 1st choice?

I should have mentioned that DS is in year 6 and is starting year 7 this September.

Yes. Your place can not be taken away simply because you move, unless the LEA suspects fraud. In your case, you would indeed keep the existing place and move up the waiting list assuming distance is a factor.

Yes we did this. Kept the original place and were offered a place at the catchment school in about June I think, after we moved.

You will be placed on the waiting list according to admissions criteria, so you'll be higher up than pupils who live further away or out of catchment, for example.

Thanks both. What would fraud be in this case? If we rented instead of bought? Even then, presumably they wouldn't remove the existing place?

No , it's if they think the address used for the initial application was fraudulent (e.g you didn't actual live there, or had rented very temporarily to get the place.).

If you were to keep your current home and move a little further away renting closer to a desirable school, that would raise issues as the LEA might decide the owned home still counts as your permanent address.