School Acceptance Terrified & Overwhelmed With Stress

[Bellasara121]

Hi I’m writing this at the moment because I’m full of stress I can’t eat or sleep. So all of school places acceptances happened 2 days ago which has come as a massive shock to me because I knew nothing about the form.

My son is due to start school in September I applied him to the school nursery full time in 2022 which he was accepted and he was given a place I had no idea that I had to apply again, school did not tell me or any parents or even the local authority.

Now here is the catch this school is in my catchment area, it is physically the closet school to me, my eldest already attends this school as well and she has an active EHCP. (With my eldest she was automatically given a school place due to she attended the nursery). I physically have no transport of my own from June (my MOT/ Tax/ Insurance runs out), I cannot afford to retax / insure and MOT my car. I am normally very organised and put my car money aside ready but my sons nursery fees have used this money with nothing left over and with the cost of living on top as well which has just left me scraping by I was skipping meals so my son could go to school because he loves school and wanted to be with children his own age. So my application only went in on results day and 4 people from nursery have been rejected already. (There are 5 parents who have put it in late because they did not know either there is even a family that live physically next door to the school and it takes 2 minutes to walk there on the waiting list).

I am terrified and stressed out my mind if they try and send him to a school further away I physically cannot get 2 children to 2 different school on time and especially because I need my local school bus. On top of this I have a son with deafness at home and my weight has nearly hit 6 stone and I have anemia, where I’m currently suffering with the symptoms of extreme tiredness because of my weight and anemia and will not be able to cope with the physical demand on me with 2 school runs. Yes I have a husband but he works full time to pay the bills so the school run and child care solo falls on me.

What would you do if you were me?

It is standard to release info on admissions categories. Care can also mean ex LAC, now adopted.

There are so many odd things here. It’s odd that the LEA seems to be relying on the school, at least to a degree, to publicise the arrangements for applying for places (but that’s assuming it was the LEA which said the school was in error, which OP has not confirmed). It’s also odd, though, that so many of the parent body seem not to have known how to apply for a school place - each LEA does its own publicity, but ours puts “apply now” messages in local media, on the backs of buses etc and it seems to be the main topic of conversation at playgroups etc from when the children are about 3. It’s hard to imagine how so many people could have remained unaware. It’s odd that so many places were allocated out of catchment, but there could be several reasons for that - missing applications from children at the nursery living in catchment, the increase in the distance at which the last place is awarded which is being seen in some parts of the country because of demographic changes etc.

It’s wrong, though, to suggest that the LEA “should have picked this up”. The LEA does not have a list of the children attending the nursery, to tick off which of them has applied for a reception place. Again, it’s the parent’s job to apply. If they don’t apply, the LEA will not necessarily be aware but, if they are, will assume that’s because they’re arranging a place in the private sector or home-educating.

It's normal to release numbers of those admitted under each category.

I suppose it could be identifying but only if you happen to know for certain the personal circumstances of all the other 29, as in which category they fall into.

That category will actually, by law, cover "looked after children and all previously looked after children, including those children who appear (to the admission authority) to have been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted."

I’m finding this all very hard to comprehend. How did so many parents not know? Surely it’s common knowledge with stuff in the press and local adverts! I don’t think you’ve got a leg to stand on unfortunately. It’s very sad you’ve been unwell but between you and your partner, you should have been more switched on.

There were no adverts anywhere in our county and LA have confined school failed to notify people

Really? Where in the UK are you, OP? I have never come across this and this is an area I work in.

The school have no obligation to inform you. Have you misunderstood what the LA meant?

I will say that at the time I applied for my youngest i didn't see any notices. Thankfully I was aware but I don't get papers or have a local library so wouldn't have seen any adverts in those places

Not even on social media?

@Bellasara121 I am struggling to understand how your eldest DD was allocated a place at this school when you didn't make an application for her to start school either. I appreciate she was in the nursery that runs on the school site, but if the Local Authority were handling applications for the school then as well, then everyone offered a place must have actively applied for the place. Are you sure you didn't fill out or sign a paper form that the school submitted for your eldest DD?

OP's eldest has an EHCP so it is a different process.

The OP's older daughter has an EHCP. The OP says that she was automatically given a place because she attended the school nursery, but I would imagine it was the EHCP annual review process that named the school.

How would the school have known to contact all parents? Its not how it works in my district - there is information via nurseries, social media etc. I've had nothing about enrolment from the school, until the place was confirmed.

How would the school know all the children who might be interested in attending the school?

How did they even know your first child wanted to go to that school, if you didn't apply? Surely 30 kids just didn't turn up on the first day? You must have filled in some paper work.

OP mentioned her eldest has an EHCP - her place would have been assigned through that and not through the usual admissions process.

That's interesting, thank you. My youngest is about to get an EHCP but is already at primary school. I assumed that the EHCP would be a category on the usual application process rather than done separately through the nursery direct to the school.

They don't need to advertise. They don't need to notify.

The responsibility to make sure the application is in on time is on the parents alone.

They don't tell you to register your child for school any more than they remind you to feed or clothe your child. Its the responsibility of the parent.

Lots of places do have reminders just to try and ensure that no kids miss out, but they don't need to do it legally.

They do have to make information available though, most publish guides to applying to primary school:

“Local authorities must publish online - with hard copies available for those who do not have access to the internet - a composite prospectus for parents by 12 September in the offer year, which contains the admission arrangements and any supplementary information forms for each of the state- funded schools in the local authority area to which parents can apply (i.e. all schools including Academies). They must ensure that this information is kept up to date throughout the period in which it is possible for parents to apply for a place for their child, including updating it with information about any new schools which open in their area during the offer year. They must ensure the prospectus is written in a way that makes it clear and accessible to all parents.”

I assume it’s this which school failed to send out to parents.

The eldest child having an EHCP and being directly admitted to the school via the EHCP process is probably what has led to all the subsequent confusion. The OP thought that her eldest was admitted to the primary school due to simply attending the nursery, whereas in fact it was due to the nursery having been involved in the EHCP and naming the connected primary school on the EHCP.

Local councils don't normally notify do they? Ours doesn't. If you have a child due to be starting the following year you look around, look at the council website/Facebook etc. I don't remember being told for any of my 3.

It can't be an obligatory part of the process otherwise those whose kids don't attend nursery wouldn't be notified and would potentially be at a disadvantage.

Their obligation is to publish the composite prospectus online. They also have to have hard copies available. There is nothing to say that they have to advertise, nor distribute hard copies. They just have to have them available.

Yes, I just wondered if OP’s reference to the school “not sending out the LA’s letter” was drawing attention to the composite prospectus. Our primary has sent letters out OBO the council reminding people of the application process historically.

Yes this is what my school did not do

They're not under any obligation to do so even though the LA gave them the prospectus. The onus would still be on prospective parents to request it

I literally cannot understand how a parent or cared can not think to apply for a school place or be so out of touch with all information that is put out to know there is a date to apply by. A school can't just guess you want a place!
Take some responsibility. If you managed to get an EHCP for the older one you must be half decent with paperwork.