LAC children and late/in year admissions

[Emillee]

I originally posted this in adoption but someone suggested I post here too:

Hi

Me, DH and adopted DD and DS may be about to move to another area of the country.

Can anyone talk me thro the admissions process? (I would contact the LA, but last time I did the information I got was incorrect and I only learned the correct version from here!)

DS is in year 6. We have to apply for a secondary place by Oct 31st.

I will do this for our current location.

We hope to move early next year, i.e. after normal admissions have closed, so I think the application for a secondary place will have to be made as an 'in year'?

As ex LAC, will the new school be obliged to go over their PAN number to accommodate this application, assuming all their other places are allocated?

Any advice would be great!

Thanks

If you move say Feb, then I think the secondary application will count as late (so will be processed after on time applications), but the application for the continuing year 6 place will be an 'in year' one.

I don't know whether they will be obliged to go over PAN, but the good news is that as ex-LAC your y6 will be pretty much right at the top of the waiting list so you would probably stand a chance of getting the school you want allocated before Sept.

You could possibly also put up a good case for appeal based on ex-LAC status too if you particularly wanted a small or local school or one with good pastoral care. My ADDs definitely benefitted from a school with excellent pastoral (and SEN) departments.

No chance you can move in the next month?

I'm sure one of the various experts will be along in a while.

If you know which school you want your son to to after your move, you can apply from your present address. As far as I'm aware distance plays no part when LAC are part of the criteria. (too lazy to get out of armchair to look at my copy of Admissions Code!!)

Eddie is correct- distance has no bearing, apply for the place from wherever you live by the deadline.

If it were an in year application, and there is no reason it should be in this case, LAC and former LAC should not be placed on the waiting list and should be admitted even if the school is at PAN. Some authorities/schools are better at this than others; the LA can direct schools to admit LAC, but as Teen says, the appeal process is the best way to challenge a maintained school's refusal to admit a child adopted from care. If the school is an academy, the Secretary of State can direct the school to admit the child.

If you know which school you want your son to to after your move, you can apply from your present address. As far as I'm aware distance plays no part when LAC are part of the criteria. (too lazy to get out of armchair to look at my copy of Admissions Code!!)

Yes, I thought about doing this (distance plays no part when LAC), but just seemed like tempting fate as not 100% sure we will be there in time for Sep 2018 (house needing to be sold etc)

Virtual heads now have a legal duty to make guidance on the education of former LAC available to parents and schools, so it would be worth contacting the virtual school in the authority you are moving to for advice.

Hi Tethers, that's useful thanks.

Anything in writing I can point the LA to to back that up if they say otherwise?

This is a Free School but it goes by the local authorities admission process.

Virtual heads now have a legal duty to make guidance on the education of former LAC available to parents and schools, so it would be worth contacting the virtual school in the authority you are moving to for advice.

That was my first port of call, and they directed me to admissions!

How annoying! Many VSHs haven't really got their head around the post LAC duty yet. No excuse though.

Since the school is a free school, if they refused to admit, the Secretary of State can direct them; this form would need to be submitted. Hopefully it won't come to that.

If your current LA is a bit more clued up, you could apply for the school place at the school you're hoping to move near as your first choice, and turn it down if necessary; your current LA should then give a place at your first choice local school, even if they are full. Of course, this could get complicated if you later want a place at the school, but they should offer a place regardless.

if you later want a place at the other* school

tethers, thank you very much.

The admission regs are clear that LAC and previous LACs have to have top criteria in any admission criteria. For many LAs that has meant that no matter what time a LAC or previous LAC applies they will always get into their first preference school. However that is not the same in all LAs and the fact that it is a free school, which may not have the same level of knowledge of the situation re LAC and previous LAC makes me slightly concerned.
A lot of this is about timing. If you move to the area by the cut of date then there are no issues, you will be in the top criteria. If you move into the area between the cut off date and the date specified by the LA allowed for such issues as house moving (sometime in December usually) then you will be in the top criteria. The potential problem is the time, even though you are LAC or previously LAC, after that second cut off date until the 1st March. If you move house then you will need to specify that you are applying for a place from the old address and that the new address is for communication purposes only. If you don't then you will be treated as a new but late applicant and will be at the back of the queue even if you are previously LAC. There is therefore good reason for applying from the old address for the expected new school within the time period for applications as you will in the first criteria.
If for any reason the move does not take place then you will need to apply for a place at a school near to the current home. After the 1st March, the admission criteria order will be reviewed for all those applying for a place at the school and you will be in the top criteria. As soon as a place comes up then you will be first on the list unless there are other late LAC pupils. However this is where many LAs would simply admit you as LAC over and above PAN, rather than make you wait until a place becomes available.

Ok thanks.

So, the consensus appears to be to risk it and apply for the school in the new area in order to get in the normal admissions round, then push for the fall back n my current area if we don't move (and apply after 1st March).

I will write to the LAs and VSHs in both areas in order to get in writing what would happen in each scenario then take it from there.

Thanks for your advice, all

Cite the Children and social work act 2017 to the VSH if they try and palm you off to admissions.