What constitutes independent evidence?

[cgdoha]

We currently live overseas but my children and I are returning to live in our house permanently in the summer of 2013. Our house is in the catchment area of one of the outstanding schools in our area. DD1 is currently in year 5 at a British school where we are now (due to start secondary school in Sept 2013) and we will be applying for her secondary school place from 1st July when the online admissions opens.

Now according to the LEA documents the following statement applies to us, quote "If your move into the catchment area involves your returning to live in property you already own you will need to provide appropriate independent written evidence of the date when you will resume living in the property and that you intend to remain living there for the present."

So my question to all you lovely Mumsnetters is .... What is constitutes "appropriate independent evidence" in this situation?

Does anyone have any experience in this?

Thank you SchoolsNightmare for your response. The problem is that we will be applying for the place this summer, which is more than a year before admission to the school, and the evidence has to be submitted with the application. We won't have given notice in the current school and removals wont be booked, let alone invoiced. We will however have a council tax bill, as our house will be untenanted WEF end of this month and we have no intention to let it again for this very reason.

Do you think a confirmed flight back to the UK in July 2013 would help?

So, to clarify, you are moving back to the UK in July 2013 for your dd to start secondary school in Sep 2013?
However, you need/want to apply in July 2012 when your LEA opens its applications for 2013?

Do you need to apply in July? What is the last date you can apply, and still be "in time"? And are you likely to have any confirmation letters by this later date? If so, it may be worth holding off till later in the year.

But I would also take schoolnightmares advice and contact the LEA directly to see what they will accept. I'm not sure that a flight ticket would do as you could just be coming back for a few weeks for a summer break.

I would expect it means, Council Tax bills, utility bills etc. You can't really apply for a school place until you are resident. There is an exception for Crown servants and Forces personnel.

Just re-read, sorry if I seem a little abrupt, it's not intentional, I was trying to get my head round your dilemma!

The secondary school will be vastly oversubscribed, hence the need to apply "on time". Closing date for applications is the same as all state schools 31st Oct 2012.

If there were places in local primary schools then we would move back sooner, but unfortunately there are none within a reasonable distance.

You need to ring the LEA and ask. In our area (Essex) you would be able to do what you wish to do and apply using your UK address. They offer the place conditionally on you taking up residence prior to the DC starting in September, however LEA's do vary on how they deal with thinks like this.

"If you own a property in Essex but are not living
in it, perhaps because you are working abroad at
the time you make your application but intend to
take up residency at your Essex home before the
start of the autumn term, your application will be
processed using your Essex address. Any offer of a
school place will then be conditional upon receipt
of evidence of your taking up residency at that
property in Essex."

Unfortunately they don't specify what is acceptable as evidence either!

thinks = things!

You need to show that you will be permanently living in the house by the date you apply for the school place. So a letter terminating any tenancy agreement that you now have, a letter from any company you have used to let your house, confirming that you will have possession of it from a set date, utility bills that you are currently paying, any letter confirming employment back in the UK are all possibilities but the people that matter are those in the admission office of the LA and they will confirm what is required.

Also my DC attend a very oversubscribed school, however there are children in my DCs years who only moved into the area in the summer before the September they started. Vacancies do occur, parents do have to move, and if you move closer than those already on the waiting list you jump them to qualify for a place. Also you can appeal and gain a place (one of my DDs friend's did this, and in a very hard year to get places at the school). Similarly you could move back earlier, and appeal, and if your children are beyond year 2 you have a chance of winning.