How long does it take to find a secondary school?

[NsDad]

Hi,
We moved to council and the in-year application for secondary school is in process by the council.
we are still waiting for the outcome for 3 weeks and no update from the council.
There is no direct contact to speak the council only, email communication and council is not responding at all.
Is there anything we can do to speed up the process?
Thanks

I'd ring the education office and ask. Call the mainswitchboard and ask to be put through.

@NsDad if no empty places are available and your child is not offered a place within 4 weeks, they will be eligible for your local authority's Fair Access Protocol: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6124ab6ae90e0705410757e8/FAP_Guidance.pdf

As I said, the admission team has no direct contact number. They do have option contact through the council website and hardly they do respond. quite frustrating.

If that persists, contact one of your local councillors to complain. Their email address should be on your local authority website.

Has your child been out of school for three weeks?

Is that what the central council switchboard tells you - that there is no way for them to put you through to admissions?

4 weeks now. :(

They have not mentioned, if they put through the admission or not.

I guess, the issue with my council is - they don't have direct phone line to discuss about school admission. I am sure they have, just they don't like to mention or discuss over the phone about school admission.

They do have contact to council link on the website but it's of waste. I believe, the request going to some third party outsourcing centre as sometime I get the response early 5 AM in UK time and I know council does not work so early. 😣😣

The team responses are just useless and 2ndly, they have no idea about the school admission, just responding to the query raised by the parents and bill money to the council. In other words, there is no way you can reach to the right people from council to request about a school place. just awful.

Call the main switchboard number and ask to be put through to the department that deals with school admissions. It is worth a try rather than assuming it won’t work.

I would call if they had any direct line..

Have you tried calling the schools you've applied for?

They will have a phone number which is why it is being suggested to you that you call the main switchboard and ask to be put through to the admissions team.

I have tried all ways - searching on the council website, calling general department of the council. Advised given to me, the school admission have no direct line and only way to reach is through the contact us portal.

I am out of mind, if there is a way to contact them directly.

can you please suggest what are the alternatives, if council does not provide the school for 4 weeks ?

@NsDaddid you get an acknowledgement for your application?

Yes, got an auto email - Your In Year application is now being processed.

no further updates from council after this email. Recived this email 3 weeks back.

They said two things, 1 - all admission has to be routed through the council 2-they have no available place.

Then you need to google the local Fair Access Protocol, read it, then find out when the next FAP meeting will be. Our local FAP has met at least twice since the start of term.

You can also google your local authority's appeals service and lodge an appeal for each of your preferred schools. That might kick start some action.

Appeal has been logged in and hearing date is schduled.

I am yet to understand about local Fair Access Protocol. Can you little brief about FAP? How does this work?

This is the national guidance: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6124ab6ae90e0705410757e8/FAP_Guidance.pdf

Your local authority will have its own protocol on its website, so you need to find it.

It is usually a panel of local school heads who collectively decide where "hard to place" children are placed. Often it is children who have behaviour issues, but should also include children who have had no place for 4 weeks because all the schools are full.

Send a letter Special Delivery requesting your child is considered at the next Fair Access Panel. To which LA have you moved?

if you are living close to the LA border you may find a place in the neighbouring county. Have you called up all the local schools yourself?