School Change

tesuhoha

I work in a secondary school doing admissions. It is true that no school place will be offered so far in advance. I am not sure if primary is different. We do not even offer places as early as May. For an admission to school in September the parent should apply to the local authority in June so that the paperwork gets to the school by early July. We would then offer an interview in July and a place for the following September.

There is new legislation that all school places are authorised by the local authority and not the school. This caused some delay with Kent County Council this year and there were many youngsters still without a primary school place at the end of September so if you have been told May that is probably right. I hope I have been some help here but probably not as perhaps secondary school is slightly different.

However, what you have to remember is that September is the busiest time for school admissions because parents tend to change their children's school at the end of the summer term. We always have far more applications in September than at any other time.

Incidentally its the Council in the area you are going to that you should apply to.

mico62

The main reason for the new system is to stop schools refusing in year admission requests to what they consider to be difficult pupils if there are places in the particular year group.

tesuhoha

mico62 wrote: »

The main reason for the new system is to stop schools refusing in year admission requests to what they consider to be difficult pupils if there are places in the particular year group.

Difficult pupils come in two ways by the Local Authority, either by Managed Transfer or on the Hard to Place Panel. Each school is obliged to take a certain quota of these students.

Savvy_Sue

One thing to be aware of is that you may not be able to formally apply until you are actually in the new address, or at least have a firm date / tenancy agreement etc. But since you know what that new address will be, you can start researching, make yourself known to any potential 'new' schools, and touch base with them at regular intervals if the LEA aren't proving particularly helpful with the changes.