Messed up school application

[DecommissionedVag]

Absolutely panicking about this. Although it's pointless because I can't do anything about it now. I applied for our choice of primary schools before the closing date. Today I was chatting to a neighbour and they mentioned about having to send proof of address for the application. I checked online and she was correct, but I didn't send it. I don't know how I missed the information about sending proof of address but I did. I've had so much going on (marriage breakdown and terminally ill father) I somehow missed reading that bit. According to the LA website, even though I applied way before the closing date, it will be treated like a late application. I'm so upset with myself and I've given myself yet another thing to be stressing over.

Oh OP how stressful. Could you contact the office and explain and forward the proof? It may or may not make a difference but it’s got to be worth a try. Hope it works out.

I would ring them and explain.
You won't be the first or last it's happened too

My LA website talks about POA being required but speaking to a couple of mums in our preschool chat, none of them remember submitting anything and all of us have "submission confirmation" emails. I'm hoping we're not all stupid and maybe not every LA needs something?

I've literally just checked mine and I can't see anything for proof.

Oh no! On ours you have to give your council tax account number and they check it against that, is it possible you've put that in?

Yes, i'll give them a call tomorrow. I'm so upset with myself and I'm usually very organised so can't believe I missed this bit of info. I'm hoping that because 2018 was a low birth rate year, all may not be lost! It's also our closest school.

Send it in now and hope for the best. It can't make anything worse.

Bit confused you def don’t have to do that round here.
do they not just know where you live by the fact that you pay council tax to them? Or is it to discourage fraudulent applications?

Do you have an email confirming your application was received, OP?

All applications I've done (and I've done many) we've just had to include our council tax no. in the details section, in the same way you'd include address or phone number. No additional proof needed except the one application when we'd moved shortly before so didn't show up on the system.

Could you have done that? Included your council tax no. as part of the details section?

I had an email confirming receipt of application. But I've read on the website that when you apply online, you also have to send a copy of your council tax bill to a separate email address or otherwise your applucation will be treated as late. I have no recollection of reading this whatsoever. I don't believe all LAs have the same requirement, but ours does. It also depends on whether your child goes to preschool/nursery - if they do then proof of address isn't required because they should already have it. My child goes to a childminder, so we haven't already provided proof of address.

Definitely didn't include our council tax number. I've only just dug out the hard copy of my 2022/23 council tax bill.

I normally roll my eyes when people don’t fill out forms correctly, but this type (where you get confirmation you’ve submitted so think you’re done) I do understand. It should be built into the form (mandatory attachment field) rathole et than a separate email if they require something.

Surely this happens to loads of people, so hopefully they’ve got a sensible way of dealing with it.

I think you’ll just need to get in touch ASAP to see what can be done.

Good luck!

That is strange. We don't have to give proof of address until we've accepted a place, and it goes to the school.

Same here, Kent area.

Now I’m worried. I definitely didn’t submit anything and have no idea where our council tax bill is so no danger I entered that. Argh!!

If your kid is in preschool already you'll be fine. That's what I realised - my local council has my details from me claiming 30 free hours.

I did this too when applying for youngest’s secondary school. I rang the council in a panic and said I forgot and they said it was fine.

Ours just says you might need to provide it at a later date. Just call them on Monday.

In my area you provide it to the school once you have accepted the offer.

This doesn't sound right.
@prh47bridge and @PatriciaHolm may be able to advise.

It's not the end of the world, assuming you have now sent it in. On Offer Day, you contact them and ask to be put on the waiting lists for any schools (plus if you want any schools that are their own admissions authorities, get in touch with them as well and complete any supplementary forms they might want completed to be able to give your application any additional priority). Over the following 2-3 weeks, people start accepting and declining offers of places and the next batch of applications get handled. Positions change over the entire period before September (and afterwards) and the chances are that you will have a place soon enough - if you don't like the one offered, accept it but ask to stay on the waiting lists for the others.

I deal with admissions (albeit in a faith secondary school and therefore we/I rank against our criteria and submit to LA). The LA then take over and offer places. If someone contacts them after I’ve submitted rankinq with unprovided evidence (e.g. baptismal certificate) they contact us to ask if we accept the evidence or see it as a late application. Hopefully you’ll be ok but if not then definitely appeal. I assume the school you want is often oversubscribed? Usually if an appeal is lodged because of an admin error such as this, which would mean that the child would have been offered a place if evidence provided had ranked them correctly, then it is allowed, in my county anyway.

@TeenDivided Not sure what you think doesn't sound right. Some LAs require people to submit proof of address, others only ask for proof if there is reason to suspect that the address supplied may be incorrect. If the LA wants proof of address and you fail to submit it, your application is incomplete so the LA is entitled to treat you as a late application. I hope this works out for OP.

@prh47bridge Thanks. It didn't seem right to me that they could discount an application due to lack of proof of address without at least chasing the applicant if they have applied. (Like they can't take a school place away without trying to contact you if you don't accept?) But if you say they can then it is obviously correct.
(Still seems a bit off they don't make this clear on the application confirmation though. I'd expect a bit in bold saying for this application to be complete you must now ... )