[New to the UK, Norwich] Secondary School placements

[AzureLK]

Hi
I will relocating from abroad to the UK, with my child.
I am really confused about enrolling in state secondary schools.

Some context:

1. I understand that since we will arrive in August, schools are closed and thus we could wait until end of September to get placed. How long does the school + council work to place someone? Could this be a matter of days or weeks?

2. Am I considered an in-year placement or late admission or do they mean the same thing basically?

3. As of now, historical data states that the school/s we are interested in are over-subscribed. Does this mean that there is no point in applying?

I understand that the council has to place us within our catchment. So I should sort out a place to move to first, then schools. But what happens if the alllocated school ends up too far away? It doesn't make sense to back out of my rental and rent closer, right? Or perhaps I am mis-understanding how allocations are done.

Hope someone can shed some light here for me. Thank you so so much in advance.

Can you say how old your DC is (and what month their birthday is)? If they are in the middle of the typical time at a school then you will be looking at an in-year placement. Since this is in secondary ed I presume you are looking for a secondary school.

Unless they are 10/11 (turning 11 before end August this year) they will be joining the school at a non-usual joining point. You can apply to or list specific schools but if they are full then the LA will offer a place at a school that does have spaces. This is likely to be a less-popular one and yes it may be some distance away. If it is further than is considered walkable, transport will be offered (but this might be just a bus pass). They don't have to place you in your catchment school.

You can go on waiting lists from any schools you like and you may find that a place comes up at somewhere closer. Depending on your child's school year tho, you may not want to move them.

Edited to add: If they are 10/11 then they would be joining in year 7 in Sept which is the usual first year at secondary; however you will obviously have missed the allocation round (places are offered at the start of March). I would imagine though it might be easier to find a place in that scenario as there is typically some movement at the start of year 7 with ppl winning appeals, getting WL offers or going private and releasing state school places.

Hi, yes DC is turning 11 this April (b. 2014) so I understand she will be in Year 7.
It seems ( from historical data) and from what I glean, that almost all the schools are oversubscribed. Is it then just a matter of them working through the appeals/ waiting list?
How long does that take usually? We planned to arrive in Sept but should I arrive earlier now, say, August to sort this out? Then again, school offices are closed so there won't be any movements, right?

When you move into an area you speak to the local education authority who will have lists of schools with capacity to take your child. If there are no places within 3 miles they have to provide transportation too (usually a bus pass). Sometimes they have to make a space if there’s a particularly large birth rate that year (it really makes a difference). Typically you can expect to get a placement within a month of arriving though school holidays may delay this slightly. You can apply as soon as you have a rental contract in place or have exchanged contracts if buying which could mean it’s still July and schools are open. I moved in early July and they started in September with their cohort for one move, the other was in May and they started in mid June

It’s not school admin that says there is or is not a place, it is done through the LA so August should not be an issue. Though of course you won’t be able to look round any offered school, if you had wanted to do that.

How soon will you have an address in the UK?

The most popular schools are likely to be full. If your address is very close to one you prefer, then that should put you to the top of the WL. No guarantee of a place coming up tho.

This makes better sense with arriving in July when schools are still open before hitting the break. Though I'm not sure if I am able to achieve that given that I'm still stuck with work here before we move.

From what I can see, rentals here take a while with some people taking up to 6 weeks to confirm places. ( I assume, this is an over demand situation).
Can I ask the local education authority for schools which have vacancies before I even move into a place or are they a stickler for this (i.e. establish a place first before enquiring)?

You can apply now from where you are

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/schools-admissions-applications-from-overseas-children

Without a local address, you will be ranked on your current one, so obviously very low down on the waiting list for any oversubscribed school, but if one you apply for has a place, you should be allocated it.

Norfolk schools look-up

https://csapps.norfolk.gov.uk/schoolfinder/