In year school admissions, directly to school or via council?

[Bl4nking]

So we are moving to Suffolk, due to start the 2025/2026 school year. I have just received exchange of contract so am sure I can now apply. I have been in contact with the school which is about a two minute walk from my children’s new house and they are now oversubscribed for one of them and have a place for another, even though when we put the offer in they had spaces for both. :(

I have been looking online and I can either apply directly to the school or via the council website. I am assuming they will decline the place due to oversubscribing but will appeal on the grounds that one is offered, which I was advised by the school to do?

now my question is, do I apply for another school in the mean time in case that the appeal does not go through. This is all very new to me but I don’t want to appeal and then be stuck without a second option. Then next school is about a 40 minute walk, which I really do not want to be doing and I’m worried that my children will not make friends with other children who live nearby

How old are your children? If reception or KS1, class size appeals are difficult.

https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/children-families-and-learning/schools/school-places/move-to-a-different-school-in-year-applications-2024-2025 The process depends on the type of school. LA has to offer a place somewhere, so worht applying via them, but you may find your dc are at different schools initially. One will become a sibling once the other starts and may move higher on waiting list.

where I live it’s the school you apply to and they are refusing most in year admissions as they are full. Have you exchanged contracts or are you just before that point?

They will be going into year 3 and 4

We have just exchanged on Friday, I was told they needed proof of exchanging before they could accept

Do you move before the summer holidays start? If so, you could get the child with an offer in as an in-year before term ends, and then apply for child two as a sibling, if that is a consideration on the oversubscription criteria.

Do they have a space for the older or younger child?

And what do their oversubscription criteria say about giving priority for siblings - all siblings or just if they have an older sibling in school?

I’d be tempted to start the child with s place in your preferred school, with the other at the other school but on the waiting list for your preferred one. As a sibling living very close, you’ll be high on the list - and can appeal (you could use the sibling link, but more likely to be successful if you can find things your preferred school has that your allocated school doesn’t- clubs or curriculum or whatever).

Over subscription is irrelevant for in year. I would apply for another school just in case, but that fact that this is not an infant class, you’re new to the area, one child has a place should be reasonable grounds for a successful appeal - esp as the school suggested it.

Over-subscription in the sense that the OP has used it (no space, and possibly a waiting list, for the relevant class) IS relevant here.

It means they can’t give you a place automatically. It sounds like they won’t oppose an appeal too vigorously, which us great. Otherwise, you need to aim to be top
of the waiting list (sibling at the school may well help, as will being close to the school: time on list does not, so you will leapfrog existing waiting list children IF you come higher up the oversubscription criteria than they do) and cross your fingers for movement.

We will complete next Monday but I am keeping my children at their current school until the end of the school year due to graduation celebrations for my youngest who is in infant school, otherwise I would send them to their new school

I can’t split them unfortunately as I do not drive, work full time and the schools are 40 minute walking difference. I have applied for my primary option (fingers crossed) booked an app for the next school to view and will be hopeful for the appeal. Does anyone know how long they tend to take in total?

As they are Y3 and Y4 the infant class size limit does not apply.

Accept the place for the child who has a place.
Apply again after 1st September for the other child as they will then have a sibling on-roll and appeal if they refuse. There's every chance that a place may become available before then anyway!

Unfortunately that won’t carry much weight. Do either have wraparound care, a childminder to drop one off, do you have a partner or relative who could help out?

, the school has wraparound care but not one single childminder in the area 😬 I’m just going to have to accept my youngest, appeal my eldest but if it comes to it then send them both to the further school as it is not possible at all to split them unfortunately

I think I am right in saying that you can only appeal once in each school year, so I would accept the offered place and immediately put in an appeal for the second child. You might get lucky and be offered a place and if not then appeal again inSeptember.

You need to be be nippy though, to get in before the schools break up. And to be honest I am not even sure if appeals panels sit this late in the year.

I agree with @viques get on with it!
However in my authority you must be resident in your new address, not just exchanged, so check that. Apply to the LA.
I chair appeals (not in Suffolk) and have appeals booked in for August, so it is possible to get an appeal this year and also next.

So, I’ve had the verdict back and they have spaces for one like I said. I’m going to accept one child and appeal the other. Does anyone know the timeframe they have to work to? I know it’ll probably depend on how busy they are and I can imagine this is quite a busy time of year? Also I assume if it does not go through then I can withdraw my dd’s place and apply for them both to go to the next school? But I’d to wait until I withdrew one place?