House move during school allocations

[SuperrrMellll]

Hiya,
Looking for some advice, this is the first time I’ve ever posted so please bear with me. This is long but I’ll try to be brief.

My DS has been attending full time nursery in a school setting since September last year. He loves it, however it is two areas away from where we lived and took a thirty minute commute to and from the school. We always knew attending the nursery had no sway on the reception school admittance so here’s where the issues lie.

DH and I thought it was in DS best interest to move closer to his school and apply for his school place starting in September. We got our move date for late February which of course was way past the reception deadline. So, I had applied for three schools from our previous address placing his nursery school as 1st preference writing underneath that we would be living close by.
By moving house we are now closer to his school (5 minute drive) but we are on the border of the council boundary and so now are a different council borough.
Last Tuesday on decision day he was given 2nd preference school which is a great school, however we are now a thirty minute commute there and thirty minute back from that school. The nursery/school he is currently attending has him 18th on the waiting list, the LA stating distance is the reason not to be admitted but he’s closer to this school than the one he’s been allocated!!
I have had to call both city and shire councils who are just passing me from pillar to post. Because I live in the shire borough but it’s a city council school so we are kind of in a limbo really.
The decision was made from our new address too so I still don’t really understand how my ds has been allocated to the school furthest away.

I think I’m going to appeal this decision but don’t know if I have a strong enough case. Any advice would be appreciated. It’s very complicated so I do hope it makes sense. I’m just really annoyed that by moving closer to his school we are having to drive back to our old neighborhood for his new reception place. It’s so frustrating and I feel like we’ve let our ds down.

Advise welcome please. What would you do?

Not particularly helpful to you now but hopefully to others. I would always check what’s the furthest distance that the school offered placed over the last 3 years before deciding to move house for a school. And even that you can miss out. We live 600m from our 1st choice school but that year they had a high sibling year and we missed out and got a school that’s 5 mins drive rather than 5 mins walk away. The furthest distance was 300m and below!
This is why I wouldn’t bother moving for a school unless I could see it from my bedroom window 😂
there’s a school 1km away from us and one year the furthest was 0.9km and we would of missed out. I’m staying hopeful we can get in as since then it’s been just over 1k.

It depends on the school entrance criteria but if it’s undersubscribed you are likely to get a space. Also no matter what order you put your choices in the school can’t see if they were your 1st or 4th choice. They’d decide if you can get a space and then the LEA will see where the choices are determine which offers you’ll get.

@BendingSpoons @Mememe9898

That’s amazing news! Thank you so much, you’ve really reassured me 🙌

I didn’t realised the schools could ‘see’ your choices. I just assumed they got a list from the council with the names of new pupils as the council dealt with it all. Thank you!

No they don't see other the choices or know where you ranked them. Every applicant is ranked according to admissions criteria and the LA look at first choice school to see if each applicant is ranked high enough to be offered a place, if not they look at second choice and so on. So whichever address was used, your dc was ranked outside the intake number.

You’re welcome!
i agree with the next poster. The school doesn’t see your ranking. In my previous post that’s what I was referring to so you don’t need to worry about the school seeing where your school choice ranking is as if you put 4th choice and there’s a place they will still give it to you vs someone who put 1st choice if you meet the criteria more than the other applicant.

I think I would have planned further ahead.

If you're moving due to work/personal circumstances - just go for the best local school in your area.

It will help your child socially if he lives close to his school mates.

On the bright side, it's more important you get settled when child is at secondary school - so which secondary school do you want to go to?

I had a friend who wanted her child to go the school nearest her house but was told it was full. She contacted the school and it had places!

I would be contacting the school where you wanted him to go and asking. Its odd if he was already in Nursery there that they weren't aware of the situation and "ring fenced" him. I would also contact them in August or September as so many people shuffle into their First Preference Schools - sometimes it feels like the Second Preference Schools just need to arrange a three-way swap session. I've certainly seen Child A move from School C which means Child C can go there as Child B moves from School A to School B!

Usually the nurseries get no say and there’s no priority for nursery children. It’s done by the local authority by the criteria set, usually siblings, catchment, distance etc.

My granddaughter was allocated a school at the far end of the borough, they appealed and got a closer school. They were also on the waiting list for their preferred school and did get in there in the end. Even if you don't get in this year you may well be able to go next year, so don't give up.

