Moving after Offer Day

[Sage234]

Hello,

Having a slight panic and hoping someone can help/shed more light on here. My DC has been offered a reception place at our local catchment school (which is oversubscribed) but we are in the process of moving house and expect to complete in early June. Our new home will be in the same area but out of catchment for this school. Our address that we applied with is still the same address we will be living in up until completion day.

My instinct is that this is fine and once we update our address the offer cannot be withdrawn but I can’t find a straight answer on this on the council website. Any answers/experiences would be much appreciated - thanks!

Just to add, we have been living in our current home for the last 3 years and this is a genuine move we are making to get more space.

You inform the council of the new address when you move. They will then decide whether you can stay with the original school or whether they need to make you a new offer of a school that has space near to your new home.

The Admissions Code is clear that there are only limited circumstances in which an offer can be withdrawn. A change of address is not one of them.

The council may investigate to see if there is any evidence that your original application was fraudulent, but that should be all that happens. However, there are some councils that ignore the Admissions Code, despite the fact it has the force of law, and routinely withdraw places from people who have moved. If this happens to you, you will be able to appeal against the council's decision. Any appeal panel should have no trouble restoring the place.

Don't panic! People move all the time. Once your child is offered a place the place is their's. You obtained it legitimately by living at the address your provided on the application form at the time of the application deadline. If you still live near enough to want the space, you can keep it. Families move all the time. Some move too far away and end up having to leave the school, but for those who move within the same area, just slightly further out, the place remains their's even if others who missed out now live closer than them.

Just provide the school with your updated address when you move. They shouldn't do, but if they do require evidence that you lived at the old house when you applied you simply provide them with the evidence, which you'll obviously have in terms of moving paperwork.

It honestly won't be a problem.

If you have or intend to have younger children then just be aware that for some schools catchment trumps sibling policy, so a future child may not get in from the new address.