PLEASE HELP! Appealing Childs Primary School Place

simsimmy

balletshoes wrote: »

by all means appeal, but realistically the only way you'll win the appeal is if the LEA hasn't applied their admission policy correctly with regard to your child.

As I understand it, you have declined the place your child has been given at your 2nd choice school? Have you visited the 2nd choice school, spoken to the teachers, observed the kids in class?
I understand the issues with getting your son to the 2nd choice school, have you looked into a childminder who can drop off/pick up in the area? How you get your child to school on time is not the LEA's concern at all, and they won't be remotely interested in any problems this causes you.

If you can't afford to send your child to private school, you can't get him into your first choice LEA school, and you can't homeschool, what other options do you have but to accept the 2nd choice school and keep your son on the waiting list for the 1st choice?

In your shoes, I'd accept the 2nd choice (after visiting it and spending time with the staff there), make sure my son was on the first choice school waiting list (and find out how high up he is on the list), and spend from now until September sourcing a childminder in the area who is prepared to do the drop-off and/or pick-up for you.
Nothing wrong at all in appealing to the first choice school, but as I said, you have to focus on whether the LEA has applied their admission criteria correctly, they are not concerned with why the 2nd choice is not suitable.

We visited our 2nd choice school last week and were not very impressed. But your advice about using it as a stop gap maybe our only option. Are we able to change our mind about declining by just getting in contact with the admissions panel?

thebaileys

You haven't failed your child, these things happen, living in the catchment area doesn't mean your child will automatically get a place.

Neither does sending them to the attached nursery school.

There are a number of factors why your child may not have been given a place high birth rate, more children applying with siblings already attending the school etc...

As you say in your post home schooling or private education is not an option.

By declining your 2nd choice, you are leaving your child without a school place. You need to have something to fall back on if your appeal is unsuccessful.

thebaileys

simsimmy wrote: »

We visited our 2nd choice school last week and were not very impressed. But your advice about using it as a stop gap maybe our only option. Are we able to change our mind about declining by just getting in contact with the admissions panel?

I would contact admissions as soon as you just to make sure the place hasn't been offered to another child.

simsimmy

Thanks for your advice. I have just contacted admissions and they have advised me to email them with a request to take up the place offered. I will also be putting his name down on other waiting lists. My husband still wants to go ahead with the appeal and so i'm still trying to work out if the ration of full time qualified teachers is 23:9 does that mean the capacity for going over 30 class size limit is available to the school?

daska

You might do well to post on hayleyjg's thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/391020

AFAIK Class sizes are limited to 30 except for appeal and statementing places and you can't appeal on the basis of the teacher : pupil ratio as a lot of parents who had been hoping to get their kids into DS2's class found out when their appeal (on exactly that basis) was turned down. One of the things schools often count on is that the excess pupils will move away over the year, or even before the school year starts, thereby reducing their staffing costs. Also the ratio may be distorted by having a special needs assistant who actually is supposed to be providing 1:1 support, and just because there are x number of staff doesn't mean they will all be present at one time - a lot of schools have part timers so that they can call a regular member of staff in rather than use a supply teacher.

doogle_chick

Hi Atlantis
First off, you need to find if Infant Class Size applies in your case - the allocation letter you received should state whether it does or not. If it doesnt state it in the letter then phone the admission team and find out. This has a big bearing on your appeal. If Class size does apply (ie there are already 30 children to each class teacher) then the appeal panel can only uphold the appeal if 1) the admitting authority made a mistake or 2) the decision not to offer was an unreasonable one. And unreasonable is in the eyes of the law so meaning perverse or one that no sensible person would make not just that it is unreasonable to you.

If class size doesnt apply, then you have slightly more scope for grounds to get the appeal upheld. However, simply that it is more convenient for you would not be enough.

First, you need to establish whether a mistake has been made. Its unlikely but check anyway eg were distances measured correctly etc. Secondly you need to give reasons why that particular school is so important to you and your family and what the implications on your child's education would be if they didnt go there.

The ACE website is a good source of information - https://www.ace-ed.org.uk

Hope this is helpful.

atlantis187 wrote: »

My son has been offered a primary school place we particulary didnt want. We are desperate for him to go the the school which was our first choice, as all our relatives children go there and would be a great help in pick up/ drop off. Also it is on route to my work.

The distance between the 2 school is roughly the same, The one we wanted has a straight bus route. The one we have been offered no buses go there and it is quite awkward hilly road.

Has anyone been through this before? If someone could please give me a few pointers in what to write in my appeal letter and what facts to argue. I would be eternilly grateful

Thank You

atlantis187

I think they rejected it on the basis of class size so i dont think they have made a mistake.
We are sending the appeal form off next week our only angle we can argue is that my child had learning difficulties and takes a long time to settle in new place. The school of our choice he's quite familiar with and has other cousins going there.

I rang the local LEA to ask about how distances were measured but they said they couldnt give me information of other kids as its confidential.