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ALREADY ACCEPTED SCHOOL PLACEMENT BEING WITHDRAWN!

159 replies

Elzemni · 26/09/2019 00:12

Help!

An already accepted school placement is being taken away because my landlord decided to renovate his property and i had to moved out way after school application deadline.

Basically I applied as normal like the rest of us parents for my 4 year olds school placement. Luckily he got a placement of first choice, visited the school and met his school teacher. Only to be sent an email from the local authority three weeks before him starting school requesting for proof of residency.

So i sent them the required documents again making them aware that my son is starting school on the 5th of September and will be starting as
normal.

However schools like to now come over and visit the child at their home address, so a day before me and my son were waiting for his teacher to arrive however she didn't show.

After calling the school and asking where the teacher was i was told to expect a call back for an update. Within 10 minutes i received the call only to be told that the placement had been withdrawn, i then explained to the receptionist i didn't receive an email only to be told "yes they will email you later today".

the day went by and nothing nor did i get one the following morning so as normal at 1.30pm i took my son in to school to visit his teacher and the rest of his class.

Upon arrival his teacher looked at me and said that he can't be here and i need to go to the school office as children and parents stood outside the class waiting to go in.

Bearing in mind im heavily pregnant and am due to give birth at any given moment. So i explained let's go in and let my son settle in and i will go and have a chat with
the office.

Few moments later the head teacher arrived and took me to her office, as soon as we sat down i was told that my son isn't allowed in school and it would be "illegal" of her to have him there as his place has been withdrawn.

I then asked yes i was told this yesterday on the phone that you had received an email can i have a look at this email, only for them to retract their statement and say oh no they told us over the phone! However i explained i had not received any correspondence and i was still waiting to hear from the local authority (LA).

The headteacher sat there really trying to patronise me explaining that i'm no longer living at the address when i had applied and that this place was now being withdrawn.

I then went on and asked her three simple questions: when applying for schools who do you apply to? she replied "local authority"

i then asked: who are school placement given by? she replied "local authority"

finally i asked and who has the right to take a placement away? to which she replied "local authority".

So my question was why am i sat here being told otherwise when they haven't even replied! further more rather then having your support given my circumstances i feel as if your trying to push me out because of something that was beyond my control!

The receptionist lady then popped her head from the door to tell me she had the LA on the phone, i explained i was waiting for them to email me so i'm fine not in a hurry to speak to them. (as to me my son has his position and is in school)

The head teacher then jumped out her seat to say "oh il have a word with them".
i waited for around 10 minutes only for the headteacher to walk in with an email from the LA to the school saying they hadnt received any information as required and that my placement will be withdrawn!

i then pointed out to the headteacher what i was saying to her 15 minutes ago that rather than having her support she wants me out and now she's waving an email in my face to say my son cant come back to school his place had been withdrawn and the LA will email me later! Now how does that work a school being told before the parent? the teacher then said if i was to bring my son in to school the following day she would then have to call the police!

i was not happy but kept my cool and went to grab my son who i found not in the room
with the rest of the children but with a teacher in an office reading him a book! they wanted my son out!

i then left, went home and contacted the LA explaining emails had been sent and nothing had been looked in to but simply on the say so of a headteacher my sons place in being withdrawn.

I explained i was due to have a baby at any given moment and resent the previous emails to show i did send what they required.

The position offered to my son was not at all conditional upon him remaining at the same address at the point of application. They had for some time details of the change of address and failed to take any measures in a sensible and judicious manner. It has been over two weeks now and my son is still not in school because it's states in their policy that a child needs to be living at the address from january 2019 up until September 2019 and beyond. this needs to be his normal place of residency which it was to be fair until due to unforeseen circumstances i had to move!

I simply don't know what to do is this fair? can they take his already accepted placement on their policy of having to still be living at the address?

OP posts:
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GreatestShowUnicorn · 26/09/2019 00:18

Are you moving back to the address?

Elzemni · 26/09/2019 00:39

@GreatestShowUnicorn no i'm not moving back there unfortunately Sad Redbridge LA are so awful honestly!

OP posts:
Pumpkintopf · 26/09/2019 00:45

Have the LA offered your son an alternative school place?

BrownFence · 26/09/2019 00:45

When did you move out?

HalloweenTinsel · 26/09/2019 00:59

I'm disgusted, they have treated you and your son appallingly. I don't know what to suggest. Did/ do you have any other choices of placement which you are on catchment for?

Tonnerre · 26/09/2019 00:59

Contact education lawyers as a matter of urgency - try Simpson Millar or Irwin Mitchell. If your address was genuine at the time of application, they can't legally take the place away.

Elzemni · 26/09/2019 01:00

@Pumpkintopf no i moved out the area literally borderline and was told to reapply with the local council i now live in but i shouldnt have to as i had a placement for school which i accepted only to be taken away on the first day of school because i moved away.

