In Year Transfer to Grey Coat- what's next?

[fantasyworld]

We applied for our daughter to get into Grey Coat in September, she is Year 8. I was told that I needed to apply through Westminster LEA, which we did, and also the school have their own paper application form which needed to be completed and sent back. About ten days ago I received an email from Westminster saying that she was on the waiting list. To our great astonishment however, before I even had a chance to submit her paper application (I had Covid, which slowed things down) we were invited to visit the school and meet with Ms Young, the acting joint Headteacher. We visited yesterday, were blown away from the school and were offered a place on the spot by Ms Young. My question is, what should I expect next? Will we receive an official offer letter? Is it our responsibility to inform Westminster and our own LEA? When do we tell her current school? She is supposed to start just after half term, and we were hoping she would get sa chance to say bye to her friends before she moves. For now we have told her not to tell anyone other than her best friend, who is in another school. Any experience of in year transfers would be very much appreciated!

You need to get the offer in writing.

The school is its own Admission Authority, but it has to comply with the Admissions Code, and if they have a vacancy, it must be offered to the DC at the top of the waiting list. As you have not returned the SIF, I am wondering how they have managed to ascertain your DD's place on the list, and as you can tell I'm a little wary of an on-the-spot comment really being a proper offer.

So you need to email the school, asking for confirmation of the offer. It's past the point where LEA must manage waiting lists, but to avoid possibility of later confusion it is probably worth copying them in

She will probably need to start at her new school within about a fortnight of the formal offer, so that should give the opportunity to say her farewells.

You don't need to do anything re her old school, except inform them that she is leaving to join a new school and her final day will be (date). As LEA's are much hotter on checking no child is missing from education, then it's probably worth adding that she will be starting at GCH on (date)

@meditrina thank you, I emailed Ms Young today and she replied with her starting date, but I didn't get any further info regarding the process. I will call the school and Westminster on Monday just to make sure, I'm sure Ms Young mentioned a letter, just wondering how long that might take to come through? Gah, so much uncertainty.

Her old school should not take her off roll until she starts at her new school, either. We require confirmation from the new school that they are physically there and in lessons before we offroll.

We do appreciate being told that the child is moving, however! Sometimes they just disappear and the LEA has not quite caught up with telling us they are going...