Waiting list for in year application for year 3

[Kaens]

Hi everyone, long story short. I made in year application for my son for in year 3 primary school in Berkshire. We made 2 choices and got offered our first school. But admisson team want to know that when we are moving to the property which i made an application from. I emailed them saying that we are waiting for our exchanged of contract and i let you know when is the completion date is. Admisson team emailed me back said that you need to be in this address in 2 weeks and i can’t keep the place for this school as this school is very oversubscribed. They withdrawn our application and said basically that we will get our second choice. So we reapplied again with our completion date attached the file, we got our second choice of school. I accept the allocation school and put my son on waiting list for our first choice. First choice school is 8 mins walk, second school is 20 mins walk to our address. I called the administration authority is council ,to know which place my son is on waiting list. They said to me that, there are 3 kids on waiting list but couldn’t tell me what position my son is. I don’t understand how we get this school in first application and now we are on waiting list with 3 kids. This all happened in a month time. Is anybody experience this? Why are they not telling me what position we are on waiting list? Thank you

You aren’t supposed to apply to the new school until you have moved. The other applications must have been closer to the school than your current address. The waiting list is fluid as someone could apply who meets more of the admissions criteria and be placed further ahead than you on the list.

You can apply from anywhere, but unless there is a place and no other potential takers at the time of application (when it has to be offered) all applicants for fewer available spaces than there are applicants must be ranked against the oversubscription criteria, which will have some reference to the place of residence. Most LAs will ask for proof of address upfront. Some accept evidence of exchange of contracts, others only evidence of completion, utility bills etc The LA / school concerned doesn't seem to have asked for either straight away?

Applying from an address which the child neither currently lives at, nor is actually acceptable as the address to be applied from as per the LA's requirements, could well be construed as address fraud.

So have you know moved into your new home and has your child started at the second preference school?

We are going to visit the school ( second preference school) on Monday the 18th and he will start the school on following days. We are still on waiting list for our first preference school.

I felt little bit unfair that we got offered a place on our first choice of school and now we are on waiting list without known what position are we as i called LA ro know what position my son on waiting list, they only told me that there are 2 other kids on waiting list, total 3 with us, said to me doesn’t matter where you are on the waiting list ! Is this normal?

But did you get the place on your current or new address?

Its unfair on a child who lives closer to miss out on a place because another child is moving to the area but hasn’t yet. Anything can happen until you are in possession of the property.

Do you have to apply via the LA or schools? In our area we would apply direct to the school unless the application was refused and it went to appeal.

We’ve done this a couple of times. The first time we got a place on one of of two schools we had gone on the waiting list for based on our out of area address, we got the place based on faith. The other school we had to wait for the appeals process we were told if we weren’t fully completed by a certain date (date of appeal) we would have to cancel of application and apply again. We took the option that offered us a place on our out of area address as we were worried we’d not complete in time.

The second time we were moving into a property we owned. We had to go through the LA this time as both classes we were applying for were oversubscribed. We had to provide lots of documentation, a copy of our notice to the tenants to vacate, a copy to our landlords we were leaving, my DHs job change and relocation information and proof we had given up school places where we were living.

waiting lists at schools constantly change, it’s an ever flowing process. You might get more info directly from the school as the school usually updates the LA on waiting lists.

If the school is its own admission authority, then the admissions officer there might tell you where you are ranked currently if it's a waiting list, or would be ranked, were a place to come up, if it's a continuing interest list. But bear in mind that these things are dynamic and ranked according to the oversubscription criteria, so even if you were to theoretically be top of the list tomorrow morning, by the end of the day you may have been bumped down by an application having been received on behalf of a set of twins who fit a higher criterion, or higher up the one uour DC is in, for example.

Waiting lists are fluid. For example there may be a child currently behind yours but if their sibling in another year group gets a place first that child might move ahead of yours in priority.

Thanks for the info. Well we got our second choice based on our new address, I assuming that LA updated our address to new address. I did call the school (first choice one) they said to me that they are depending on LA, so if the child is first on waiting list at school system, LA can send different child to school and school has to accept that child who were not first on waiting list on school system. Basically LA makes decision who got a place in the school. 🤦‍♀️

That’s a shame but makes sense especially about the address. It’s not an easy process but I hope it works out. If it helps we much preferred the school we ended up with, it’s a 25min walk as opposed to 1min literally next door to us school but it’s been the right fit for my DDs.

If you had moved within 2 weeks you would have been given the place. Technically they are supposed to use your address at time of application but they are allowed to give you 2 weeks grace. As you couldn't move within 2 weeks they couldn't allow it and you were no longer the closest applicant for the available space so they gave it to someone else. If you reapply once you have actually moved you will probably be the first place on the waiting list again but it might be another year or two before another place becomes available.

Exactly like that, our first choice school is 5 mins walk to our house and the school we got a place in second choice is almost 25 mins walk. See how it goes.

The person top of the list is offered a place but as children are added and qualify above your child, you can also move down the list so knowing where you presently are has no meaning.

There is no set time to wait and you may never be offered a place. Equally if several.left that year tomorrow you might be offered a place.