Advice on school choices ? What do I do

[Bella6761]

Hi guys
so I’m in a bit of a pickle, my DD starts school next September, at this current moment we live in Ward end but we have just brought a house in Erdington, and are currently doing the works on it.
The school 10 mins from me, is good and I like it and I’m quite comfortable with it being that i went there myself, another school. There’s one on my doorstep which isn’t very good not good offsets reports or good stats.
the school by our new house - above average amazing school and definite will be my first choice!
however they are over subscribed, and I’ve spoken to the head who said I have to provide evidence of address where she’s currently living not where she will be living next year, so I don’t know if she will actually get in. And I’m gutted
is there anything I can do about this?

the issue is I don’t drive and DH works funny and silly hours that change everyday, so he could do some day school runs, but not all, ans I am currently doing lessons but very wishful thinking that I will be done by next year on top of that the costs of insurance etc I just am very stressed don’t know what to do!

Move into the house you own before the deadline? That seems the easiest thing to do.

@ChipDaleRescueRangers
i can’t it needs a lot of work done to it, but I’m not sure if maybe the mortgage could count as proof of address??

How long is it going to take to do the work? You have nearly three months before the deadline so as PP says, if you are in by then, sorted.

Otherwise you will need to apply from your current address, putting the school you really want top of your list but including others, and see what happens. Check if your council has a later date by which you can change address and still be considered in the first round of applications, that might buy you another month. After that will just be a case of updating your address as soon as you do move and crossing your fingers.

Thats not proof you live there. Thats proof you own it, but you could be renting it out!

If its that essential you go to that school you dont really have a choice but to move in before the work is complete. Not having to live through a renovation is a luxury most people dont have! Most people have to live in a bomb site while having work done.

You have to have proof of where you live, so a house that you own but don’t live in won’t qualify. If the school is oversubscribed and you aren’t at your new address, you’re unlikely to get a place on distance grounds.

Fill in he form with all your preferences and you can update your address when you move. You can go on waiting lists for other schools.

@ChipDaleRescueRangers i sense a lot of hostility from u??

with the exclamation marks and unnecessary comment about luxury.
I don’t live in luxury in living in an crowded house with my in laws and hating every minute of it…
I can’t move into a house where there’s damp and mould, the whole structure needs sorting, if it’s done in time then we will be moving but I wanted to get my application sorted ASAP.

as others have said il put it down and as soon as I’ve moved can make them
aware, in hopes it will be in time

Just put down your new address on the form. I don’t remember them asking for proof of address.

I didnt say you live in luxury at all. I said it is a luxury to not have to live through renovations.

It makes no difference to your application when you submit it. So I would be holding off submitting it until you know exactly where you will be living and can then apply with the new address and more likely to get the school you want.

in my experience the proof of address required is your council tax number. so if you have that, just put that address. staying with in laws is neither here nor there.

We had a similar situation where we were moving into a new build in a different county that wasnt going to be ready before the application deadline. On the school application form there was a section to fill in to say you'd be moving house. I filled in that section and applied to schools near our new address. It said they may require proof of new address but they never asked for it, we had to give an approximate moving date and call them to let them know when we'd moved (which was after the deadline)

I did ask them what counts as proof of address and they said a signed contract or a letter from the solicitors.

We also applied to a very oversubscribed school and got a place, so it can happen!

Hope this helps.