Currently on a secondary school waiting list - moving child a few weeks into the start of term?

[Turquoiseturtle3]

Hi all, with 2 weeks to go in slightly freaking out about the start of secondary school. We are currently on the waiting list for our top choice. At one point we were 3rd at the start of July but have now slipped to 10th. So the chances of being offered before term starts is now extremely low. I was hopeful we would be offered in the summer holidays and everything would work out. So we are now potentially facing a dilemma if we are offered once term has started. Has anyone moved their DC a few weeks into term? I am gutted he will miss out on the “getting to know you” stuff. Of course he might not be offered at all and this is also semi wishful thinking. But I have to be prepared.

The school he is currently going to is further away but he will know quite a lot of people from primary. Our first choice school he will know practically no one. Im worried about him making friends when groups have already been formed. But know this is probably short term pain. Any advice welcome. TIA

The child who moves into the area has to go to one school or another, though. Which school should they go to?

Are they on lots of lists @SheilaFentiman

Or pick the school closest

I'm
Not saying they don't deserve a space but seems unfair for someone waiting on the list slowly going up suddenly be bumped down a few places

You are clearly not a fan of the Admissions Code, then, which states, amongst other things, that schools must set Admissions policies which comply with the Code, clearly setting put how places will be allocated, should more apply than the published admission number? And that waiting lists for year 7 entry must be held, at least until December 31st of the year of entry, in oversubscription criteria order, with the list being reranked every time anew applicant is added to the list and that that applicants must not be ranked according to how long they have been on the waiting list?

But hey, your local MP might turn out to hold the same views as you. Why not petition him / her to get them to try to have the Admissions Code changed? I mean, if they've been beavering away at this for years, they've not succeeded, but you never know, they might get lucky.

Makes no diff to me @MarchingFrogs

I was just feeling sympathy for the op. To be near the top of list then moved down again.

The closest school for a recently moved child may be the one that OP is waiting for!

We all feel sympathy for op, but this doesn't mean the process is unfair.
It's a perfectly fair system, it just doesn't happen to be working in op's favour.
Yet.

I definitely don’t think it’s totally fair. People play the system and move out of catchment but the only way this is discovered is if the parents own up and say they’ve moved which they obviously wouldn’t.
If people have bought a house, the council could cross reference sales info/council tax changes with the application address. But they don’t.

Thanks, appreciate it. It’s a bit of a kick in the guts to be so close yet so far.

How long do you think it would be fair to restrict moves?

There is a wildly popular school near us that will take places away if moves happen within something like 6 months of the start date, but it is semi fee paying so a bit different to a standard comp.

I didn’t say anything about restricting moves.

I said there should be checks made when people sell up and keep their place. Or if there is a change in council tax name. The council have access to this information but chose not to use it. That’s what is not fair.

'I said there should be checks made when people sell up and keep their place. Or if there is a change in council tax name. The council have access to this information but chose not to use it. That’s what is not fair'

That would be a massive job. House sales don't often show up anywhere until months later, changing names on council tax the same. Admissions departments deal with thousands of applications. Each September the applications process for the following year starts again so they start working on that.

A lot of students where I teach, join a few weeks later or a term into year 7. They soon settle and you'd never know they joined later, I wouldn't worry too much x

Might be worth asking what the mid year intake is like generally in that school though. But it shouldn't really be an issue, teachers and students can make an effort to welcome the child.

My personal opinion is that it shouldn’t be hard to cross reference. They are using computers after all.

Thanks - that’s good to know

My personal opinion is that it shouldn’t be hard to cross reference. They are using computers after all.

Ignoring your assumption that LAs have the software in place to link information in this way, it wouldn't just be about checking would it?

They would need to follow up on every discrepancy and make a decision about whether or not the place should be withdrawn.

Most LAs rely on people being reported for school place fraud and dealing with those cases. I know a few people who have been reported, all renters whose landlords ended their tenancy and who had to move a bit further from the school. None of their places were withdrawn.

It’s really not that simple. Believe me. The information isn’t all kept in the same place. Not all SA depts have access to Council Tax so not all SA depts check Council Tax.

Regardless, I’m losing out to those who move into the area but aren’t getting the benefit of those who move out but fraudulently keep their place. We are relying on them to own up - and of course they don’t. Thus, it’s not fair.

my question about “restricting moves” maybe wasn’t well phrased.

At present, for most schools, if you live at the right address on application day and certainly if you still live there on allocation day, then it’s not fraudulent to move afterwards.

Is this what you would change?

How are they fraudulently keeping the place?

If you move out of catchment before the 1st day of term, I was advised that the council should reassess the application and withdraw the place if someone else meets the distance criteria ahead of them.

Their application officially would need to be reassessed. Based on distance criteria they would no longer be within catchment and would themselves go back onto the waiting list.

I think that is quite unusual. Perhaps your LA does this, though. Who advised this to you?

The LA advised me of this. If they move after their initial application, they are reassessed based on their new address and a place withdrawn if they no longer meet the criteria ahead of others on the waiting list.

Do you actually know of people who have done this or are you just assuming that some people have?

This is what my county does - so no places are withdrawn if a child moves after the application date, but if they are allocated a place and then move, then they can go on waiting lists with their new address.

If your child is offered a school place based on where they live, it is conditional on them living at that address on the application closing date (or a different date if specified by the school). An exception will only apply if we have accepted a change of address that has taken place after the closing date (see further information below). A new address can only be considered once a move has taken place and we reserve the right to seek further information from you.

If you do not tell us about a move, or about a declared move that has failed to take place, we may withdraw your application or any offer of a school place we have made.

Moving within XX county after the closing date: if you applied by the closing date and you move within XX after 31 October 2023, but on or before 12 December 2023, let us know the date you moved and provide us with evidence of your new address by 12 December 2023, for example a copy of your tenancy agreement or the date of completion. As long as the move took place on or before 12 December and you send us evidence by that date, your new address will be used in the initial allocation of school places on 1 March 2024 (the national offer day).

If you move within XX after 12 December 2023 or if you provide us with evidence of a prior move after this date, your previous address will be used for initial allocation purposes on 1 March 2024. Your new address will be used for waiting lists from 1 March 2024, or the date you move if a move has not yet taken place.