Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

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

Original poster

School Admissions Error

29 replies

Ursula85 · 04/03/2022 11:53

Please help. I put my address on my daughter's high school application, not thinking, and I should have put her father's address. I emailed them in October with a response from one of the advisor's who said put the address he lives most so I asked for them to put it as his - he is in the catchment area - I am not. I didn't get a response and I naively never chased it up.
The worst has happened. They have refused admission for my daughter, the only person in her whole school year who didn't get in to the school. I have tried to call the admissions and they wont talk to me - they have asked me to send an email which I have done but they have not responded as of yet.
I don't know where to turn. I will appeal. My daughter has special anxiety and now she will need to get on a school bus to school from her dad's whereas if she had gone to the other school I would have dropped her off. I am thinking to go down this route of appeal along with I am 100% certain if it had been his address then she would be in. I don't know if anybody has any experience of this and what I can do? Do I need to add the evidence before the appeal deadline or can I add it later on?
My daughter has cried every day since.

OP posts:
RedskyThisNight · 04/03/2022 12:02

I can't help on the appeal (there are experts on this board, who I'm sure will be along shortly), but you should absolutely make sure that the address is corrected now. If you're correct, and your daughter would have got a place at that address, then that will at least put her top or near the top of the preferred school's waiting list with a high chance of getting in without an appeal.

(I'm assuming here that her father's address is the address where she lives most. You may have to provide evidence of this).

cherryonthecakes · 04/03/2022 12:03

It's not clear if your dd lives mainly with her dad or you?

titchy · 04/03/2022 12:05

I suspect you'll (him in fact) need a lot of proof that she lives with him not you. Your application is likely to be viewed as potentially fraudulent given you applied but wanted to use your ex's address.

Regardless, you'll also need to show that you tried to change the address within the timescales - do you have email proof showing this?

Twizbe · 04/03/2022 12:08

You'll also need a reason why you did the form and not her father if she lives with him the most.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 04/03/2022 12:17

Which address is her primary residence?

DuchessofAnkh22 · 04/03/2022 14:06

Your daughter should know nothing about this - why the heck have you told her. "Still waiting to see" if she asks....

RedskyThisNight · 04/03/2022 14:18

@DuchessofAnkh22

Your daughter should know nothing about this - why the heck have you told her. "Still waiting to see" if she asks....
I disagree with this. DD will have known that school offers were out as everyone at school will be talking about it. "Waiting to see" will not cut it for more than a day or so, and this won't be resolved in a day or so. Bigging up and being positive about the assigned school would be a better way to go.
DuchessofAnkh22 · 04/03/2022 14:23

@RedskyThisNight We may have to beg to differ, I managed the situation for my DD in this way, for 2 months - it led to her not being upset and she still has no idea 7 years later that there was an issue getting her into secondary.

Original poster
Ursula85 · 04/03/2022 14:36

Hi thankyou for your input. But my daughters friends kept asking her and she was rhe only person in her class without a response. Given that only 20% of appeals are successful I feel I have to prepare her for the worst x

OP posts:
DuchessofAnkh22 · 04/03/2022 14:40

@Ursula85

Hi thankyou for your input. But my daughters friends kept asking her and she was rhe only person in her class without a response. Given that only 20% of appeals are successful I feel I have to prepare her for the worst x
But it's fine she's crying "My daughter has cried every day since."
Original poster
Ursula85 · 04/03/2022 14:41

I do have proof I sent an email asking for this to be rectified. But then when it didn't get responded to I didn't chase up. I just never realised I'd have an issue.
She shares custody between us 50/50. How do I make any proof of anything yet she spends more school nights at her dads as I work late Mon to Wed. She does sun Mon Tues and Wed night at his one week then the other week she spends the Wed night with me.
I can get proof from the childminder of this and from my work that I work late?
Also I can get our parenting agreement sent to them. Not that that will hold much weight I think.
I filled out the form because I usually do these sorts of things. But her doctors surgery is near her dad and the school. All of my family live near the school we wanted her to attend. Anything else I could do?

