Accepting an offer you didn't want

[TalaxuArmiuna]

mumsnet advice has always been - if you don't get your preferred choice, you still need to accept the offer. If you don't then the local authority has fulfilled its obligations to you and had no further responsibility to find a place for you. You can accept the unwanted offer and still appeal/go on waiting lists.

however on the parent portal for our LA it clearly says:
"Please indicate below whether you intend to accept the offer. Please only accept the offer if you do not want to choose waiting list or appeal for your other preference choices "

This isn't relevant for me as we got our first choice but is this misleading instructions that could cause a lot of families serious problems down the line?

Does it give any information about what happens to your place if you do want to appeal / go on a waiting list?

I.e do they operate a system where they have ‘firm and final acceptances’ alongside ‘place held and assured in case you don’t get your waiting list place’?

But I’m not sure how, legally, they could then prevent you from appealing other schools as you have the right to do that at any time.

Are you in England and Wales?

Which LA is this? I've not seen that before and can not see how it will work, as if you are not successful in your appeal (at my school appeal success last year was 2 out of 50 appeals) then you will end up with no school.

I am in England. There isn't any option to tick for me to only accept the offer I have or to say I don't require a place any more. I guess the info might be different for people who didn't get their first choice. It's not that I want to appeal but I would like to know if the LA is being misleading.

Ah, maybe it is because you got your first choice.

I suspect they are only saying that to people who got their first choice, in which case it kind of makes sense, but it still isn't right. If you have changed your mind you are entitled to accept the place then tell the LA your new preferences, go on the waiting list and appeal.

If they say this to parents who haven't got their first choice it is clearly wrong. They can't make you choose between the offered school, appealing and going on the waiting list.

Yes it turns out OK - those who didn't get their first choice see an option "'hold this place while I pursue waiting list and appeal options" - I guess it would be very rare that someone had changed their mind and wanted to do this if they got their first choice.

If a family got their first choice, I thought they couldn't appeal ot go on the waiting list for schools they put lower on their list of preferences?

That only comes up if you got your first choice. And if you got your first choice it is accepted that you won't be pursuing other schools for places.

If a family got their first choice, I thought they couldn't appeal ot go on the waiting list for schools they put lower on their list of preferences

You are allowed to change your mind at any time, so they can submit a new application for the schools they now want, go on the waiting list for them and appeal.

It could change between application and decision, though. I was in a pickle about 7 years ago because I had put my DD2's school as 1st choice for DD3, guaranteed acceptance (live extremely close and sibling priority), but our relationship with the school deteriorated catastrophically and we had to remove DD2 after sending the request.

@prh47bridge was very helpful and guided me through the process of extracting myself from that mess, but if it hadn't worked I would have had to appeal/waitlist despite getting my first choice.

Some LAs let you go on the waiting list for any school you named on your application, even if you got your first choice. Ours does. Others don't.