To move or not to move for high school

[MyDearGirl]

DC1 is in y6 and dc2&3 in Y1 and Reception at a good school. Been to see all the secondary in the area - don't like the two local ones and the 3rd is too far to travel in a bad area. Want to move now into another local LEA which has 3 good secondary schools - is it too late? I could rent a property immediately and keep DC's in current school til end of this school year and then transfer the little ones to feeder primary for whichever secondary DC1 gets in or closest to the house we eventually buy! DH thinks i'm mad and we won't get away with it! I'm kicking myself for not looking last year and then could have moved already!!! Times running out and i'm nervous - the only other option is private but we couldn't afford it for all 3!!

If you actually move into the property and intend to live there (showing you are commuting them back to their present schools for the time being) then you should be fine. But it is going to be hard to do that before the deadline. But it does depend on the admissions criteria, this would work with distance but not feeder schools.

It will be very hard to do all that by the end of this month.

Have you seen the two schools you do not like on a normal school day. Why don't you like them so much? Can you help your child by additional tutoring? Have you actually seen the schools in the area you are thinking of moving to? Could your child commute to them anyway? (Authorities are not allowed to just take children from their local authority, so if you live close to the border you might be able to commute.)

Thanks I can do it before the deadline have the rental agreement ready to sign!!!!! We'll definitely fit the criteria if we move as its CofE. Seen the local schools on normal day and on the open days not impressed at all. DC1 is quite bright so want a school that will push and the 3 we have seen outside the area all fit the bill perfectly. Its a strange split from the primary school some go into private secondary, some live in the area for the schools I want but the primary is not a feeder as its a different LEA. We live on the other side but got in the primary because of CofE criteria, the CofE secondary is hugely oversubscribed though so wont get in from where we are! Hindsight is a great thing eh!!!!

You need to look very carefully at the admission criteria for the schools you are considering. They will definitely have a cut off date for applications and it is the address at this date and the date of the offer of a place (March 1st) that are important. For secondaries most have a cut off date some time in October. So you are very short of time to move into rented property.
The other issue is to know under what category you will be considered - it is not just distance. So do the schools have feeder schools which get priority? Also you need to understand from the admission booklet produced by the LA what criteria the last child was admitted under last year to give you a clue as whether any rented accomodation is actually going to help you get your son into the school.
There might also be restrictions on how long you need to be in rented accomodation for - to stop people doing exactly what you are contemplating. Moving to get a school place.
Please also be warned that if you rent a property then you must be living in the property. LAs are now quite good at picking up on pupils who are moving into rented accomodation for the wrong reasons. If you do not live there you run the risk of losing the school place offered.
Finally I would say I would agree with your other half, you could easily end up in rented accomodation with no school place at a school you want because of the issue of cut-off dates and an offer of a place at a school which is significantly worse than the ones you are currently rejecting.

Decisions Decisions!!! Dont know what to do applied to the local independant schools and DC1 will take the exams but still kicking myself for not looking last year and we could have been moved and i n the catchment for excellent state school!!!! Thanks for the advice!

Are you sure that you need to move to get into this school ? My local CEVA secondary school does take its pupils from neighbouring LEAs who meet the "faith" criteria simply because this is their nearest faith school. Look at the schools entry criteria - distance may not be as important as you think.
Similarly many LEAs have a common application system and you can apply for schools in other areas too so perhaps if you want this school you could apply now anyway.
I do not know if moving house so late in the day would help or hinder. Did know somebody who did this (moved to another LEA with better schools) but they were rehoused by their housing association so it was not really their choice to move.

Thanks for your help - i've not moved but have applied as my first choice - its a low birth rate year so hopefully it won't be full on the "faith" category criteria and we might stand a chance! We'll see! My crazy moving moment has passed!!!! Roll on March!!