Joining/getting into a secondary after moving

[UppingSticksish]

We're considering starting afresh in a new town (Christchurch, Devon). I'm confused about how you seamlessly get your children into a local school during term time. Local authorities seem to want several months utilities etc. to prove you live somewhere, so how would that work in terms of no break in schooling from old to new town? Importantly, how would you know you got (or could potentially get) a place in the school nearest your property?

Anyone with experience of relocating or similar issues? I may be missing obvious answers, I concede.

Relatives of mine did this recently with a Y6 and a Y8 child.

It definitely wasn't seamless - you can't leave one school on a Friday and start the new one on the Monday unless you are incredibly fortunate to find a space.

They sorted out housing where they were moving and one parent moved there and did all the school paperwork, while kids stayed in existing schools and house with other parent. Got confirmation of places just before summer holidays and started there in the September.

One child also had an EHCP which made things a bit easier.

Others I know had to homeschool for 2-8 weeks in the new town until places were available.

If you want to know if there are places available in the school years that you need, then ring all the possible schools and the LA. Check all the admissions criteria carefully - moving doesn't give you priority on waiting lists, so you could end up with two schools a considerable distance from where you plan to live if all the local schools are full.

Make sure you contact the correct LA- Christchurch is in Dorset!!

If a school has a place available, it must be offered to you even if you apply using your current address. You don't need to show that you are living (or going to live) at your new address.

Having said that, many LAs will accept exchange of contracts as proof of a new address.

ah yeah, knew that but mistyped. May very well not be welcome in Christchurch now 🙂

That's incredibly encouraging. The nearest school is outstanding, apparently, so I guess it'll be oversubscribed

Thanks, good to hear possible scenarios. Being put in schools a distance away would be not ideal. Hadn't considered the one parent moving first option, that'd take some commitment... and I wouldn't be convinced partner might come to like living apart 😬

I meant Dorset 😬😬😬

@UppingSticksish I applied directly to the school, rather than through the local authority.

I called the school office and asked them for the application forms, I then sent these into the school and was contacted a few days later offering my DD a space.

I was actually really seamless, and we set a start date of the Monday after we moved house. She literally finished one school at the end of half term and then started the new one at the after the HT break.

You can apply as soon as you exchange contracts if buying or sign the rental agreement. It can be a few weeks though. I contacted schools directly to find out who had space and the school assisted me in getting a spot... took 2 weeks for obs dc and 5 for the other

That sounds ideal. When I emailed one school they referred me to local authority, but I need to get on the phone I think. Can I ask if your school was 'oversubscribed', but they maybe made allowances?

That's very useful. So, call school, be mostly sure places exist, sign/exchange contracts. That certainly takes the lottery out of it, thanks.

@UppingSticksish the school she's at is full each year at intake but spaces do arise throughout the year as they do in every school. They did also ask for information from her previous school in the application process, e.g. attainment and behaviour.

Can I ask, just to check, if you exchanged on property AFTER you were 100% sure of school places existing?

The chance of you getting into a Christchurch School, let alone the one of your choice/nearest without any overlap is probably impossible. Your only hope is to get A School, and then go on the waiting list.

@UppingSticksish I'm pretty sure we'd been offered a place before we exchanged, but we did also purposely set a long gap between exchange and completion.

That being said, if there wasn't a place at the school we applied to I would have just applied to the next on our list. But, I'm not one of the MNers who study the school system to within an inch of its life.

It's not studying within an inch of its life, it is knowing the area, in the BCP area there are schools that you won't get a place even if you are in catchment (although with lower birth rates this is improving)

You will get a school, but unlikely to immediately get the one you want