OP posts:
Quartz2208 · 04/03/2022 14:42

Will her father ring from his address and put her down on the waiting list (which opens up soon)

Original poster
Ursula85 · 04/03/2022 14:44

Ofcourse it's not fine she is crying. I have never used this forum before. I have made a mistake and I am willing to accept responsibility but I had forgotten this gave someone the right to be so judgemental. I'm asking for some help and advice. Telling me to lie to my child when I clearly already have told her won't help much will it. Other than maybe to elevate your own sense of self. I am pleased to hear that it all worked out for you but I sought advice from her primary school veforegand and we agreed that they will be discussing transitions etc and as she is the only child in her school going to this school we need to plan in advance and help her the best we can. The truth is all I have to offer her right now. She knows I will fight it and that's all I can do

OP posts:
RedskyThisNight · 04/03/2022 14:46

But it's fine she's crying "My daughter has cried every day since."

You can't protect your child from every bad thing that might happen to them. Better to give them the tools to manage it. OP's DD is upset now, but she will in time, be able to move forward.

Lying to your child for 2 months, with no surety that you would get the outcome you wanted, is not the path that most people would want to go down. Actually many DC would probably find it more upsetting that they didn't know what school they were going to.

Quartz2208 · 04/03/2022 14:58

@Ursula85 have you rung the school - it is common now for them to run waiting lists and if her father who lives close rings and sends through proof of his address plus any schedule that means she is 50/50 it is likely that she will get in via the waiting list.

BobblyBlueJumper · 04/03/2022 15:26

[quote Quartz2208]@Ursula85 have you rung the school - it is common now for them to run waiting lists and if her father who lives close rings and sends through proof of his address plus any schedule that means she is 50/50 it is likely that she will get in via the waiting list.[/quote]
This.

There is so much movement on school places between now and the end of the year. But you and her dad must act quickly, today if possible, to rectify it.

The school I work at has started taking kids from the waiting list for admission in September this week.

titchy · 04/03/2022 15:33

You need to ask your local authority how it would treat an address where there is 50/50 residency. You need to be clear which address her current school has for example, which address her GP has, which address for the parent who gets CB if either of you do - CB is often seen as indicating the main residence, so if you claim it will make your case for her main address being her fathers difficult.

You can't claim both 50/50 AND that her fathers is her main residence. I suspect I'm afraid that your LA will treat your address as the main one and given that, you really need to start being positive about the allocated school for her.

LIZS · 04/03/2022 15:45

It sounds like your error rather than theirs. Ask if they updated the address and whether the application was "on time". Who receives child benefit for her? Is she on the waiting list? How is her anxiety documented and what specific support does your preferred school offer? Why can her df not drop her at other school or at least part of the way?

UserError012345 · 04/03/2022 15:51

How can it be 50/50 and the main residence as Dad's ?

Soontobe60 · 04/03/2022 15:58

If you have 50/50 custody, then generally it will come down to who claims the child benefit. Then again, sometimes neither parents claims it if they earn above the threshold, so I’m not sure what would happen in that situation! I’d guess the address of the parent who lives nearest the desired school would be put on the application.

OP, who’s name is the child benefit in?
When did you ask admissions to change the address on the application?
The fact that all her friends will be going to this school, and all your family live near it is completely irrelevant.

Original poster
Ursula85 · 04/03/2022 16:01

Hi. The gp is next to her father's house and has his address down. I will ask for a letter from them. Cb goes to him. Although we have her the same amount of nights she is physically with him more hours. And more school evenings. Do you think this will help. I will call the school first thing Monday and ask them to make sure they have his address for the waiting list. If a child shares care 50/50 how can they say either one of us is the main home then. Surely that point won't then be valid for my house or his?

OP posts:
Original poster
Ursula85 · 04/03/2022 16:03

His name is on it so can I just send a copy of that? And also I emailed them to change it on 20th October last year before the 31st October deadline. But they didn't get back to me until 12th November when I then reiterated I needed it changing but with no response

OP posts:
caprimoon · 04/03/2022 16:05

The fact her GP has her dads address and CB goes to him will help sway your argument.

Appeal, ask to be added to the waiting list etc but don't turn down the place you've been allocated.

Twizbe · 04/03/2022 16:25

I think he needs to ring not you.

That was the first mistake that you did the form not him.

Charmatt · 04/03/2022 16:27

With us, where the Child Benefit is paid is the deciding factor on a family where one applies from the other parent's address. A parent agreement or custody document is also valid, but I'd back it up with the Child Benefit letter.

Your argument for maladministration depends very much on your evidence - if you have evidence of the email being sent, and the email address is correct (check it), then you can reasonably expect that it should be acted on as long as it is before the deadline. Send them proof of the email.