Help Required Complex Situation

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complexsitu
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2018 11:40 am

Help Required Complex Situation

Post by complexsitu »

Hi

Wondering if someone can assist... Partner up North Manchester with a 9 year old in primary school. Planning to move down once the child is in secondary. Want to apply to local schools here in Hertfordshire (this is where I live). Unfortunately the Childs permanent address is Manchester. This means that under normal circumstances there will be blanket exclusion on Hertfordshire school places. Don't really want to move the child until completion of the primary place which is in Summer 2020. If we must do that move, then we will, but really want to avoid this. House in Manchester will be retained as a buy to let.

This cannot come under a fraudulent address issue, it is not an easy daily commute from Manchester - so we are not looking at doing anything funny here..

March 2019 application requires address - is this the address that is used for school place allocation ?
March 2020 allocation day -- is this the address that is used for allocation ?

Will contact the admissions in due course directly as situation is complex, but could do with some advice.

Thank you
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by Guest55 »

Welcome!

It would be much easier to move the child now as it is where the child is living that is the address that will be used for school places allocation. You are restricting your choices of schools to those with no catchment or the very unpopular ones who will have places. What schools are you considering?
anotherdad
Posts: 1763
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:33 pm

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by anotherdad »

As I understand it you have to complete your CAF by the end of October and it is your address in early December that is the one used for allocations in March 2020. If you delay your move until summer 2020 you will be allocated to a school that has spare places, i.e. possibly not one you'd choose.

If you want a choice of schools you will have to move by nautumn 2019. You may also have to provide evidence of the severance of residency in your Manchester address, perhaps by having evidence of your tenant's long-term tenancy and/or evidence that your child has a new, permanent address in Herts.
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by Daogroupie »

Which schools are you planning to apply for? DG
mitasol
Posts: 2756
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:59 am

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by mitasol »

Herts LA will provide much of the information you are after.
https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/servic ... laces.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
silverysea
Posts: 1105
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:32 pm

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by silverysea »

Some families move in from other countries and DCs go to HBS, and I’m guessing QE as well, so Manchester is a doddle by comparison. I don’t know which others, if any, don’t have a catchment.
fiate2000
Posts: 206
Joined: Sat Oct 12, 2013 10:09 am

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by fiate2000 »

We were in a similar position five years ago when we moved from Wiltshire to Hertfordshire with two children (9 and 7 years of age) as a result of a change in job.

It was an in-year transfer between primary schools and fairly straightforward. Our first priority was school places, so we wanted to secure them first before making a decision on house move. As a result, we did not have an address in Herts when we applied for schools. The transfer process was :

1. Checked Herts LEA website on weekly basis to identify schools with vacancies (it was considerably more difficult as we wanted both boys to be in the same school - very few schools ticked this box)
2. Spoke to headteachers, explained job situation and visited schools
3. Once a school is selected, confirmed places with headteacher
4. Called Herts LEA admissions, discussed confirmation with headteacher, and explained the reason for move
5. Applied via Wilts LEA in-year transfer team, attached a letter explaining why we did not have an address in the school catchment (cc to Herts LEA)
6. Once Herts LEA offerred places, we accepted and indicated a start date in the next term (three months in future)
7. Finished house search and moved
8. Boys were in the old school on a Friday, and in the new school the next Monday

The feedback received from headteacher and LEA is empty school places means loss of funding and they struggle to fill these in the middle of academic years. So they do not strictly follow catchment criteria for in-year transfers. As long as you can provide some evidence the child will be in the catchment before school starts, they will be able to accommodate.

The process via CAF to transfer from primary to secondary might be more difficult.
streathammum
Posts: 1252
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2016 6:02 pm

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by streathammum »

Interesting. I wonder what would have happened if someone else had moved into the catchment of the school you chose in the three months between you being offered the places and starting at the school - would you have lost one of the places to the person who was higher than you in the admissions criteria? Or is there a guarantee that once you've been offered an in-year place to start some months in the future it can't be taken away?
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by Guest55 »

Bucks wait until you have an address in the LA before you can be allocated a school.
Hera
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Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:50 pm

Re: Help Required Complex Situation

Post by Hera »

We were in a similar position five years ago when we moved from Wiltshire to Hertfordshire with two children (9 and 7 years of age) as a result of a change in job.

It was an in-year transfer between primary schools and fairly straightforward. Our first priority was school places, so we wanted to secure them first before making a decision on house move. As a result, we did not have an address in Herts when we applied for schools.
I was in a similar position about 7 years ago. Herts council were very clear with us that we could not apply until we had an address in Herts and were living at that address. From memory we could only apply after contracts were complete, so even evidence of exchange was not enough. All schools near us were full and we ended up being allocated 3 different primary schools within Herts with an 8 mile radius!

Even primary academies and voluntary aided schools that control their own admissions still have to go through the County Council, although they may have more control of their admissions process. I can only think that in your situation it was a voluntary aided faith school or the schools were so under-subscribed that they knew they could guarantee a place? But even in that scenario I am really surprised that you were offered places in advance.
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