kericare

hi well i am not settling here again and want to go back home,we returned in jan this yr i got the kids back into their old school which was great,i dont know why we came back perhaps we thought we hadnt given it long enough,well i have tried and things are not getting better i just want to be back home,i have contacted the school and am waiting to here,i spoke to my best friend the other day and she said i may have a problem getting the kids back in their,but what happens if we are going to live in the catchment area which we will be can they refuse if there are not any spaces ,i really wish we hadnt of come now the school they were at was so good all my kids keep talking about is going bk home and to their old school someone give me some reasurance please im at a loose end here

Hutch

Sorry to hear it's not working out for you. Doesn't it work on a nomination basis - you name the schools you want them to go to with your favourite at the top of the list? That was certainly how it happened in Gloucestershire.

moneypenny20

I've moved this to the MB forum. More people here who have been in your situation. Hope it works out for you.

kericare

thanks mp,hope i get some help with this x

merleoberon

sorry but it is my understanding that no school in england is obliged to take anyone irrespective of where they live - its different in australia where they have to take you if you are in the catchment.

there was a programme on the TV in england not too long ago where tons of people were trying to get their kids into this one primary - people were buying second houses/flats just to be close and it ended up that they took the closest addresses - some people staying about one mile from the school were not "close enough" as it was a very small school and all the loaded people paid a fortune for the flats that were right next door.

i believe the local council are obliged to give your children schooling but not necessarily the one of your choice. if they have no spaces, they will likely offer the children a place at another school.

i would try writing a really nice letter saying how you have made a mistake leaving again etc but that you don't want your children to be any more unsettled than they already are - say that you are very worried about them and that getting them back in with their peers is really important and should lessen the blow of them moving again. also a bit of flattery such as the school is really well run, excellent teachers etc and how your kids blossomed whilst there etc. i think if you lay it on the line that they have been moved several times now and that you deeply regret it and basically appeal to their better nature, they may take pity on you so to speak and get them back in. But i must add - I am not trying to put blame here or say your children are upset or whatever - only that phrasing it like that may make their chances of getting in more.
Good luck and keep us posted.

jillandsi

Hi Kerrie,

I've followed your comings and goings for a while and really feel for your torment. As far as schools go the majority of schools in the U.K. do not work on a catchment basis anymore but on an enrolement criteria i.e. 1st siblings in school and so on, last being distance from school, until class is full then no more are accepted. So if your children's old classes have filled since being there last you may not have any rights to get them in, though people do leave at year ends and as they're presumably not starting until Sept things may change for you. As an after thought you could always contact the Education Department regarding the appeals process (don't know if that would be of any use).
I wish you the best of luck and although I wouldn't go back yet due to the politics in the U.K. I can appreciate the pull especially if you have a strong family base there. If I listen to my heart somedays I would go back in a heartbeat because I loved the life that we had built. But as somebody who has done this twice now and talked about it since 2002 all I would say is weigh up the pros and cons (1 pro i.e. family is not necessarily equal to one con i.e. weather or lifestyle), decide what is right for your family as a whole and don't re-visit the issue otherwise you'll cause yourselves years of anguish (did we make the right decision/should we try again etc).
If you need any help with anything give me a shout
Good luck and be happy.
Jillian

Celtic Princess

I used to work with schools admissions/appeals.

You have the right to send you child to any school of your choice providing there is space available. If the school is full to it's published admission number (PAN) they are not allowed to admit any further children. You can write to them all you like, it will make no difference, they have no legal authority to go above their PAN.

You have the right to go to an appeal and they would be able to take into account your personal circumstances, but the school can't.

Your local education department (LEA) are responsible for educating you kids but they can do this at any of their schools. They will be able to inform you which schools have places available and you then get to choose from these.

I hope that helps. Shout if you want to know anything else.

penguinsix

The Telegraph has a story about this today and how many expats are finding themselves at the bottom of the list in some schools.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education...ls-system.html

kevinl

Hi Keri,
We returned to uk 2 years ago and I was desperate to get my kids into their old school. They had a place in year 6 for my eldest but no spaces in year 3 for the youngest, there were 9 on the waiting list for that year already. I was advised by the school secretary to accept the place for older child which would automatically put the younger one at the top of the list then appeal the decision with local education authority, which we did and won and she started school 2 weeks after her sister. Although you are able to apply for any school in the country, so I was told, it obviously helps if you live as close as you can. At the time we had secured a rental close by, couldn't move in straight away, so the agent wrote a letter to school confirming we would be living there by the september.

Hope this helps and I hope things turn out ok for you.

All the best,

Deb xx

TraceyW

Oh Keri you poor sod. I'd seen that you'd moved back to Perth and I am really sorry that it's still not working for you. But, it's one of lifes lessons eh and you had to do it if you felt it was right.

As you know we moved back last October and put our two kids into a school on the far side of the village/town as the one behind our house (our preferred choice) was full in our sons year (4). We were not happy with it within the first few weeks and began an appeals process to get both children moved to the preferred school. We were advised by the school to accept the place for our daughter as that would put our son at the top of the list. We lodged the appeal, went through the whole process and as luck would have it a child in year 4 left a few days before our daughter was due to start which meant both kids could go. Glad to say they're both very happy and we're very pleased!

Ring the school, talk to the admissions dept of your LEA and I wish you luck. I hope everything works out for the best for you xxx