Newcastle City Council

How long do I have to accept the place that I am offered?

You must reply by 15 March 2011 to accept your place. Please let us know if you do not require the place so we can offer it to another child.

What can I do if my child is not offered a place at my preferred school?

If you are not offered your first preference, we will offer you a place at another school. If possible, this will be your second, third or fourth preference or will be the nearest school with a place available. You can:

• accept the alternative place
• ask about availability of places at other schools
• have your child’s name held on a waiting list for places at your preferred school
• appeal to an independent appeal panel against the decision to refuse a place.

You should accept the place offered even if it is not at the school you wanted and you want to lodge an appeal. If you do not respond by 15 March we will assume the offer is no longer required and may reallocate the place.

Are any places allocated after the initial round of offers?

Yes. Some parents offered places decide they no longer wish their child to attend the particular school. Waiting lists for all schools will be set up the week following the letters being sent to parents.

We will maintain the waiting lists for all community and voluntary controlled schools until the end of the autumn term 2011. Your child will be automatically placed on the waiting list for any school that is ranked higher on your application than the one they have been offered. You may also request that your child is placed on a waiting list for a school that was not an original preference.

We will use the oversubscription criteria to decide where your child is on the waiting list for a particular school. As places become available, the child highest on the waiting list will be offered the place. This is not dependent on submitting an appeal. Waiting lists will change as late applications are received. Your child can go up or down the list. Late applicants will be slotted into the list according to where they meet the oversubscription criteria.

Faith schools maintain their own waiting lists in accordance with the school’s admissions policy.

Can the offer of a place be withdrawn?

We reserve the right to withdraw an offer of a place in certain limited circumstances. You should be aware that by submitting your application you are stating that the information given is true and accurate.

Examples of when a place could be withdrawn include:

• where you have given fraudulent or intentionally misleading information such as a false address
• where you have not responded to an offer within a reasonable time
• where the offer was made in error by the local authority for a voluntary aided school
• where the authority is able to meet a higher preference.

If an offer is withdrawn as a result of misleading information, your application will be reprocessed. You have a right of appeal if a place is refused.

Appeals

See appeals, complaints and mediation