Grounds for appealing primary school offer?

JoJoB

I wonder if anyone who has been successful with the appeals process can help me.

Just received my daugher's primary school place and instead of it being one of my 3 choices (the schools closest to us) we have been given a school in the next town. The journey would take approximately 45 minutes, 25 on the bus and 20 min walk along a busy road.

My primary concern is the distance involved - leaving an hour to give leeway for any delays, that is potentially a 2 hour round trip for a 4 year old each day and a 3-4 hour round trip for me! Is this an issue that an appeals board will consider important though? I'm concerned about how it will impact on my life too - I'm either getting pregnant again or getting a job, whichever happens first, but 4 hours out of my day severely limits my employment options and I don't fancy the journey with a baby/breastfeeding either! But do they take into account how it would affect me or do the reasons have to be completely child-centred?

The other issue is bus fare. This would set me back around £40 a month which I just can't afford. The LEA website mentions a bus pass if pupils live a certain distance from the school butI don't know if that is just for the child or will cover me too (as I'm not putting a 4year old on the bus alone!).

The other issue is the school is massively undersubscribed and has a very high percentage of children with various issues. I'm not actually bothered about this in reality, but is it something that should/could be raised at appeal to further the case?

Any help appreciated, am tearing my hair out!

TeamLowe

The first thing you need to do is find out if the schools you want your child to go hit the limit for infant class size prejudice, ie year groups are multiples of 30. If it is then its incredibly hard to win an appeal.

Second, your possible pregnancy and breast feeding will be for 2 yearsish but you will be asking the panel to give your child a place for 7 so won't hold much weight no, not in my experience anyway and our panels get it a lot. Ditto work/child care issues as that's your responsibility to sort and will be sorted no matter where your child goes. Try and find out how the lea hav measured your home to the chosen school, you might have an argument for it actually being longer than their figures to travel and therefore unreasonable.

Thirdly, I wouldn't bring up that you don't like the school given. This is a positive appeal, it has to be why you want your child to go to y school not why you don't want him to go to x school as the education officer will say well send him to a b or c school then

Also, I may be making an assumption here, but if you've not applied for the school closest to you but are then arguing your case based on the distance to the new school then make sure you have your explanation ready as they usually ask. However, panels usually have a lot of sympathy for people living near oversubscribed schools and miss out on the tiniest of distances

Sorry if any of that sounds harsh but it's better you're prepared for a harsh panel and get a pushover one than aimto just get their sympathy and get a harsh one, which can happen, especially if your child seems incredibly lucky in comparison to what the child in the last case has gone through.

Spendless

What was the criteria for the other schools in order and what category did you come into?

JoJoB

Thank you for all the info, and yes, I expected it to be harsh!

I applied for the 3 schools closest to me. The problem is that I am on the border of the catchment areas of 2 of them, and the third is massively oversubscribed and I would have definitely been out of it's catchment. So for my 3 closest schools I will always be last on the list in terms of distance.

The criteria is basically children in care or with special needs get first placements, then children with siblings in the school, then it goes on distance. My nearest school is 20 min walk away or 5 mins on the bus, which would be much more preferable to the other journey we are expected to take!

The schools I applied for basically filled up before i got a look in so I'm not sure what can be done other than go on the waiting list for the one I want and hope things change during the summer. Just don't know how to word the appeal. I know it's a tad selfish of me but I really resent having 4 hours taken out of my day just to take my kid to school, it's going to really affect my life a lot but that seems to be irrelevant to appeal panels!

JoJoB

So in terms of making a positive appeal to go to the school I want, what are good things to bring up? I love the school, my daughter loved it, the environment suited her personality and she would thrive there. She is an early reader and I felt confident their provision for those a little more advanced is good. She has friends going there so would settle in more easily. And it is convenient distance-wise. Those are essentially all the positive reasons i can think of but don't know if i need something more "concrete" to put to a panel.

I will check on how they measure the distance though, that might help.

Nicki

How regular are the buses between the two towns? Can you get one which will get you there in time for the drop off and pick ups and then back home again without a long wait?

Would you consider the school if there was a different travel option? My LEA does taxi and school bus transport as well as bus passes but we are in London. Rural areas may have different rules.

JoJoB

The buses are fairly regular so that's not too much of a problem - just that they don't go all that close to the school, it's a 20 minute walk from the bus stop! If they did taxis it would make things easier but can't see that happening lol.

I could really do without £40 on busfare a month too.

go_cat

I know it's a little extreme but would moving nearer the school be an option as you don't want four hours a day taken out of your day

Also have any of your daughters friends been allocated there could she share lifts?


Final option technically she doesn't have to go to school until she is 5 could you defer a year and try next year?

JoJoB

Thanks, can't move as in negative equity. One friend has been allocateed the school but she actually lives near it so no lift sharing possible. As I don't drive I can't reciprocate a liftshare either.

It is a possibility that I could defer a term hoping that I get somewhere with the waiting list but she is so ready to start school and so excited I would feel awful.

If it comes down to it and I lose the appeal I will accept the decision, just want to make sure I'm going about the appeal correctly so I have as much chance as possible.

clearingout

Make sure you get on the waiting list of all the nearer schools and ask each one where you are on the list. Things change for many parents, sometimes overnight - illness, death, separation, divorce, redundancy, new job, desire to move closer to family, decision to private school - and you will probably find that a few children from each school who are down to attend now don't actually turn up in September. If you are number 1 - 3 on the waiting list, you probably stand a good chance of a place by September anyway and as there are three closer schools, that gives you 3 chances rather than one!

JoJoB

Thank you, will definitely be going on waiting lists!