Parental Responsibility and Secondary School

lepetit

Hi,
My fiance's son is going to secondary school next year and he and his ex are discussing the application at the moment and there are a few things I'd like to know:
1. He has Parental Responsibility and would like to sign the application form, is this possible? Does the application form allow for both parents details??
2. She has kept saying the forms need to be in asap but when I have looked it says the closing date is 23 October 2009 and nothing about needing to hurry them in? I can't understand that as all the schools open days are at the end of this month?
3. We want to look over the application form before she gives it in because although they all agree on the first choice school she has another she also likes which is awful and we don't want her changing the preferences to suit herself plus we just can't trust her. I also think my fiance simply has the right to be equally involved in this?

Thanks for any advice!:o

peachyprice

It's been a while since I filled mine in, my boys are now in year 10, but I'm sure there are spaces for the details of both parents name address etc., I remember putting both myself and the ex on the forms.

I agree with you entirely that there is no rush, your applicarion will not get processed any sooner just because you rush the form back. I would also urge you to take your OH's son to visit all the school available to you, even if his mother doesn't think it is necessary. It's impossible to judge a school without setting foot inside the door and from experience there were schools my boys didn't think they would mind that turned out to be a big no no, and it opened up our horizons as to what the other available schools were, after visiting them all we sat down and discussed which order the boys wanted to put them down in. At the end of the day it should be your OH's son who has the last say, he's the one who will have to go there and it sounds like he may need his dad backing him up.

We were lucky enough to get our first choice but were happy that it we got our second the boys would still be at a school they wanted to go to.

Bethankim

I put my ex on the form, and school send out 2 copies of everything (well major stuff - reports, photographs etc)

We put it in writing that is how we needed it to be, and its never been a problem. my ex is down as emergency contact equally with me.

LJM

why doesnt your partner ring the school if he has parental responsibility they will talk to him about it maybe help or put your mind at rest

lepetit

Just spoke to the school and the head said that there is no space for my fiance's details and the same for his signature!?!
I don't think that's fair...he has parental responsibility surely he should be included??
We want to ensure that what she's saying actually goes on the application and she's not just doing what's best for her.

peachyprice

Are the applications not done centrally through the LEA where you live?

Savvy_Sue

peachyprice wrote: »

At the end of the day it should be your OH's son who has the last say, he's the one who will have to go there and it sounds like he may need his dad backing him up.

Within reason: DS3 would have chosen the school all his friends were hoping to go to, which he had no guarantee of getting into as it was out of area, and the travel would have been an expensive nightmare. Whereas I insisted on putting the school his brothers were at. I pointed out that if he wasn't happy there, we would be able to move him, whereas if he didn't start there we would never get him in later! He's been fine ...

peachyprice wrote: »

Are the applications not done centrally through the LEA where you live?

Almost certainly, but the OP's fiance wants to check them before they are sent in.

peachyprice

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Almost certainly, but the OP's fiance wants to check them before they are sent in.

Just meant the head won't necessarily know what is actually on the LEA forms.

OP, you should be able to see the forms on your LEA website.

bestpud

If she is the parent with care, and therefore the one responsible for ensuring he gets to and from school, and she is the one who will mostly deal with any issues (say he were ill for example), isn't she entitled to have the final say on which school he goes to?

What are her reasons for wanting the other school?

And how often does he stay with his dad?

If she argues it is closer, for example, could his dad pick him up, or drop him at school?

Not saying that applies, but she must have a reason for wanting that school, and perhaps he can help with that?

callow

A similar situation happened to a friend of mine. She filled in the form for secondary school places for her daughter who she has full custody of and unbeknown to her, her ex husband ( who has parental responsibility, but is not allow to see the children) also filled in the form. She only found out when the LEA called, they had both put down the same first choice so that was OK but there were different second choices. She had various legal wranglings to get her choices, although it wasn't needed in the end as her daughter got her first choice.

I would say that any person with parental responsibility can fill one it, it only causes concern if the choices are different.

jog

Re the point about getting the forms in quickly, in our area, if all other entry requirements are equal, the decider on getting places in over subscribed schools is down to the dates the application arrived with the LEA so if the school is normally over subscribed then getting your application in early can make a difference on getting a place at your 1st choice school.

Jog