Catchment area

[Skittlebug]

I've have just bought a house which is in the process of being renovated, however our old house which we are renting out once we leave is in the catchment area of the school we wish to send our daughter (it's minutes away from our new house). the school is over-subscribed so we are unlikely to get a place if we move. What is the best plan, stay put but make do with no garden and dangerous main road with monthly accidents outside home until little one starts school or move and leave this house empty until daughter has a place in school then change address? (Is this illegal?)

If you ar eliving in th eold house now, and the new house is not ready, then apply from this house.

But if you move before Jan 15th (application day) then you apply from this house, you are breaking the law, and you will probably be found out. They do check addresses, and they do check that you are living at the house you use as an address.

So, depending on the age of your child, you woudl need to stay in th eold house until at least September 2021.

There may be a period after January 15th and before allocation is made in April where you are obliged to notify of a change of address. Check LA website. So even if you are in situ in January your new address would be used. Two addresses close together may well raise eyebrows, have you ever lived in your second property?

No have only just bought it last week, it needs a lot of renovation before we can move in.

How old is your daughter? Are you applying for next September?

Basically you need to be genuinely living in the house you apply from. You can't only be living there for a few months to 'work the system'. But if you are genuinely 100% living there whilst you renovate another property to move into, then it's fine.

However if you are moving a long way away think about the advantage of having local friends and also think about what might happen in the future with any siblings. Some schools only have priority places for siblings within the catchment area.

Around where we live people were moving next to the local school and then moving further away once the first kid was in. Things became problematic when very very local children were no longer getting in and they changed the admissions arrangement.

Yeah next September she's two at the moment, we've lived in this house for 3 years and will continue to live here until the house is ready.

The rules are in theory very simple. You have to apply using the address where the child spends the majority of the school week, that is where they wake up. From what you have said this is the old house at this time. Once you have applied then you have a legal obligation to tell the LA if you move. If that is before the 15th January, then you can alter your preferences and be counted as an on time applicant. Most LAs have a period after the 15th Jan where if you are moving you can still alter your address and your preferences. This final cut off date is usually mid February.
Where there are differences between different LAs is their "rules" around moving house from the cut off date in Mid February to the point in September when your child starts school. You do need to advise the LA that you have moved if you do so in that time period. However some LAs take a hard line over such changes and try to remove your place, whereas many accept that any change after April 16th when the places are allocated is OK.
You need to try and establish exactly what your LA will do but you do need to recognise that if you speak to the LA then they will make a note of the conversation and that could come back to haunt you if the LA do try and take a strong line with you.
There is clearly a best path here which is not have a house ready to move into before September, though some will still see you are playing the system if you move in September.

Ah I'll just move when the time comes and be honest with them; ironically it's the only faith school in our area and I was just really hoping he'd get a place, thanks all!

She won't be starting school next Sept if she's still 2? Are you talking about nursery?

Doesn’t the faith school admit on faith criteria?

Not all faith schools do. Voluntary Controlled faith schools will use the LA's admissions criteria, and some Voluntary Aided schools (eg ours) choose not to have faith as a criterion. Definitely worth checking though. OP if your son's 2, does the school have a nursery year?

If your child is starting nursery next September you will have to apply again for reception next year, and the fact that he/she is at the nursery has no bearing on he/she getting a reception place unfortunately. My DD is in nursery and I've had to reapply for reception for next September.

@LIZS

There may be a period after January 15th and before allocation is made in April where you are obliged to notify of a change of address. Check LA website. So even if you are in situ in January your new address would be used. Two addresses close together may well raise eyebrows, have you ever lived in your second property?

most LA do allow you to change the address, but they do not necessarily take it into account before allocation day. BUT if you move out of area they can then withdraw the place.

Honestly, there are loads of threads abotu addresses. They do check. They will remove places, and only the address where you are actually living will count.