My son still remains without education, with uncertainty as the LA have failed to provide me with a response. It is evident there have been clear failings on part of the school and LA. Due to their negligence my son has no where to go and don't know where i stand still.

OP posts:
Elzemni · 26/09/2019 01:01

@BrownFence i moved out a few months ago

OP posts:
Elzemni · 26/09/2019 01:02

@HalloweenTinsel no i have no idea where i stand as all the receptions classes have all started and don't know where il end up plus i want him to go to this school where he has or had his placement.

OP posts:
Cantstopgrazing · 26/09/2019 01:04

After you applied for and then accepted this place, how long was it before you moved out?

Elzemni · 26/09/2019 01:06

@Tonnerre this is my point my address is 100% genuine at the time of application, then can see that evidently in the documents requested. they are going by the policy of having to remain at the address when my son starts school which was out of my control. However i read a placement can only be withdrawn on the basis of a fraudulent addressAngry not the case here

OP posts:
Tonnerre · 26/09/2019 01:07

That's why you need lawyers, OP. A quick threat of judicial review to remedy the clear illegality of what the school and council are doing should sort this out.

Elzemni · 26/09/2019 01:09

@Cantstopgrazing i moves shortly after accepting the placement however was bought to the LA attention in August due to the school contacting them even though they had visited the address in May to see building work being carried out and only left note! I don't underhand why the LA didn't email me in May. it's the school that had more of an issue honesty🙈

OP posts:
Elzemni · 26/09/2019 01:16

@Tonnerre how about the local ombudsman?

OP posts:
WhatTiggersDoBest · 26/09/2019 01:27

This is awful! Get in touch with the local paper if you don't get anywhere with an education lawyer. Schools hate bad publicity, it's an utter headache for the headteacher to deal with dozens of angry emails from members of the public plus pressure from above.
Honestly after this though I'd find another school for him, the attitude at this one is awful and if it was my little one, I'd worry he'd never be treated fairly afterwards.

TheTeenageYears · 26/09/2019 01:43

The LEA are well within their rights to withdraw a school place if the entrance criteria hasn't been met - they state you have to be living in catchment between Jan 2019 and Sept 2019 so if that isn't met they can withdraw it.

I know someone who had to rent within catchment whilst having extensive building works to their own in catchment property which was unliveable for several months just so they didn't lose the school place.

It's brutal and there is absolutely no excuse for their handling of the situation but as over the years so many people have rented a property in a great catchment area for the minimum amount of time whilst generally not even living in it all to get a school place at an outstanding school, LEA's have had to put is some fairly harsh measures to try and avoid.

Elzemni · 26/09/2019 01:51

but it is frustrating for parents who have genuinely lived at an address and the LA are aware as they have it all in black and white. this is just their policy however looking at the government admissions clearly states that 2.12 an admission authority MUST NOT withdraw an offer unless made in error or fraudulently

OP posts:
DrinkFeckArseGirls · 26/09/2019 01:54

Whilst there were failings in communicating the withdrawal to you, I’m surprised you didn’t know that was going to happen after you moved out. When I was applying for a school place in my London borough it has always been very clear that you have to be under the same adress when your child starts the school as when you applied.

meuh · 26/09/2019 02:11

Here's some advice from an appeals expert based on a similar case to yours, although I'd assume you'd be in a stronger position if you can prove it wasn't your choice to move out.

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2016/09/08/we-moved-house-and-now-our-primary-school-offer-is-under-threat/amp/

MidniteScribbler · 26/09/2019 02:53

no i moved out the area literally borderline and was told to reapply with the local council i now live in

So you were told to reapply, which you did not do. You can't just put your head in the sand, you were told what to do, but didn't want to. This situation is entirely of your own making.

SD1978 · 26/09/2019 03:05

Are you planning on moving back in to the catchment? Have you contacted your new LA to find a spot for your child where you now reside? How far away is the original school? If you're staying where you are now, surely a local school would be better? What have you done in the last two weeks to get your son into a school within the LA that you now reside?

Elzemni · 26/09/2019 03:36

this was the day my son started school. i shouldn't have to re apply when he had a placement

OP posts:
SD1978 · 26/09/2019 04:20

I understand that- and understand why you are upset- but I'm asking what steps have you taken to rectify/ appeal this decision. Or to start your son in another school within the last two weeks. And is the move to where you are now a permanent one, in a new LA?

zebra22 · 26/09/2019 05:01

I guess they will claim it was made fraudulently as you then moved out of the area so quickly

BertrandRussell · 26/09/2019 05:05

How is the LEA supposed to know that this was a legitimate move? The fact that you didn’t contact them, or apply for another school obviously looks suspicious. How much notice did you have that you would have to leave your original address?

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