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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

AIBU to feel cheesed off that my son still does not have a school place for when they eventually open

65 replies

choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 08:39

We've moved back to the UK and we applied for a school prior to moving. They sent the response to the wrong address so I only found out there was not a space when I chased them. I then quickly put in an application for the next nearest school on 17th December. I've still heard nothing. They are an academy. The council said they would chase them last week, still nothing. AIBU to think they at the very least they should have let me know if he has a place or not when they re-open again.
It is for a secondary school place. So sick of it. I get we are in the middle of the pandemic but surely, it isn't a big ask?

OP posts:
Original poster
choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 10:41

@NeverDropYourMoonCup
I would have thought it would be a priority as he is 'missing in education'. He isn't registered as homeschooled nor registered with a school.

OP posts:
JollyGreenGiantess · 12/02/2021 10:51

Would be worth moving to Secondary Education board and tagging @admissions and the brilliant experts that give advice there.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 12/02/2021 11:13

Have you tried phoning them? It is a very busy time for secondary admissions generally but i would except them to tell you very quickly which schools have Y8 places.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 12/02/2021 11:38

OP have you rung the council and asked which local schools have space? In almost all local authorities there will be one less popular school with space. Its likely to be a poorer performing school and not the one you would choose but that's the reality of in year admissions. Then you can go on a waiting list for a school you prefer. The fact that he is not in education won't make him magically a priority for a better school, it means he will get offered a place in any school with space and there may not be much choice.

Dishwashersaurous · 12/02/2021 11:38

Normally they can't try and find a place until you are actually resident in the council area. December is only two months so not actually that long.

You need to phone and find out where has a place available irrespective of your preference

Sleepyblueocean · 12/02/2021 11:44

"The council have an obligation to provide an education place. I would call the council and find out where the spaces are and take it from there."

The council have an obligation to provide an education but that doesn't have to be a school place although for a child in mainstream yes there will usually be a school place somewhere.

RedGoldAndGreene · 12/02/2021 12:08

You are not unreasonable to start to feel antsy. It sounds like you applied for one school each time? It's normal to list 3 (6 if in London)

When I returned to the UK the council gave me a list of schools with spaces so I could make an application with high chance of success.

underneaththeash · 12/02/2021 12:17

Just keep calling OP, every day if necessary. Eventually you'll get through to someone.

cashooo · 12/02/2021 12:55

Blimey, I'm appalled by this. I work in (primary) admissions and would always respond to an application within five school days, regardless of how busy I am! That's the requirement here, but I don't know if that's a national requirement or just my LA. It's also pretty poor of a school not to appreciate that this is really rather important to you!!

In your situation, I would be doorstepping the LA until they do something. I'm also tagging admission and phr47bridge in case they can provide specific advice on your area.

Original poster
choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 13:05

I called the council and they didn't seem to care, just put it down to covid etc. One of them said I should go straight to the head and find out what is going on but I thought great, yeah, go and piss off one of the Admission people who will then make our life hell. No thanks.
The council has slopey shoulders as they just say it is down to the school. I'm not keen on the school either which already, the first contact with them makes me feel that they don't care.

OP posts:
Original poster
choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 13:08

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland
I'm not expecting him to be treated as a priority as a missing child and indeed he is in no way being treated as a priority. They simply don't care....because of Covid afterall. Apparently, they should reply within 20 school days, it is far more than that and nothing.

OP posts:
cashooo · 12/02/2021 13:29

Sorry, typo - prh47bridge

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 12/02/2021 13:53

I dont understand OP have the council told you this school is one which have spaces?

It sounds like you are trying to choose a preferred school that maybe doesnt have space. Its very poor that they are ignoring you, but I wonder if because they are full they simply arent expecting the council to direct any in-year applicants to them.

Have you asked the council which schools have places?

NeverDropYourMoonCup · 12/02/2021 13:54

[quote choosingcrumble]@NeverDropYourMoonCup
I would have thought it would be a priority as he is 'missing in education'. He isn't registered as homeschooled nor registered with a school.[/quote]
Honestly? Compared to the thousand or so applications for 150 places that are required by law to be handled right now?

It can't be.

The local authority, however, would be able to allocate him somewhere. You just wouldn't be able to put him in the school of your choice - which presumably, is what you are trying as you're contacting the school directly (and perhaps completing a supplementary application form, which means they have additional admissions criteria?).

cashooo · 12/02/2021 14:11

Mooncup it depends on the LA. In our county, all in year admissions go direct to the school, and they have to respond within five working days. The LA doesn't get involved at all unless the schools are all full and the parent can't find a space. So the PP might just be following the standard procedure in her area. And yes, in year admissions are always a priority, particularly when a child is not on any school roll so there could be safeguarding as well as educational concerns which are not being addressed.

