Can I put my parents' address?

[seelor]

We're relocating from France to the UK so I'm applying for Primary places for my 2 kids to start September 2022. We're moving to the same town as my parents, we won't actually have a UK address in the town til May at the earliest. WIBU to put my parents' address? The online application system only accepts UK postcodes and I can't get through to a human on the City Council helplines. I don't know if this kind of thing is ok in the UK or if it's really a criminal offence. Help!

Apart from a few cases e.g. military families, you won't be able to apply for a school place in an English school until you have an address in the country.

You won't be allowed to put their address unless you are actually living there. It would be classed as fraud. Are you applying for Reception i.e. in the normal round of admissions or an in- year application?

It’s fraud and could result in any school place given being taken away

You won't be able to apply until May then.

www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children

There's a section here which may be helpful around applying from outside the UK.

But it depends on your local authority, and in any case you need to put YOUR current address i.e. that you live abroad. Is there not an option to enter the address manually rather than looking up based on postcode?

Which city council is it? I'm sure they must have an email address for school admissions that you could contact?

Copied and pasted from my link above:

"Establishing ‘home’ address
It is common for admission arrangements to give some degree of priority based on where an applicant lives. In these cases, admission authorities will need an address in order to apply their admission arrangements and rank applicants for their oversubscription criteria.

Admission authorities could ask prospective movers or returners where they will be living (see paragraph 2.5 of the School Admissions Code). This might include whether parents:

own or rent a property in the area to which they intend to return or move
are UK crown servants or are in the UK military and are returning or moving to the area
have provided other compelling evidence that they are returning or moving to the area
School admission authorities and local authorities can decide what evidence they require from parents to show that they intend returning or moving to the area, but this might include:

a mortgage or rental agreement for a property in the area
deeds for a property in the area
a letter from an employer showing a transfer date to the area
registration with a local GP
Admission authorities must consider all in-year applications and should not refuse an application simply because a parent or child currently lives in another country.

If a parent is unable to provide evidence of a return to the area (before the new school year for applications in the normal admissions round or for late applications, or by the start of the next term for in-year applications), admission authorities could apply a catchment area policy or distance tie-break, if they have such admission criteria, using the parents’ place of residence at the point the application is made. If this is in another country, it would give the child a lower priority for admission to most schools."

Hi, thanks for responding - appreciate it. It sounds like we will have to wait til we sell our house here and get a UK rented property. There isn't a manual override on the application system for addresses and I called but it's all automated and no one to speak to in person. It's Leeds CC. Hmph. The kids will be in Y2 and Y6 for the September start :)

We moved from overseas. Basically had to sign a rental agreement before the council would speak to us. It’s an archaic system that doesn’t acknowledge the global lives people live these days! You could put your parents’ address if you are legitimately going to live with them for a few months when you first get back, and make this very clear to the council so that you can’t be accused of fraud?

Yes that info from the Government website seems to indicate the possibility of submitting an address where the family WILL be living as opposed to their current residence. That's helpful thank you.

Unless you are applying for Reception or year 7 there is no point applying now anyway. You need to look at the In Year process for your LA, how they define address(usually you need to prove residence with a tenancy or council tax bill) and how long they would hold an offer of a place open. If you apply for a school which happens to have a place now you could be expected to take it within weeks. If another child applied who can take it in the meantime they would be offered it if you only wanted it for a September start.

If they're going into y2 and y6 then you're applying for in year admission so the timetable doesn't work the way it does for reception entry.

With an in year admission application you are expected to take up any offer of a place within a week or two, so you cannot apply until you are in the UK.

@LIZS

Unless you are applying for Reception or year 7 there is no point applying now anyway. You need to look at the In Year process for your LA, how they define address(usually you need to prove residence with a tenancy or council tax bill) and how long they would hold an offer of a place open. If you apply for a school which happens to have a place now you could be expected to take it within weeks. If another child applied who can take it in the meantime they would be offered it if you only wanted it for a September start.

I’ve researched this recently and this is correct advice. You need to be in the locality before you apply as you may need to take up any space when offered. I’ve also emailed most of the local schools to where we are moving and found those that have spaces. Many don’t unfortunately, particularly ones with good Ofsted ratings.

Thanks for those responses, I am confused by the system. If we move in the summer and my kids start in September 2022, is that classed as in-year? So would I need to apply once we have our rental agreement (May I hope) and the school would still hold the place for September? Is that right?

@seelor

Thanks for those responses, I am confused by the system. If we move in the summer and my kids start in September 2022, is that classed as in-year? So would I need to apply once we have our rental agreement (May I hope) and the school would still hold the place for September? Is that right?

Correct

@seelor "It's Leeds CC. Hmph. The kids will be in Y2 and Y6 for the September start"

What area of Leeds? Many good schools are oversubscribed.

I would give your parents and maybe move early as what will remain are likely to be sink schools

@seelor

Thanks for those responses, I am confused by the system. If we move in the summer and my kids start in September 2022, is that classed as in-year? So would I need to apply once we have our rental agreement (May I hope) and the school would still hold the place for September? Is that right?

An application for a place made in May for Year 2 and 6 would be in-year, yes.

You would need to talk to them and make it explicit you wanted the places in Sept though; many LAs wouldn't hold the places for more than a couple of weeks once offered.

(for clarity, an application is termed "in-year" if it is for a year that the school does not have a formal entrance point with a PAN - published admissions number. It does not relate to a specific time in the year.).

In most Leeds schools, formal entrance in primary would be Reception, though there may be some that have a Year 3 intake.

@Foolsrule

We moved from overseas. Basically had to sign a rental agreement before the council would speak to us. It’s an archaic system that doesn’t acknowledge the global lives people live these days! You could put your parents’ address if you are legitimately going to live with them for a few months when you first get back, and make this very clear to the council so that you can’t be accused of fraud?

It is a fairly normal system, just had a colleague move from South africa to amsterdam and it is the same there, she couldn't apply for school places, bank account etc until she arrived there. Other colleagues have said similar in the past. It is an admin nightmare but understandable.

Surely if you are moving in May, you would want your children to start school very shortly after? You really can’t just keep them off school for months.

Wouldn't they start in May when you move in Y1 & Y5?

Or are you hoping to finish the term where you are first? You might be able to start June/July for a few weeks if you moved sooner.

Having done the moving from abroad wanting school places stuff a couple of years ago, be aware you will need to be in the school shortly after a place offered (3 weeks from offer to in school or place removed in our case).
Applying in May may be too early for a September start - although we had great sucess with starting in June, getting settled, and being ready for the new school year in September.
Its stressful, but honestly, forget about schools until you are here. Especially if you are thinking of not starting back at school immediatly.
And yes, it's an in year application unless it's for standard entry points (usually YR and Y7, bit different if a middle school system opperates).
Good luck!

We're moving back to the UK next month. I've been able to submit an on-time secondary application for my child in year 6 as the admissions form included provision for being about to move into the area, but I had to have an address and be able to show a rental agreement if asked.

For in-year admissions I now need to wait till 22 November which is 20 working days till the first day of next term. I'm biting my fingernails as the school I like only has one space in one of the years I need...

I really appreciate all your message :)
Well the idea is to move to the UK early July at the end of the school year here. We have made plans to sign for a rental property from May hence why I would be able to register the kids from May.
Maybe we could register them in June (using the new rental contract or my parents address depending on where we're actually living), they finish school here (1st week July,) we move to the UK, then they do a couple of weeks at the end of the UK term. Maybe that's best. I feel like everything hinges on the school application system..