Primary allocations and wait lists

[defoneedanamechange]

Hi, so I’ve applied for a reception place for my son and will wait to hear in April. I know full well I won’t get my 1st choice based on distance (but it’s an exceptionally low birth year, so have that in our favour). But my Q is are you automatically added to a wait list of your first choice school if you accept 2nd choice?

You'd need to check with your local authority as they all do things slightly differently.

Ours you can stay on continuing interest for a short time - around the end of the summer holidays. Then you have to add yourself to the wait list again.

Do keep in mind you might go down the list as well as up e.g. if someone moves in nearer than you. On the plus side there can be lots of movement in some areas in the Autumn term as many on the waiting list decide their kid is happy where they are the lists jump quickly. It's very area dependant though.
Good luck with your school place

That’s helpful thank you

But do make sure you accept a place, because the LA has no responsibility to help you any further, if you reject what’s offered.

In our LEA, no. There is no automatic anything. You are offered a place, you either accept or decline it (always accept!). If you want anything else, you have to do it all manually.

Normally no but as the previous poster states you must accept the place you are offered and then you can contact your preferred choice(s) and ask to be added to the waiting list.

If you refuse the place you’re offered the LA has no legal duty to find you an alternative.

If a place at your preferred school isn’t offered before Sept, ask to remain on the list as mid year vacancies often arise. We got DS into an extremely desirable first school in Sept and 2 children have already left his class due to parents having to move abroad with work.

apologies for asking on this post. If you are offered your second choice of state school and go to the waiting list for your first choice but you also have registered to a private school can you accept the second choice and wait for your first choice and if that is not materialised you can still go to the private school? What I am essentially asking is can you accept the state school offer while still waiting for possibilities of going to the first option but keeping the private school option as well until Aug? Sorry if this is confusing.

You can, as admissions processes for state and independent schools are completely separate, but I'd think it is very likely that the independent school would at the very least keep your deposit if you fail to show up in September. If it's short notice you may well be expected to pay the first term's fees, so check the contract.
If you do do that though, please bear in mind that if either the state school you have been allocated or the independent is over subscribed there will almost certainly be other families on waiting lists so do let the LEA/private school know as soon as you make your final decision. I'd also consider the potential impact of the uncertainty on your child. Most schools do things like home visits and settling in sessions in the Summer term so you'd need to decide which of those to attend, and how you would manage the situation if come September your child ends up going somewhere else. Personally, I'm not sure it's a situation I'd want to be in, but yes, you can do it if you want to, it's not against the law or anything.

thank you and you are right! My deposit will be 100% lost if we dont attend the private school. I just want to extend my decision until June not later than that but I will also keep in mind that other people also wait and i should release any position asap. Appreciate it.

If you wait until June to cancel a private school place you are also usually liable to pay the Autumn term’s fees in lieu of notice.

thanks! I will review my contract more carefully. I was just thinking in case we dont get our first choice of state to see whether it will worth waiting if we get on the waiting list but considering I will have to decide well before that.