Moving homes/schools no school places

[Bewildered2021]

Hi due to money problems I am contemplating leaving London and moving in with my parents in Rainham Kent for 6 months. I have three kids year 1, year 3 and year 5.

It seems most schools are oversubscribed in the area. Has anyone been in the situation with kids at different primary schools?

This move is definitely going to be disruptive to the kids but unfortunately unavoidable. To add to my problem one of my kids has an EHCP schools automatically just say no to accepting her even though she copes fine in mainstream education with support.

If I apply to schools with the the new local authority does anyone know if the the children’s current school will be notified? I’d like to keep it quiet until it is all finalised in case the move falls through.

Any advice will be much appreciated.

No they won't be told.

In my old LA area (Surrey) the in-year transfer form had to be completed by the parent then handed to the school for the head teacher to complete their bit.

Is there any reason why you don’t want the current school to know you’re thinking of leaving? Relocation is a perfectly valid reason.

Sorry, I meant the head teacher of the current school.

I've applied for in year school admissions in three different counties, and researched a few more...never had to tell old school until they were actually leaving. It was all done online via local council website. They were only interested in old school if it was within the local area.

The issue is your youngest... they can only have 30 children perclass in Reception to year 2 except in very special circumstances.

You can appeal to get them into the same school. It might not be successful, or they could be sympathetic. I was offered transport when offered different schools.

Contact the new LA and ask them if they'll tell your old school. We moved put in an in year application to go on the wait list for another school in the same LA.We knew there were no spaces before we applied, so DC would have to stay at his old school. I asked the LA and they confirmed they would notify his old school we'd applied elsewhere, even though the lack of a space meant he wouldn't be moving. His old school never mentioned it, so without asking the LA I wouldn't have known they knew. With it being a different LA I'd guess they are much less likely to notify them, but you won't know without checking.

If you are going for 6 months, surely you’ll also have to reapply for your DC’s places at their current school when you come back? There’s no certainty that they’ll be available.

@BikeRunSki

If you are going for 6 months, surely you’ll also have to reapply for your DC’s places at their current school when you come back? There’s no certainty that they’ll be available.

Sorry, I think I’ve misunderstood. You are moving to Rainham. You’ll spend 6 months with your parents. You’re not going back to London after 6 months.

kids in different schools is common in the private sector. Basically you take what you are given then you put all the children on waiting lists at the other ones schools in the hope that you can consolidate a bit, also on the WL for schools that you prefer - it'll settle down eventually as people move around.

Why would the move fall through?

When we moved, we couldn’t apply without an address we’d be resident at. We were buying, so that meant buying the house before we could confirm school places.

As you’ll be applying from your parents’ address, this isn’t an issue. So why would it fall through?

At the ages your children are you really don’t want to be moving them again if you can avoid it. Your Year 5 you also need to think about what secondary schools you’ll be near to.

Year 3 & 5 aren’t subject to infant class size so you may find that easier to get them spaces than Year 1.

If your child has an EHCP the receiving local authority is responsible for placement. The EHCP is transferred to the new local authority and the responsibility for review etc becomes theirs...so yes the 'old' authority should be informed. If you don't inform them yourself, they will become aware through other channels.In order for the new school to access any funding/ provision the local authority must support the placement and once they are aware they will contact old authority to request records.

You need to talk to the new LA given that you have a child with an EHCPlan. In theory you can name a school that you want your child with EHCPlan to go to. But realistically it does depend on which of your children has the EHCPlan.
I would be clear with the LA that you are moving in with mum and have no intention of moving back or anywhere else in the foreseeable future, so that you ensure that the LA does actually do something rather than hope you will move again.
When you speak to the LA you will need to make a formal admission application for all three of your children but ensuring that the LA know that one child has an EHCPlan. Whether you will get all three places in the same school is going to be a bit of a potential problem and it is your year 1 child which is the biggest issue because of the Infant Class Size Regulations

Children with SEN are usually pretty high on the admissions criteria (just behind children in care) so I'm surprised she is refused. Given you are only putting them in a school for 6 months I would have thought you have a good case for the school going over their numbers (which they can do at headteachers discretion). The LA has to provide a school place for your children, have you spoken to admissions at the council or just phoned schools?

Sorry if I've misunderstood. Are you moving permanently but only living with your mum for six months? Or living with your mum for 6 months and then returning to your current town?

Be aware if you move LA the new LA will review and potentially amend or even cease to maintain the EHCP.

Unless the school is wholly independent the LA can only refuse to name your preferred school if they can prove one of the following:

• The setting is unsuitable for the age, ability, aptitude or special educational needs (“SEN”) of the child or young person; or
• The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for others; or
• The attendance of the child or young person would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.

The bar is relatively high. Being 'full' (there no legal definition of full) is not enough of a reason to refuse admission, the LA has to prove they are so full it is incompatible. If the LA can not prove one of the above they can, and must, name the school regardless of whether a school objects when consulted.

Thank you everybody for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate it as this is the first time I’ve been in this predicament. I will not be returning to my current local authority after the 6 months with my parents. I just didn’t want them to know at this stage as I feel they will wash their hands of my daughter with the EHCP if they realise a move is imminent.

Also I can only move once I know my kids will have a school place. I realise I’m supposed to move first and then sort out the school place but I’m going to (try) and string out their current school till I have more certainty on whether I can get them all into the same school or certainly schools nearby each other.

I found a school that has a year 1 and year 3 place but no year 5 place. There is also a possibility that one of the local catholic schools has places for all of them but because my children are not baptised catholic they may be refused.

I'm pretty certain they can't refuse them if not baptised unless it was written into admissions policy. But never heard of a faith school with that.
They are lower priority if school is full. But they have to fill spaces