Getting a child into a school
 

We have a son who is four this month and due to start school next September.

We have heard nothing from any sources about schooling or school admission and suddenly there is a note up at his nursery reminding parents to complete their admissions for schools for this age group by November 6th.

We have also discovered that other parents have received invitations to certain schools.

What is the process here? Who do we reach out to? Do we have to go to each school individually? I presumed the LEA would contact us?

We also live right on the border (literally) of a county and so schools we may want to go to are on the 'other' side of the border - how does that work?

Any help would be appreciated.

Call the council asap to check you are on the application list, and to get a form. Then call the schools you are interested in and get yourself an appointment.

Most of them show groups of parents round but you can push for your own appointment if you so wish.

Its all done through you county councils admission website. Last year you could apply from the 1st october so my advice would be get it done as quick as you can

Too late, there will only be places at the roughest schools now :D Still it'll harden the little fella up for later on in life :lol1:

Call the local council and speak to the education/schools department - Our local council did ot contact us, sems the ownus is on the parents in some areas.

speak to your local education authority and your neighbouring one,
you didnt say if your child went to the nursery or not,

my expoericence is that you have to do all the work yourself,

my daughter went to a stockport nursery but did not get into the junior school that was attached to it there was not enough places, and at the time a manchester kid could bnot get into a stockport school,

then we got a phone call, a few months later, and we took her out,
onlt to find we couldnt get her in the secondary school attached to to the junior school,

we appealed and won.,
get on the ofsted webiste and ring up the lea, and the schools you would like her to go to, make a file up, and keep notes.
dont forget that the systemwill be different in the niext county as well.
dont take no for an answer and make a pain in the arse of yourself.

Are you just looking at State schools ?

As Coffin dodger says, I think you're fooked mate! Your boy may well end up at the failing school where the boys all carry knives and the girls will gobble you for a mars bar!

Seriously though, have you not thought about this before? Where I live parents put their children's names down BEFORE they are born.

What!?
You mean you're sending him to a.... a state skule?
My God, man. Smack yersen around the head and see sense!



Anyway, my lad will be 4 in November and his school place was sorted out the first week after the summer hols.
Seems like someone's missed you out.

double post.

My point was made as its a different process and given Trout/Spooky/etc's taste in motors it wasnt an unreasonable question, if it Was COB asking given his well documented and honest account of his current earnings and situation it perhaps wouldnt be relevant, ours only go private as the in-laws pay !

David, had you considered preparatory school?

Well the good news is that the six nearest primary/junior schools to our catchment are all significantly better than the national average and the best one is our catchment school where he has preference.

Will put his name down for that for the moment. The nearest private school actually has slightly worse results and the best one is a real schlep away.

Anyway I mostly went to state school and it didn't hold me back ;) :p

Prep schools have changed an awful lot since my experience. Most of them are very expensive flats now.....

My son is 8 months old, when can I start looking around, putting his name down ?? Whats the normal progression for schools then ?? nursery, then primary school, then secondary ?? What are the age ranges for these schools ?

Out of interest my son started to walk the other night, is 8months average time or early ?? I think my lady is becoming one of those pressurizing mum's who must have a son that is advanced. I want him to develop at his own rate. *loody women !

SBK

8 months and walking is a freak!!

Walking is usually 11-14 months. Talking is around the same, maybe a little earlier.

For state schools get your name down around 12 months ahead of due to start school.

For private schools get your name down at birth!

For our nursery we had to be on the waiting list from early pregnancy to ensure a place for 9 months old!! Yes a 15 month waiting list.

Going to nursery attached to a school can help, but no guarantee.

Cheers Trout. Sounds like Ive got to get my finger out then.

When my son becomes older, does the council contact me about the schools he can go to ? or is enrolled in ?? If I wasnt to do anything, and just leave it, is it the council that then tells me ?

SBK

Ah, aah!

That was the point of my original post - we have not been contacted by anyone and only found out we were just about to miss the deadline by accident!!

However, there must be some form of process as we were supposed to have received a UID (id number) for our son - never received anything.

A 'classmate' from his nursery in the same catchment had received something from the council AND an invite from the school.

FYI we put our sons name on the school "list" that we wanted him to go to years in advance of same! We then lobbyed (?) the school to make sure he would / could get in. There are no guarantees of course however you do need to do what you can to influence ...

What schools are in your area (long list) vs which one(s) do you want him to go to (short list)?

TX.

Talking at 11mnths! Are you mad! Nothing you could understand anyway ...

TX.