You actually can't plan ahead if you've not moved! You can only give your current address.

What you need to do is put the preferred school as your first preference on the application, if you qualify for it when the criteria are applied by the LA you will be offered a place there. But also make sure you put closer schools on your list too as lower preferences.

Use all your choices, put your schools in your preferred order, always include a banker school, those are the criteria for optimising your choices.

We had friends in a similar situation - they moved about a week before offer day (it was for a senior school place). They moved to the next road along to the school and after an initial two week embargo on place movement immediately after the offers went out, they were placed first on the list (and got an offer about a week after that).

I realise that for you it seems part of the problem is the being passed around from county to city.

I’d suggest sending one email copying in both admissions offices at county and city. Be very clear with a bullet points; your address at the time of application and your address now. Attach proof of your new address and if possible the solicitors letter showing date of completion/tenancy agreement. (If buying and exchange was much earlier to completion, add those details into the email - again with proof.)

Make it clear to them the email is being sent to both offices and you require agreement from them both as to who you need to be dealing with. Ask them to reply to all.

I would also, but just for their info, copy in the school office.

The email may not get you the answer you are hoping for, but at least you’d have an answer to use if you do decide to appeal.

Good luck.

Sadly, you could live facing the school and if the admin boundary runs along the road you may well not get in. Each area has to place its own children so you do need to appeal, but be careful that you do not lose the offered place by doing so.
If you are more than 2 miles from the school ask for transport - this may "encourage" them to rethink. A nursery age child is not expected to walk more than 2 miles.
Appeals on grounds of need, siblings, faith, travel difficulties (e.g no pavements). Special facilities at the school of choice?
But I agree, while it does not sound promising, you get nothing if you do not try

Unless the school has a defined catchment area as part of their admissions policy, they can't prioritise children from their area over other areas. The issue here seems to be about communication between LAs but the reason for no place seems to simply be they still live too far away.

The OP is unlikely to get transport because they chose the school 30 mins away. There are presumably other local schools to their new address they could have chosen to list but didn't. Plus the LA still have to follow the admissions policy and can't say 'oh just give little Johnny a place to make him go away'.

The OP can appeal but nothing said so far is a winnable case assuming an infant class size appeal, certainly not logistics or faith.

The best option to me is to get on waiting lists of all the nearby schools but OP may prefer to stick with what they are offered, which is fair enough.

I don’t understand if you are 1.4 miles away how come the commute is 30 mins?

OP lived in town A but sent her son to school in town B which was 30 mins drive away. She has recently moved to town B, but is still 1.4 miles from the school, so too far away to get a place. Instead they have been offered a place at their second choice school back in town A where they used to live, which is 30 mins drive away from their new house in town B.

Ah - sorry 🤦‍♀️ - thanks for that!

I think the issue is you didnt check historic entry to your 1st choice school and what the cut off normally is for getting in (sounds like living less than 1 mile to the school is required). Basically, the house move is actually a little bit irrelevant, because neither your old home nor your new home is close enough to your favourite school. Its very brutal that the school you had as your first choice has a catchment of roughly 0.9 miles and you live 1.4 miles away now - you've accidentally bought the wrong house (if you purely chose it to get into the school, which I'm sure isn't the only reason and i hope you're very happy in it) and whenever you moved, he wouldn't have got a spot because so many children live less than a mile from the school. If you'd found a house 0.8 miles from the school you'd have been OK (sorry that sounds harsh, I'm sympathising because you'd think 1.4 miles would be ok!) Hopefully you love your new home and you didn't just pick it because of proximity to nursery/1st Choice school!

I'd suggest looking at any other schools near your new home, that have space or at least no waiting list. There's no point chasing down either LEA/council because they cant do anything right now, unless you have a preferred option that can accommodate you. Theres no space and you don't qualify for a space at your 1st choice, and you got your 2nd which is what you would expect if the 1st choice can't take you. You might find there's one you like that's only a 10 minute drive which will be more convenient and then youll be able to ask for a place there. Or, find new mums going to the school you got a place at, build new friendships before you start and I'm sure it'll be great and you've been OK with the nursery commute, so it'll be no different (hopefully!)