Has anyone moved between Yr6 SATs and Yr7?

[Buffalogills]

Redundancy 😭 no other jobs in our entire county of the same ilk so we have opted to relocate a few hours away. It would be a brilliant move for everyone involved - jobs, universities, better schools, more to do etc. DC is onboard and very excited!

However we’re worried about moving at the end of Yr6 for the beginning of Yr7. What if we don’t get a place for a September start?

Anyone done similar?

You will get a place somewhere but it may not be at your first choice school. Did you apply for secondary school in your area? When will you actually move?

I would look at schools and see what would be preferred, but be aware that you may not get that school - it depends on demand of course. Can you say the area?

Hey @clary thats ok, all the schools in the new area look great (great compared to what we’re currently used to anyway!)

The new area has 4 choices! I think I’m worrying unnecessarily but I am a worrier

If you know where you are moving to, just not the exact address, you can apply for the secondary in the area now and may even have a place before you move (you can apply to any school from any uk address, you may lose out on distance but you are then on the lists and can update once you have your new address and will move up the lists based on your new address).

An old neighbour did this and from what I heard afterwards it was a good moment as meant ds started a new school with everyone being newish so less disruptive than moving mid year. They did accept our local school but rented in new location

You need to contact the council admissions in the place you are moving to. Be very careful about dates, schools being oversubscribed and council's Individual processes.
I say this as someone who moved between year 6 and year 7. If we hadn't moved by the extended move deadline we wouldn't have got a place at any of our closest schools as all places were offered and accepted - very limited movement on the wait list.
It's best to arm yourself with all the knowledge. If you leave it to the summer/start of year 7 you may be very limited depending on what area you are moving to. Good luck with your move.

In our area you cannot apply before you have actually moved and have your new address.

That's the perfect time to move, starting new at the same time as others are is so much easier than mid school. It's also very likely that there will be places allocated to students who ultimately go elsewhere, meaning you stand a better chance of getting a place than you might do further on.

Thanks everyone! No idea how to manage buying house, selling house and schools all at once. Sounds like quite a lot to juggle!

Although you can't apply for a main round place through any other than your current home LA, the system allows for an application for schools in other local authorities. The transfer of information between local authorities is one of the ways in which the coordinated admissions scheme works.

So if you know that you are definitely moving at some point before the start of year 7, it is possible to submit an on-time CAF through your current LA naming only schools in the area to which you are moving (if the schools are not initially available on the online form, some LAs will require a paper CAF to be used for this, others will add the requested schools to their online list to enable them to be named).

What won't happen, until you have met the proof of address requirements, is the new home LA determining a 'nearest available' school place, if none of the ones you have applied for within that LA can offer. Your home LA retains the responsibility for finding your DC a place until you have definitely moved elsewhere.

@Buffalogills I mean selling and buying a house is just something people do all the time – it’s a bit of a pain for sure but if you want to move you’re gonna have to do it.

Then the school – as others say, you can apply now or at least enquire. When you know your new address you can find out what spaces there are. The good thing is that no one is going to insist you take up a space asap – what I mean is, if you were applying for a space in current year 7 the school might give you a short deadline. But if it’s year 6 now, place in year 7 then you can’t take it up before Sept (I assume the plan is to move over the summer?)

It's not really such a juggle tbf.

Just be aware that when you say the new area has four choices – the LA, if those schools are full, may place your DC in another school which might be several miles away. You might be fine but there’s no guarantee. If that does happen remember you can go on WLs and also appeal.

If you moved to where I live on the basis of “there are three secondary schools within an easy journey” (there are) it’s unlikely that you would be offered any of them as a late application as they will all be full from on-time offers. You would be offered an unpopular school about five miles away. That’s why I would enquire now of the LA what it advises. If you are happy to tell us where locals can perhaps help.

We just phoned admissions and they explained the process very clearly to us. They’re much easier to deal with than our own admissions team in the current location.