Waiting lists

[Hollyhocks7]

hi, does anyone know whether schools are allowed to close their waiting list for year 7 entry before the start of the new academic year? I have been told by a local school that they have done this and that I need to apply for an in year transfer in September. I've looked at Gov.uk which seems to say that schools have to maintain a waiting list for at least the first term of the year.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/60ebfeb08fa8f50c76838685/School_admissions_code_2021.pdf

Waiting lists
2.15 Each admission authority must maintain a clear, fair, and objective waiting list until at least 31 December of each school year of admission, stating in their arrangements that each added child will require the list to be ranked again in line with the published oversubscription criteria. Priority must not be given to children based on the date their application was received, or their name was added to the list. Looked after children or previously looked after children allocated a place at the school in accordance with a Fair Access Protocol must take precedence over those on a waiting list52.

(Definition of Waiting List: A list of children held and maintained by the admission authority when the school has allocated all of its places, on which children are ranked in priority order against the school’s published oversubscription criteria.).

Someone such as @prh47bridge would be better placed to comment on the LA's policy vis à vis the wording of the Admissions Code.

Is this a school for which you have already applied, been refused a place, but for which your DC is already on the waiting list, or are you wanting to.make an application de novo now? Although the Code also says (in the Admissions Timeline section):
....For late applications (those which are submitted before the first day of the first term but are too late for an offer to be made on National Offer Day), parents also apply to and receive an offer from the local authority...

My view is that they cannot do this. However, ultimately it is up to the Schools Adjudicator to rule on this if someone submits an objection. The Adjudicator sometimes surprises me with their decisions. Most are correct, but there are a few I disagree with.