How to move and apply for secondary school?

[southerngirl10]

Hi, we are planning to move to another part of the country when our DS is about to start secondary school.

It makes sense to move house in July at the end of school term year six (we rent).

Applications for school preferences have to be filed in January. So, we probably need an address within the school catchment area to get a place.

How can this be done?

Do we have to move our DS from his junior school in January and home ed for 6 months while we find accomodation in the new area we plan to move into?

Do we pull him out of school at the end of year 5 and apply for a junior school so he can do year six within the new catchment.

We hate the thought of either of these options. He loves the school he's in now. We would have very little time to home ed.

Any ideas would be very welcome,

Thank you.

I only know the state system in England and Wales, that means you will be filling in the forms for Y7 by the end of October, but you mention January so I am confused. It is better to compromise on a term of primary than 7 years of secondary IMO. Check the info for your authority, some allow last change of addesss in December, after the application date, but then some have strict rules on being clear on having cut ties with previous homes etc.

The first question is whether schools in the area you are moving to are generally over subscribed. If they are, it's hard. But if they generally aren't, applying from your current address may be fine. For example, my daughter's best friend was granted a place at their secondary when she was still living in Australia, and you can't get much further away than that!

If you know that spaces are tight, however, the only guarantee is to move before the application deadlines.

Around where I live this wouldn't work at all. All the good / goodish schools are oversubscribed so if you moved at end of Y6 you'd go on the waiting list. If you move to be really close to the school you wanted you might get to the top of the lust v quickly but there is no guarantee that a place would come up quickly.

In your position I'd move end of Y5.

Unless you are sure the schools in the new area will be undersubscribed, on balance, the best option would imo be to move at the end of Y5.

I'm afraid you have got your dates confused. If your son will be starting secondary school next year you need to apply by October 31st, almost 12 months before he starts secondary school. The January date is for primary school applications.

You can only apply from the address where you are actually living with your son at the time you apply. If you aren't going to move until the summer that means you would have to apply from your current address. You will have to check the council's rules (that is the council for the area to which you will be moving, not your current council) about when you can apply from your new address but most will insist on you either moving or at least having a signed tenancy agreement. Assuming that means you apply this time next year you will be offered a place but, unless schools are undersubscribed, it is unlikely to be at a school you want. It may be an unpopular school or a school that is some distance from home.

If you apply from your current address you can still name schools from the area you intend to move to as your preferences but you are unlikely to get a place at any of them unless you aren't moving very far or one of them is undersubscribed.

I agree with GU24Mum that your best option is almost certainly to move at the end of Y5.