House Move - in year admissions (no space available)

[Raych1]

We have to move and will be moving into very close proximity of an extremely good school (Coleridge in N.London).
My issue is- my eldest child is currently in year 1, so I have applied for school in our new area as an ‘In year admission’. We are moving too far away from her current school to travel daily (over 12miles each way).
My younger child is due to start reception in September 2021.

My youngest will almost certainly be given a reception place at Coleridge next year (we are less than 0.09 of a mile away).
However there is currently no space in year 1 for my eldest.
We are first on the waiting list (and number 6 for a different school) however it could potentially take years, if ever for a school place to become available.
I planned to temporarily home educate, while just praying that a year 1 space becomes available. But I’m now worrying if this is the wrong thing to do?!
I don’t want my children at two different schools, and I don’t really want one in school and the other home Ed.

There are many other schools in the area, however none as close, we have family at Coleridge, and really like their ethos / the way they run the school.
Would you simply accept any school? Or risk the wait...

Can you not accept any school but stay on the waiting list for Coleridge?

Yeah I could do. But I’d prefer not to move schools twice... feel it would be too disruptive for my child. They also suffer quite a bit with anxiety so wouldn’t want to make an already challenging time even more so.

Update to this- I’ve called admissions and there are currently no spaces in any of our local schools (all are very popular).

They have to offer a place somewhere even if not local or one of your choice. It may be easier to press them after you have moved. If you homeschool their obligation eases. Once your younger child starts your dc should be top of list and less likely to get bumped down, if there is a sibling category. As it stands he may be waiting a while. You may need to accept another school in the meantime, even if it does mean two schools.

In my dc oversubscribed school, there is a lot of movement but it tends to be over the summer. If you are happy to and able to home educate and you think it will suit your child, I think waiting is fine. I would think through how you will meet their social needs though if it does last the rest of the academic year and with current covid restrictions.

My dc in year 1 would have really benefitted from learning at home academically. However he is very social so needs that level of engagement from a class environment. There are some home schooling Facebook groups, why not delve into those and check what resources are available to you.

When I moved back to the up the LEA couldn't offer her a place at any school in the whole county. She ended up out of school for almost four months.

She had no friends and it was incredibly difficult for her to see her sibling happily starting a new life while she was stuck at home. Although (of course) the lack of place was nothing to do with her as a person, she definitely felt a sense of rejection.

She also hated going anywhere with me as well meaning strangers would ask her why she wasn't at school.

It doesn't have the same sort of feeling as it would if you were actually homeschooling as you always have this sense that you are actually waiting for a school place rather than doing it out of a choice you've made.

Thanks for the replies.
We actually considered home education before DC started reception last year, so I’m well read and members of many groups. Also our new area has a big home Ed community (including a forest school) AND family in the area. So I’m not overly worried about socialisation. Also DC LOVES being at home and absolutely thrived during lockdown home learning... But personally I don’t want to do it forever, as I want to run a business/ earn. And come Sept next year I’d like both DC in the same school.
@Zebrasinpyjamas you confirmed what the admissions just told me- move moment happens in the summer term. But occasionally in half terms as well. So perhaps I just continue with the home Ed and hope for more news in the October half term 🙏🏻

Is it still the case that the maximum class size only applies to key stage one?

When we moved, my younger DS was about to start school right near our new house, and my older one was at a different school 4 miles away. We were told there were no places for him at the new school, one of their reasons being “maximum class size of 30 in key stage one” even though he was in KS2!! . I’m sure they just add that in to try and confuse parents who don’t know which key stage is which year.

I appealed their decision and he was moved.

So presuming that’s still the case, the longest you’d have to wait is another year, until your older DC is in year 3. Still a long time I know, but at least not indefinitely.

Oh that’s a good point. Thank you! Good to know.
I’m also unsure what the regulations with class size are under medical grounds (as DC has GP supported medical exceptions)... something I’ll look into 🧐

@Freckles84

Oh that’s a good point. Thank you! Good to know. I’m also unsure what the regulations with class size are under medical grounds (as DC has GP supported medical exceptions)... something I’ll look into 🧐

I really don't understand this post.

The only way anything medical would apply to class sizes is if he has a 1:1 support in school. Kids with 1:1 can be taken on on top of the 30 limit on class sizes.

Tbh although in normal years at our school all movement is in the summer, there are a few in my dc 's school moving at October half term after covid delayed house completions etc. I think this year is so unusual its impossible to predict. Sounds like home educating is a good back up for you regardless of the wait time. Good luck!

Ask your LA about the fair access protocol. They have to offer you a school.

Kids with 1:1 can be taken on on top of the 30 limit on class sizes.

Not without an EHCP.

@Tomatoandbasil

Ask your LA about the fair access protocol. They have to offer you a school.

That's not the situation though. There is no place at this particular school.

I used to work in a grammar school, there were always several appeal meetings off-site every year.
We were expected to shoe-horn children in (I wasn't part of the process so I don't know how valid their appeal was) regardless of whether the school was over-subscribed or we had room for them.
Where's there's a will, there's a way.

@iheardabell that would not apply to Reception to y2 where class sizes are limited to 30. There are extremely limited reasons for this to be exceeded.

Once your younger child has their place next September, your older one will move up the waiting list (if the school give greater priority to siblings, most do). But if no place becomes available, they'll remain top of the waiting list but still no place.
How likely is it that no-one would leave? People always move for work etc.
It is a long time until next September though!

@MarchingFrogs

Kids with 1:1 can be taken on on top of the 30 limit on class sizes.

Not without an EHCP.

I think the likelihood of a full time 1:1 without an EHCP is pretty small