Moving house after application closing date

[EmilyS90]

Hi,
My son is due to start secondary school next september, so we have until 31st october to put in our application for his secondary school place. My problem is, the school we want is of our catchment and oversubscribed (its brand new). Now we are hoping to move but due to finances we can only start the process now, which gives us less than 2 months! (Impossible right?!).
Has anyone had any experience of moving after application closing date, but before the offer date (1st march)? Or appealing a decision after moved? We are totally willing to move but it's going to be very VERY stressful, and we aren't even sure if it will be successful.
I called my LA admissions team who were not helpful in the slightest.
Many thanks!

Your OP isn't cleat, but am I correct that you're out of catchment? If you move after 31st October your DC would go on a waiting list, based on proximity to school within catchment, behind everyone who applied by the 31st OCtober deadline. If the school had places, they would be allocated down the waiting list until the places ran out so if any in-catchment children were closer to the school than you, but didn't get a place, they'd be higher up the queue, adopted children moving into the area etc. The school will have a list of the criteria they use on their website.

If what you're asking is "can my child slot into the process as if we'd applied from our new address on 31st October when we didn't move in until months later, bumping other children once space down the allocation?" then no, your child can't. You're stuck with either sitting on the waiting list and hoping your new house when you get it puts you at no. 1 or 2 on the waiting list and not no. 23 because of a big new housing estate closer to school, or appealing on the grounds that the school is the only one for your DC, but that only has a 1 in 4 chance of success.

My sympathies OP (also parent on a Yr 6 DC with a crap catchment secondary and no hope of getting into the school that's better for him unless an appeal work) but you're either in catchment by 31st October or in the waiting list / appeal route.

I wasn't sure what the deadline for applications was, except for "sometime in October" so thanks for confirming!

We are in a similar position regarding one of the catchment schools, we won’t be exchanging contracts for another few weeks, and have been told we would have to go on the waiting list, if our dc qualifies. It is difficult, because we’ve been trying to move since January, and our current catchment school, will be nearly an hour away when we move.

in some LAs there is provision for house move. So it is worth phoning the LA and asking.
As far as I know, where they have it, it is basically, apply to the school form your current address, but as soon as you move let them know your new address, and as they may change it on application if it is before the date of address checks which is usually before dec.
This is not the same as a late application, as you have the application in, and the school hasn't changed.

Worth asking anyway.

If not, still apply to the school you want, from current address, and then you are on the waiting list. You will then jump to the top/high up the list once your new address is registered. If you already have the new address before March 1st, then you stand quite a high chance of gettiing in after the first round on March 1st, and there is always a bit of movement. (although that does depend on how high up the waiting list you are.

You really need to know how far away the last pupil admitted was this year, so you move close enough!

just reading some of the catchment comments, you can apply to a school out of catchment from an out of catchment address. You probably won't get a place, but you can. That puts you on the waiting list on 1st March. Then the new address bumps you right up that list.

Basically there are no guarentees if you move after 31st October. Your application will be dealt w in the second round (except for in a few authorities, see above) which means that, for an oversubscribed school, you wont be offered a place but will go on the waiting list (position dependent on how close to school you end up, assuming it uses distance as one of its criteria). You can appeal, which may or may not be successful.

Have you thought about selling within 2 months and renting in catchment? That would be quicker.

We had a similar situation for primary school. We were all set up to apply for our local primary school, then DH's job situation changed in November, meaning that we suddenly had to move to a town an hour away by the January school application deadline. We rented a little house in an outstanding school catchment. Moved in a week before the deadline. It took a while to sell our house, so it wasn't a cheap way to do it, but less stressful than going through appeals etc. Council were fine about it as long as we had a year long tenancy. So it can be done in 2 months!