Academy schools waiting lists

[schoolnut123]

Desperately trying to move my child from private school to local academy school due to bullying. Both local academy schools have waiting lists but won't say how long. Is there anything I can do to get higher on their list?! First choice of academy can't offer place this current school year but can leave name on list for next year. No guarantees as we are not local to school. Every other secondary schools have huge waiting lists. Don't know what to do.

Academies, Free Schools, Faith Schools, Foundation Schools (and maybe other categories) are their own 'admissions authority' and manage the waiting lists etc. for 'community ' or LA managed schools the LA us the admissions authority. However, the LA has a duty to find a school place in one of these schools, whether it is the admissions authority or not. So: if there is a school (of any category) with a place, they will offer you that. If it is a certain distance away they will provide transport.

You can go on as many waiting lists as you like , in whatever county you like .

It is quite common that sibling priority does not apply if the older child is in Sixth Form: check the detailed admissions policy for each school. And the older child has to actually have the place, so no, it won't help your dd this year :(

Have her current school
Exhausted all possibility of keeping her safe? Sounds very bad of them :(

Thank you again. I've contacted LEA again who told me to do an online in year application, the two better schools have huge waiting lists and because they're central Bristol it's very unlikely to ever get a place! May be able to offer somewhere south Bristol which to be honest isn't ideal. Our first choice academy have said we can appeal but only if we have good enough reason to.

You definitely need to fill in an in-year application naming as many schools as the form allows, regardless of whether they are in another LEA or an academy - your own LEA processes applications.

Once you have been refused a place you can appeal. It is not up to the school itself to decide whether you have grounds for appeal. An independent panel will hear your case. You need to come up with something specific that the appeal school offers that no other school within reasonable travelling distance can offer that your child needs. It doesn't have to be as significant a reason as 'this is the only school which is accessible to my -wheelchair-bound child'. It can be 'this is the only school which has a choir and my child has had singing lessons for two years and being in a choir will help her' or 'my child is gifted at Maths and this is the only school which offers Additional Maths GCSE'.

Once she is out of education entirely your LEA will have to place her, but this will almost certainly not be at a school you want, so apply and appeal first. If appealing gets you nowhere then you'll have to evaluate whether it's better to stay where she is being bullied, or go to a school seen as less-desirable.

Thank you all. This has been so helpful. Didn't imagine this would all be so complicated!

It isn't particularly - but you can see why the LA can't keep places open in top favourite schools just in case someone happens to move to the area or decides to leave the independent sector. You are facing the same difficulties of people who move house outside the usual entry points for the school system.

Good luck, OP, I hope your dd finds somewhere she can be relaxed and happier.

I have sent you a pm.

Catslife I have messaged you back.

School nut I live same area as you sg fr will pm you thinks best.

titchy - thanks for your advice. I've put her name down on 6 waiting lists. We have been refused by our first choice of academy as they are 3 over their limit for the year group we need. I've been sent an appeal form - but I've been told by them that we don't really have a strong case as bullying isn't a valid enough reason. Figure it's worth a try though - got nothing to lose

The thing with appeals is that you have to demonstrate why your child will be more disadvantaged by not attending that particular school than the school will be accepting pupils in excess of their PAN. (The number of places a school can accommodate) . You would need to be able to demonstrate that this particular school could facilitate the needs of your child in a way that no other school could . So, if they had a specific bully-recovery programme, or her best and trusted friends were there, . Being 'a good school' isn't specific enough. They will be very sympathetic to her need to move schools following bullying, but in the eyes of the LA, a new school place anywhere is a new school place, and the appeal rules have to be applied.

Thanks Blu - the school in question is perfect, their pastoral care is great, the facilities, will look into their anti bullying policy later on. She already attends their out of school hockey club which is held on their grounds in the evening. She is a very sport child and holds a sports scholarship - could this help?

The hickey could well help yes, as long as they offer hockey and the other schools don't.

OK, the hockey club sounds a possible grounds for appeal - it is the actual school hockey club and the school offer hockey? Do other schools in the area offer hockey? Does she had tam mates in the hockey club who attend the school?

If it is grounds for appeal it will be because of the benefit to your child: unlike private schools state schools will not prioritise or take into account a child that will be of credit to the school hockey team.

Aside from the hockey facilities the facilities are of no relevance in an appeal: the whole waiting list will be wanting to appeal on the grounds that this is a good school with good facilities. You need to be careful not to sound as if you are wanting to queue jump into a good school just because it is a good school.

In the end, if your dd is so unhappy and the school are not getting the bullying dealt with, then any alternative school is a better school for her.

if the hockey club is out school hours then surely it is not required or necessary that you attend the school to be a member of the club (seeing as you already attend). Sorry, but I am not sure the fact they do hockey is enough - surely most of the local schools do hockey - all our local ones do - even the co-ed schools have an after school hockey club.

Can I ask why if you like the school so much, why did you not apply at the correct time or did you not apply for a state place at all as you were always going down the independent route?

if the hockey club is out school hours then surely it is not required or necessary that you attend the school to be a member of the club (seeing as you already attend). Sorry, but I am not sure the fact they do hockey is enough - surely most of the local schools do hockey - all our local ones do - even the co-ed schools have an after school hockey club

It may be if logistically she cannot attend a different school and travel to practice in time, and there is no other hockey club offering the same benefits- for example if she's county standard and above and there's no other club playing at that level. Add in the advantages re. bullying, she'll get to know kids from school, will be able to develop "equal" relationships and gain self esteem from the hockey.

Appeals are free anyway, so it's worth giving it a go.

That's as maybe (and it is a big maybe as we have no idea if the OP's daughter would not be able to attend the hockey club if she attended another school) but the reason for switching schools in the first place is bullying, so in that respect any other school would suffice. The hockey sounds is just a round the back attempt to get into the best school in the area as if it was so important they could have applied to the school during the regular admissions cycle.

Assuming you are already paying fees, Bristol has several independents. If you can't get an acceptable state place, can you find an independent one?

Only a solution if willing to stay independent long term, as 2 moves not likely to help her settle but might help?