We are looking to move back to the uk for our daughter to start primary school in September this year. We have been looking at house and primary schools but are really lost as to how it all works...do you choose your school, or are you in a catchment area and that is your school??

How would I find out what catchment area we would be in as the estate agents (as helpful as ever!) don't know!!

Im not sure if it is different for different countys but it doesnt work on catchment area alone now where i live.
Other factors include siblings/family at the school, if the college offers something specific for your child (i.e sports/special needs) feeder school and where you live.
Not much help im afraid. Could you possible ring the council or L.E.A of the area you are moving to and get some info??

Thanks I have started collecting all the education authority telephone numbers for us to ring! :-)

The LEA or even some council websites will have a computer program that the postcode of the house you are interested in can be entered and that will show the school/s that the house will be in the catchment area for.  So when you speak to the estate agents, find out the postcode as well. 

HOWEVER, the intakes for each year may be full already of your catchment area school, and the intake for the new Reception classes and the Year 7's (start of senior school) have just been released for September 2008 and most schools admit to their limit.  If the year your child wants to go into is already full, you will have to go to appeal.  Just because you are in catchment it doesnt mean that they have to take you part way through a year.  Appeal processes are run by the LEA and they will be able to tell you more about that particular schools admission policy.Ive been through two appeals which were very stressful and worrying but I won both so it does work :D

Also, please do bear in mind that the closing date for applications for those children due to start in Sept 08 was towards the end of last year so this may have some bearing (dependant obviously on the applications/places ratio) and the official reply is due around the end of March  Also I am not sure but I think you have to have a UK address for the application (not necessarily living there but you will need definite address details for the forms).  Obviously the LEA is the best place to start, also try the Ofsted website.  If you have an idea on the area (ie county) then you can search the various primary schools and view their latest ofsted reports.  This may help you narrow down the particular area then you could try ringing the individual schools for further information. 

It would also help for you to look for a preschool nearby so that your child can meet other children going to that particular school and also participate in the pre-going to school activities.  This is where those going to the school will go along for half a day or an hour etc to visit the school (during school hours) and perhaps sit in with story time with the current reception class or go along and watch the fun sports days etc etc. 

HTH
Kerri xx

Just found this on the Peterborough LEA website (where I live) and it states

WHAT HAPPENS IF I HAVE JUST MOVED INTO THE AREA?
If you move into the area a place will normally be available at your local infant/junior/primary
school, although this is not always the case. You should contact the headteacher of the school
you are interested in applying to as soon as possible before you move. A place will normally be
offered subject to the availability of places and on proof of your child's date of birth and address.
If your preferred school is full, you have the right of appeal.
Schools will not be able to offer places if you are still living elsewhere and cannot provide
documentary evidence of exchange of contracts or a rental agreement, and will not reserve a
place if your child cannot take it up by a specified date.
Places are not reserved in schools to allow for people moving into the area.

This may not be the same for all LEA's but just so you are aware of it when you speak to them.

Kerri xx

Oh No!!!! :-(

It has been really stressful for us already. we live in Guernsey and are thinking of coming back to the UK in a few months time, we are looking to buy somewhere in the 2nd week of April when we will be in the UK for a visit. Our daughter is really sensitive and very bright and we want to ensure that we do her justice by picking the right school and the house we buy will depend on the school so if we have to go through appeal then we will be looking at beyond September and I won't move her in her first year so I guess we will be stuck here! :-(

No you wont! :-)

It really does depend though on whereabout you want to move to?  We moved in October to a complete new county etc 200 miles away and had no problems getting all 3 into the school and the 4th into the local preschool because the school has an intake number of 90 odd but only 50 odd applications.  Yet when it was a possibility of moving to Yeovil, I had trouble getting any of them into a school!  It really does just depends on the area? 

Are you looking at any area in particular?

On the LEA websites, it should give you the applications/places rations for the previous years intakes and this can give you an idea as to the possibilty of a place.  If like you say you find a place at the beginning of April then you could approach the schools to put your daughters name down on a waiting list pending the purchase and once confirmed by solicitors or the like, you can then forward this to the school etc.

Of course, it would be best to visit the schools while you were over in April but obviously some may be on the Easter break (again details on LEA).

Kerri xx :-)

We are looking at Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire.....

Hmm just been told by the woman that deals with admissions in Cambridgeshire to go to Oxfordshire as they are having a nightmare and nearly all schools are full so we would just be allocated a school and it would probably be oversubscribed!!!!

Angels2
Why on earth do you want to come back here?!
I always thought Guernsey would be a lovely place to live and raise a family. :-)
Aren't the schools very good?

> Why on earth do you want to come back here?!
>

I miss my family :-(

> I always thought Guernsey would be a lovely place to live and raise a family

It is :-)

> Aren't the schools very good?

Yes they are very good, small classes etc etc but it isn't home and we have had a window open up where we can go back with my oh job.

Oh ok, fancy a house swap?:-D

Seriously, good luck in your search.

I moved from Essex to Cheshire last year, and was living in rented in Essex.  My landlord sold my house in Essex and gave me two months notice.  I decided to move to Cheshire to be nearer to my boyfriend who lives in Cheshire.  At the time I had a son in year 2 (top of the infants) and a son in year 8, (2nd year seniors) we had to move in the Easter holidays - ie part way through a school year. The way I did it was to find the schools that I wanted and then I spoke to both of them to find out the places situation.  The primary school had places in year 2, but the senior school didnt have any places in yr 8  I then had to find out their catchment areas through the LEA and then looked up the houses in those places via rightmove.co.uk. I was lucky in that the LEA had a map on their website with big shaded areas of the catchment, so I could narrow it down.  I sent off for prospectus from both schools and went round both of them.  The house I had chosen I put a rental deposit down on.  The school wouldnt hold a place until I had a tenancy agreement signed (or exchange of contracts document) so as soon as I had that, my youngest was given a place.  Because the senior school had no places in year 8, I started the appeal process as soon as I had the tenancy agreement, and then went to the appeal board.  You have to prove that your child getting a place will not prejudice the education of others, and that the impact on your child of not getting a place, would be greater than the impact of your child stretching the resources/facilities of the other children - see here http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A1182449 Dont forget that children may accept a place in a reception class and then not take it up (I work in a Reception class).  Classes can go up to 30 generally, and people also move out of a school all the time.

Children move schools all the time, they move countries/towns/counties all the time - it does work - my children both got into schools within half a mile of our house - and I did it all on my own and relocated 250 miles as well :D

Oh Angels..sorry you are leaving. The education here is fantastic with loads of opportunities as they get older. However assuming you are here under licence, then the the prospect of disrupting them later is  to be considered.
I hope it works out for you okay.

Karen  ;-)

> Oh Angels..sorry you are leaving. The education here is fantastic with loads of opportunities as they get older. However assuming you are here under licence, then the the prospect of disrupting them later is  to be considered.
> I hope it works out for you okay.
>

Thanks Karen, we are here on licence but we are in open market so we had planned to stay alot longer but after having the children I suffered from severe post-natal illness and now that I am in recovery I want my family at least a drive away, its hard to have to wait until we go to the UK to see them, at least if we move back although we won't be on their doorstep I can just get in the car to see them. :-)

I agree the education here is very good! :-)

> Children move schools all the time, they move countries/towns/counties all the time - it does work - my children both got into schools within half a mile of our house - and I did it all on my own and relocated 250 miles as well :D

You certainly have my admiration! :-)

To be honest most of the schools in Oxford have got very good results and the woman was very very helpful and we can apply now and find out which school of 3 we have got before they break up in April which will determine the house we buy :-)