Reception place

[shar90]

We had applied for a few highly selective schools for our dd but it did not work. The plan was always to buy a house once her school is confirmed. Now we need to move and send her to a state school.
Can someone please help us to understand how the state school reception entry will work if I want to move and be there by july/august?
Will I get the school in my catchment area for a september start? Or will the council just allocate me a random one?

Did you not apply to any state schools by Jan 15th incase she did not get into the selective ones? If not it will come down to numbers.

So depends how over subscribed the school is. Lots of places have falling birth rates so you may get lucky and get one of the schools you pick. But if you’ve not applied and don’t live there yet there is no way to know yet. If there are no spaces at your chosen schools then yes the council will allocate one.

You will be allocated the nearest school with a place if none of the schools you apply to have a space.

Due to a lower birthrate, more schools will have places... but not necessarily ones you like.

Your option is then to send her to the allocated school and stay on a waiting list, or keep her at home and stay on waiting lists, or just stick with allocated school.

How soon are you moving? If it's not imminent, it might be worth making a late application for a Reception place now, using your current address but naming your preferred schools in your new area. You might get lucky and find one with a place.

We are in a very sticky situation. We have applied to state schools in the current location as backup but want to move for bigger space and grow our family. Hence the wait for dd school option

Many councils have a list of 'primary school admissions outcomes' webpage which can give you an idea of which schools are undersubscribed.

You can also contact the primary school admissions team for the council area to ask where there are spaces (you may wish to pick your top 5 in the council area and ask specifically about those).

If they are undersubscribed, it is highly likely they will offer you a place even in July/August. It was a low birthrate year so hopefully you'll have lots of options (depends on where you are though).

See where you are allocated in April,then if you move go on waiting lists or submit a late application. It will depend on space availability in new location. Would you be able to travel back short term?