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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

How long is it supposed to take to transfer primary schools?

19 replies

Whatsthatspookynoise · 28/01/2020 18:31

I moved house in October and applied for some primary schools in the new area (there are loads close by). Our first choice accepted us after I waited weeks for a response. I was heavily pregnant, ill and in constant pain and had to travel by train and bus to take my 8 year old to his old school. I would often not be able to make the journey and had a hard time with the school.

So I've been constantly going into both schools and ringing them up to see what's going on and why it's taking so long. It's always that they're "chasing them up" or waiting for something to be sent over or suddenly sending paperwork over only after I've gone in and confronted them. Still no call or response from the new school after I went in to talk to them last week and old school keeps saying if I don't take my son to school every day, they'll send social services! I've tried explaining how hard it is to travel in, in the morning, but they don't care. It's an absolute nightmare on the train and bus. They are jam packed from 7am onwards and only two buggies per bus which means I often can't even get on some of them when there are other mums on the school run. Also it's expensive!

I genuinely don't know what to do about this or who else to speak to, to see why it's taking so long. I'm stressing out big time and have a newborn on top of that. Is this a normal process? How can I make them speed this along?

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Mumdiva99 · 28/01/2020 18:35

Are you in England?

Who is the admission authority for the new school? Is it the school itself? If so there should be no reason for a delay once they have offered you a place. Do you have the letter?

Or is it the LA? In which case they are normally very quick to either accept you or tell you the school is full. Again do you have the letter?

To give you an idea our LA notifys you within two weeks of whether or not you have a place. Once they tell you they do you go to the school, arrange for your child to look around and then can start asap.

LeekMunchingSheepShagger · 28/01/2020 18:37

Does the new school actually have a space for your son or are they oversubscribed? Are you on a waiting list?

eddiemairswife · 28/01/2020 18:39

Have you got evidence of your acceptance (email?) from preferred school? If so contact Admissions for your LA and talk to them.

Original poster

Whatsthatspookynoise · 28/01/2020 18:50

I'm in the UK. I have an email saying he has been accepted. It was from the LA. Then I went into the school and they did say he has a place but they are waiting on all sorts from his previous school.

OP posts:

PurpleTinsel · 28/01/2020 19:15

How long ago did you get accepted to the new school?

We moved our DC’s primary school about a year ago.

We filled in the in-year transfer forms from the LA, once we’d submitted those we got a reply after about 2 weeks.

We were offered spaces at the school we’d applied for - this was via a paper letter rather than an email.
We had 2 weeks from the date of the letter to accept the place offered, the LA asked for a reply by phone or email. The person from the LA I spoke to also said that they expected our DC to take up these places in person within those 2 weeks or the offer of school places might be withdrawn.

So basically, we’d got the DC moved into the new school within 4 weeks of applying for a place.

Our DC taking up the places at the new school within 2 weeks was not dependant on the old school having forwarded details about my DC in advance.
We’d asked the old school about getting the relevant paperwork about DC’s progress etc together when we applied for the new school, but they weren’t able to get everything together before we left the school. The new school were fine about DC starting and paperwork being sent over afterwards.

What’s so essential from the previous school that your DC can’t start at the new school without it?

absolutelyknackeredcow · 28/01/2020 19:21

We had this - new council lost application and when new school had it said wasn't time to process it before long summer break.
I found that telling old school (who in this case wasn't problematic ) and new school that I would be off rolling them to home school until new school had place because of council incompetence worked a treat. This means that lots of assessments were needed. I did this by copying education dept and local councillors

alohamore · 28/01/2020 19:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

prh47bridge · 28/01/2020 21:14

Tell both schools that, as you have been offered a place at the new school and have accepted that offer, your son will be starting there on Monday. Whether or not the new school has all the information they want from the old school is not your problem and shouldn't be delaying matters. Ignore any attempts by the schools to impose a further delay and deliver your son to the new school on Monday morning.

Original poster

Whatsthatspookynoise · 29/01/2020 09:49

He was accepted 2 weeks before the Christmas school holidays. Even in person the new school have said he can potentially start on this date if the old school send over relevant info, which they of course haven't so the dates keep going past. It's supposed to be info on how well he does at school etc.

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Original poster

Whatsthatspookynoise · 29/01/2020 09:50

@prh47bridge
This is what my mum said I should do. I'm working up the courage to do this! Thanks.

OP posts:

PurpleTinsel · 29/01/2020 13:01

The new school should be able to have him start without info on how well he does at school etc.
My DC’s new school let them start without all that info from their old school being provided in advance, so it can’t be some sort of mandatory requirement for new schools to have all that before new pupils start.

And also, the old school don’t really have any incentive to get a move on with sending the info off, if he’s still enrolled at the old school and you’re still taking him into the old school.

Mumdiva99 · 29/01/2020 14:57

I agree with everyone else - lack of paperwork from the old school shouldn't delay the start date. Just tell them he's starting on Monday.

cookiemonster5 · 29/01/2020 15:11

I'm in Scotland so this may be different to England but I changed my sons school last year. I rang the new school, they asked our address to make sure we were in the catchment, then asked what date we wanted him to start and told us to come collect paperwork and book an appointment to look round the school.

I could have stated him the very next week but we waited till the end of term. It shouldn't take long and you shouldn't be chasing the schools up about this. Give them a deadline and then make a formal complaint.

BiBabbles · 29/01/2020 15:41

Sounds horrible, I think you've been treated so unfairly. I agree with prh47bridge and your mum. Alongside that, might it be worth contacting the LA for advice/someone to give the schools a push?

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 29/01/2020 15:47

DD2- offered place on Monday, met with headteacher on Tuesday, started Thursday
DD1- won appeal on a Thursday, started on Monday.

DD2 missed 2weeks of school, DD1 half a term. The admittance to their new school wasn't dependent on old school (which had closed anyway before we moved).

cabbageking · 29/01/2020 18:17

Information from the old to new is transferred online. The new schools verifies they have the data as a safeguarding trail.

Things like books and work completed may be sent later.
Tell school he is starting Monday, take bc, any medical info and SEND needs, contact info, sign any forms and proof of FSM's and anything they need. Remove him from old school register and sign their paperwork Friday.

Moominmammacat · 30/01/2020 08:44

Just over the weekend. Told school 1 I hated it on Friday, went into school 2 and was told they had a place and he could start on Monday. Easy! Best decision I ever made.

Neim · 01/02/2020 17:18

What a nightmare!

I would make sure he’s in school uniform on Monday morning (minus old schools jumper) and drop him off at new schools reception.
They can’t do anything, they have offered you the place. I wouldn’t worry about any comeback, you haven’t kept him from school, he’s not being denied an education by you, you took him to school. They will have to sort it out among themselves.

admission · 02/02/2020 20:20

Just to reinforce what others have said. Once you have a letter confirming they have a place for your child then you have a legal right to that place. Nothing can stop you from taking your child in and starting them at the new school.
It is absurd that new school is holding things up because they have not got a piece of paper. I am assuming it is part of the information handed over from the old school to the new school. It is usual for the new school to confirm to the old school that the pupil has started and they then send through all the pupil file documentation. I suspect that you are in a LA where they get the old school headteacher to sign off the transfer, which is not a legal requirement and the headteacher has simply not got around to doing it.
Time to get slightly anti about this and tell the new school when child is starting whether they like it or not.

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