In-year school application, two of my children issued a place, third hasnt been.

[memyselfandI2025]

Hiya

I would be greatful for your advice and input

3 primary school aged children
reception
year 2
year 5

I moved house. ( I had no choice) School is 40 minute walk away and I made a school move application because the travel is just not practical. My reception and year 2 child got allocated a place in new school but year 5 child didn’t. I’ve explained to them I can’t accept the places because I can’t be at 2 schools at the same time. I have to accept by Friday and no one at the council is advising me
council advised me I either accept it or I don’t and I can’t appeal as no one can appeal ‘being put on a waiting list’
There is only me and the children, I don’t have any friends, no family to help take my other child to school whilst I take two

I don’t want to shove youngest into after school and breakfast clothes because the will have just started and won’t know anyone plus that will cost me.. I’m in financial difficulties. The old school class being 10 minutes late as an unauthorised absence so I’d risk getting fined!

what would you guys do in this situation? I really really need a closer school but they’ve said if I decline the chances of them getting these places again Is null so what am I meant to do to make life easier ? Sick of the school runs being longer than they need to be

Once two are in you will be first in line for the next one as they'll have siblings there, is the area quite transient? Can you say you will home school the other until there's a space? Are there other local schools or is this your only current option.

Do you work because if not I would take the two places and home school the year 5 while you wait for a place. This is only if your DC is first on the wait list.

Accept the places then either keep year 5 “ home schooled “
till they get a place ( start with a period of unschooling …) or drop the two in time and the year 5 when you can. That’ll get the schools back up but you might get some help with transport !

Between the Wizz air thread and this one @ACynicalDad I think we could be friends!

Definitely accept the places.
If you can't home school (and I hate how it's so casually suggested on here - it's a major undertaking to teach your own child at home, many couldn't do it, I certainly couldn't) then the eldest will need to go to the breakfast and after school club, surely that makes more sense than the youngest two going? So you will have a tricky school run with 3 of them in tow but it should be for a short time while a space comes up.

Take the places and appeal for the Y5 place. At least with a Y5 you can appeal to go over PAN, with the other two the infant class size rules would kick in and there would be no chance.

In the appeal don’t mention YOUR problems getting to two schools, they won’t be interested, though fair enough to say the journey is putting strain on the Y5 child,leaving less time for hobbies or activities. Emphasise the move to a new area, need to build friendships and relationships with peers. Find out what after school clubs the new school offers and see if any tie up with your Y5s current interests, eg, drama club, coding. Try to find out if they have gone over PAN with Y5 or any other year groups in the past as this will show that they have the space and capacity to deal with over PAN classes.

You can't appeal 'being put on a waiting list'. You can appeal 'no place is available', which is why you're on the waiting list.

It's not unusual to have to juggle two (or even three) different school dropoffs/pickups. Most schools will have flexible options to cater for this if you ask. The Y5 might have to do a bit of waiting around.

For one year, I had three different schools (admittedly one was secondary) in an 13-mile triangle.

It would be a mistake to turn down the two spaces.

Accept the younger two and appeal the Yr5. The chances of three school places happening together is slim.

Appeal on grounds of helping older child to settle into new community, building bonds prior to Secondary etc.

Definitely accept the two into your local school and then have the eldest put on a waiting list.

Appeal the year 5. Much easier to win than the other two.

Accept the place for the younger two. Then immediately after the attend the fire morning call/email admission an tell then to make sure that you Y5 child is in the correct category as most school have give higher priority to children who have siblings at the school. Your Y5 child may still be on the waiting list but hopefully they will be higher up.

Then appeal the refusal to offer your Y5 child a place.

Good luck!

Appeal the waiting lyst place - you can sppeal vei g declined a place stronger argument if there are siblings at the school (so accept the other places first then lodge an appeal the day after they start at the school!)

Fines are at the school discretion for miseed sessions - a missed session is a register attendance per half day (ie AM and PM) and either non attendance for an unauthorised reason OR over 30 minutes late after registers close - a 10 minute late arrival won't trigger a fine.

Yes definitely accept for younger 2 who have years at the school.

There will be a solution for the elder with just 2 years left - many good ones here.

Definitely accept the places for the younger two. Once they start thrn siblingvrules make it much more likely that you will get a place for the year 5 . If you refuse the places then the council have discharged their responsibility and you could end up with no school places at all. I went to a separate junior school do having a year 5 in a different school is not so unacceptable.

Accept the places for the younger two.

Submit an appeal for the Y5 (they haven’t just been put on a waiting list, they’ve been turned down for a place).

As soon as younger two start, check Y5 has been re-ranked appropriately on the waiting list to take account of the fact that they now have siblings at the school.

Use breakfast or after school clubs for Y5.

As everyone has already said, 100% accept the school places.
If you are working but low income, I'd put the younger 2 in breakfast club as you can claim most of it back. If you are not working, ao not eligible to claim that back, I would really look into homeschooling your y5 and whether that has any impact on their priority standing (I assume not, but I don't know and wouldn't want it to make them "less in need" of a school place!)

In an ideal world the older one would do the wrap around, but 80 mins walking either side of the school day would wipe the little ones out!

Can the year 5 walk into school themselves? Or walk halfway? My son is 9 and has been walking a mile to school himself for a year now. Maybe you could get the older one halfway and then get the wee ones in. Or drop someone early?

The backup would be to have breakfast club for the older one as that’s more sensible than the younger ones. But your older one could also just wait at school before it opens right?

As others have said, the council is wrong. You can appeal for the Y5 place. You aren't appealing being put on the waiting list. You are appealing not being offered a place.

To win your appeal you will need to identify things that this school offers that are relevant to your child and that are not available at their current school. Arguments about not being able to get your children to two different schools won't help. Similarly, arguments about the distance to the current school won't help. Talking about helping your child settle into the community and build bonds prior to going to secondary school are also unlikely to help. You need to identify specific things about the school that mean your child will be disadvantaged if not admitted.