Community and voluntary controlled schools
The local authority will automatically maintain a waiting list for all over-subscribed community and voluntary controlled schools. The waiting list will use the authority's oversubscription criteria and be maintained between National Offer Day and 31 December that calendar year. After 31 December, the waiting lists will stop.
Academies, voluntary aided, foundation and trust schools
Schools that are their own admission authority, for example voluntary aided, foundation, trust schools and academies, create their own waiting lists in accordance with their published oversubscription criteria. They can choose to maintain their waiting lists themselves, or to have the local authority maintain a waiting list on their behalf.
North Yorkshire schools
If you do not get an offer for a place at your higher preference North Yorkshire schools, your child will automatically go on the waiting list for those schools.
Your child will not be placed on a waiting list for any school that is a lower preference than the school offered.
Schools outside North Yorkshire
For schools outside North Yorkshire, you should check the relevant local authority website for information about school waiting lists.
If we can offer a place to a non-North Yorkshire child from a waiting list, we will work with their home authority.
What happens when your child is on the waiting list
Having a place on the waiting list does not guarantee that a school place will become available.
Whenever there is a change, the waiting list is re-ranked in line with the published oversubscription criteria for the school. Changes can happen if:
- a place that was offered is turned down
- a late application or change is received
Your child will move up or down on the list according to the re-ranking in line with oversubscription criteria. Children will not be given priority based on:
- the date their application was received
- the date they were added to the waiting list
If your child is at the top of the list
If your child is at the top of the waiting list, and a school place becomes available, the admissions team will contact you. You will have five working days to accept or turn down the place you are offered.
If we cannot contact you
If we cannot contact you using all the advised contact details we have, or we do not get a response from you, your child will be removed from the waiting list and the available place will be offered to the next child who qualifies for that place.
If you want your child to be put back on the waiting list, you must notify us in writing.
It is your responsibility to make sure the school admissions team knows your contact details and to let them know about any changes to your contact details.
Change of address
If you change address while your child is on a waiting list, please read our making changes and late applications page for information about what you need to do.
If the change of address affects your child's position on any waiting lists, their position will change accordingly.
Removing your child from a waiting list
If you want to remove your child from a waiting list, please contact us in writing at schooladmissions@northyorks.gov.uk.
Contact us for more information
From National Offer Day onwards, you can contact us to find out who maintains the waiting lists for your preferred schools. This will be either our school admissions team or the school itself. If we maintain the waiting list, we can give you advice about your child's waiting list positions.