Original poster
choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 14:26

@cashooo

Thank you, that is exactly our situation.

I was told they had places back in December when I applied but because I haven't heard back, maybe those places have been snapped up. I totally agree as well about the safeguarding issues. I am suffering from depression at the moment with all the changes we've been through the last months. I am in tears at intervals throughout the day, the school situation is compounding it. I feel totally isolated in a new town, where we know nobody and I can't even gain access to education for my eldest, even if it is just online learning. Fortunately, I would never harm my children, but I am off everyone's radar at the moment. In some circumstances, that is very worrying

OP posts:
Original poster
choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 14:28

Ironically, I called the school I originally applied to and was rejected from. I called on the off chance that space had come up (long shot). The gentleman called me back within 10 minutes and spent 15 minutes explaining the oversubscription they were facing. It made me so sad that he couldn't go there, the school I have had to apply for has not even bothered to contact me in the two months since my application.

OP posts:
cashooo · 12/02/2021 14:41

I'm really sorry OP, it must be very stressful. I'm assuming you are on the wait list for your preferred school? You could also consider an appeal, if you think you might have grounds. If you missed out on a place because of a misdirected letter then that could definitely be relevant. But even without that, you don't have anything to lose by appealing.

Are there any other schools within reach beyond these two that you could try? If not, I'd go back to your LA again, even though they sound crap! If you don't get any joy with the admissions dept, maybe see if you can find contact details for the CME or attendance/inclusion dept and give them a call. You might not get anywhere, but you just might find a sympathetic person who might galvanise someone into action. In the meantime, hopefully one of the MN gurus will be able to help.

Haskell · 12/02/2021 14:54

It's not really acceptable to have heard nothing from a school that was applied for on 17th December! That is 30 working days ago.

I'm afraid that you can't apply for a school until you're resident, so I'm not surprised the first school rejected your application.

I would say though that it is extremely difficult to get starting dates for incoming children atm, due to partial closures of schools. If the admissions officer in the school is I'll (or has been ill) it's highly unlikely anyone else is picking up their workload, schools are swamped atm.

Do you have the name of the person in school 2 that handles admissions?

Original poster
choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 15:03

@cashooo
I have applied to the two schools in the catchment area, although the second is nearly 3 miles away. The other schools that are further afield still and are middle schools so he would only be there for one academic year and a couple of months so I want to avoid that scenario. The problem with my preferred school is that they changed this academic year from a middle school to one that caters for years 10 and 11 also but without yet expanding the building. So on paper it looks like they are oversubscribed by 30 pupils for the years - that might make sense to you. So 30 children would need to leave before I could get a space. The other school I am not so keen on, the admissions person on the phone was quite cold to me in December when telling me they would be taking the full 20 school days to respond. I accepted this and marked out the days in my calendar. It has got a couple of weeks beyond this and still nothing. They come across as very uncaring. I am very anxious about my son starting school here in the UK anyway, it is very different from what he has been used to, we've left a loving extended family behind who we all miss terribly but we had to come here due to Covid-19. So I was hoping for a nice, supportive school for him. He has no friends and feels like none of the schools want him.
I just feel terribly sad about it all even if he gets a place, I will have mixed emotions and will probably go home and cry after dropping him off.

OP posts:
Original poster
choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 15:04

@haskell
I moved here on 4th December, I submitted the applications before this date and noted that I would be arriving on 4th. They said they would start the process on this date. My youngest was offered his primary place the same day.

OP posts:
Nith · 12/02/2021 15:07

Really, you need to be more proactive about this. Apply to every school within a reasonable driving distance that isn't a middle school, and be prepared to appeal if refused using the argument I referred to upthread. If the school is more than three miles away and you can show that there is no nearer suitable school, you will be entitled to home/school transport.

Have you contacted the council about arranging interim home tuition?

Original poster
choosingcrumble · 12/02/2021 15:10

@Nith I've applied to every school that is within a reasonable distance that isn't middle schools - i.e the two. The others are more than 3 miles and no transport links and my other child's school is in the opposite direction.
Am I even entitled to interim home tuition? I doubt it. I read on here about lots of parents waiting months for a school place, none of them mention being given home tuition.

OP posts:
TryingNotToPanicOverCovid · 12/02/2021 15:13

This doesn't sound right. It's not normal not to be offered a school at all.

Nith · 12/02/2021 15:16

As I said, if the school is more than three miles away and you can show there is no nearer suitable school, you would be entitled to transport. Not sure how that would play out with the middle schools, but if they too are full then problem solved.

Yes, you are entitled to home tuition if you have no school place and can't find one. I explained in my post of 9:41.