School appeals - help offered

emmatthews

IAmWales wrote: »

Appeals for the same school/ year should be heard by the same panel. If the panel become aware that distance calculations were incorrect this information would be considered for all appeals (and all on the waiting list).

A good appeals panel should be aware of any miscalculation without a parent raising the issue. Not all are that efficient though.

Perfect, thanks for the help.

athensgeorgia

I would appreciate some help regarding my daughter's appeal if possible.

DD1 and DD2 both attended DD3's first choice school. DD1 leaving 2016 and DD2 about to leave in 2017. It never occurred to DD3 or ourselves that she wouldn't get a place. When DD3 applied for schools she put 3 choices. DD3 was allocated a place at a school which she didn't apply for, is further away than any of the schools she applied for (we didn't even consider this as an option so have never set foot on the grounds), and it's a catholic school.

Since finding out DD3's allocation we have had tears and worries at least once a week. DD3 suffers with, what I consider irrational, anxieties. DD3 has done work with the Senco/pastoral manager because of it. I've approached this teacher and DD3's class teacher to write letters to help the appeal.

I understand when appealing you're supposed to put forward the grounds why she should attend her first choice school and not the reasons why she shouldn't attend her allocation but the only reasons we have are the previous links we've had with the school, DD feels comfortable there, a lot of the teachers know her having had associations with the school for the past 6 years.

DD1 and DD2 are both very able but DD3 struggles and I know with her personality her education can go awry if she's not comfortable. She can be easily distracted. DD3 has spoken often, even before we received the allocation, that she's worried about going to her first choice school. She's worried she'll get lost, she's worried she won't cope. She even had a few sleepless nights in the run up to allocation day and this is the school she really really wanted to go to and felt positive about.

Now I'm concerned I won't do her appeal justice. I feel I'll be too emotional and not put our points across clearly. I've spoken to admissions and DD3's places on the waiting lists are 1st choice - 26th, 2nd choice - 14th and 3rd choice - 78th. Admissions also said the last child to gain a place at first choice is 1.2 mile away, we live 1.4 and 2.05 as the crow flies from the allocated school. I know some children really do have to travel to school but we live in a very built up area for DD3 to get to the new school would entail two buses with two different bus companies and I can't afford the bus fares.

Is there anything else we can be doing to help our appeal? As looking at those figures it's highly unlikely she'll go up the waiting lists that much to gain a place at any of her choices. Admissions have said all schools in the borough are full. Also the school she has been allocated is in special measures which is not going to help her. She's already said how much she dislikes the thought of attending a religious school as she's not religious at all and quite belligerent to it in all honesty. I just feel her future is going to be affected.

And having read that back I sound very dramatic.

Art_Deco

athensgeorgia wrote: »

I would appreciate some help regarding my daughter's appeal if possible.

DD1 and DD2 both attended DD3's first choice school. DD1 leaving 2016 and DD2 about to leave in 2017. It never occurred to DD3 or ourselves that she wouldn't get a place. When DD3 applied for schools she put 3 choices. DD3 was allocated a place at a school which she didn't apply for, is further away than any of the schools she applied for (we didn't even consider this as an option so have never set foot on the grounds), and it's a catholic school.

Since finding out DD3's allocation we have had tears and worries at least once a week. DD3 suffers with, what I consider irrational, anxieties. DD3 has done work with the Senco/pastoral manager because of it. I've approached this teacher and DD3's class teacher to write letters to help the appeal.

I understand when appealing you're supposed to put forward the grounds why she should attend her first choice school and not the reasons why she shouldn't attend her allocation but the only reasons we have are the previous links we've had with the school, DD feels comfortable there, a lot of the teachers know her having had associations with the school for the past 6 years.

DD1 and DD2 are both very able but DD3 struggles and I know with her personality her education can go awry if she's not comfortable. She can be easily distracted. DD3 has spoken often, even before we received the allocation, that she's worried about going to her first choice school. She's worried she'll get lost, she's worried she won't cope. She even had a few sleepless nights in the run up to allocation day.

Now I'm concerned I won't do her appeal justice. I feel I'll be too emotional and not put our points across clearly. I've spoken to admissions and DD3's places on the waiting lists are 1st choice - 26th, 2nd choice - 14th and 3rd choice - 78th. Admissions also said the last child to gain a place at first choice is 1.2 mile away, we live 1.4 and 2.05 as the crow flies from the allocated school. I know some children really do have to travel to school but we live in a very built up area for DD3 to get to the new school would entail two buses with two different bus companies and I can't afford the bus fares.

Is there anything else we can be doing to help our appeal? As looking at those figures it's highly unlikely she'll go up the waiting lists that much to gain a place at any of her choices. Admissions have said all schools in the borough are full. Also the school she has been allocated is in special measures which is not going to help her. She's already said how much she dislikes the thought of attending a religious school as she's not religious at all and quite belligerent to it in all honesty. I just feel her future is going to be affected.

And having read that back I sound very dramatic.

Bless you, I can still remember when we had to appeal for my sons place many many years ago it was like being in court:( i was so highly strung I burst in to tears whilst giving my side to them.

Coconut01

My daughter was refused her first choice of secondary school this year. The reason given was that the school was full. The school she has been given was the nearest one to where we lived when we applied for the place. We moved house in the first week of March, to a house which is a few streets away from the school we want. I have put her on the waiting list for this school, and have been told she is 3rd on the waiting list.
The appeal hearing is next week, and is being done as a grouped appeal. I have received the school’s statement of case today and would appreciate some views as to the admission numbers and my appeal grounds.
We put in a FOI request in March and the response stated that the net capacity of the school was 1170. The school’s information says that their roll for Sept 2017 is 1140, and they also mention a local agreement to take SEN children (I think) and those figures are not included in the roll, but add up to 27 for Sept 2017. So as I understand it, they are still three short of their net capacity (and well short of their stated maximum capacity of 1300- which we also asked about in the FOI request).
Am I missing something in that there appears to be at least three places up for grabs?
The school’s case is that admitting further children would have a negative impact on their students and teachers, they have limited access to specialist rooms and equipment and they have a high number of children who have English as their second language. Is there anything I can say to counter this argument as these issues would appear to affect every school?
I intend to also mention a number of medical and emotional factors (I have medical evidence to back these up) which I think affect my daughter having to go to a secondary school where she will know no one, and will be at least 2 bus journeys away. The school I want her to attend is walking distance, and a number of her friends and her cousins will go there.
I also want to mention that the school she has been given has a much better Ofsted report than the one I want her to go to. So I’m really only interested in getting her a place at the school that is right for her, not the ‘best’ one in the area.
And I have supporting evidence form her current head teacher which states what a positive impact she has on others in her class. I want to show that she won’t create any extra work for the school, and actually she will be an asset to them.

Thanks

Savvy_Sue

Did you submit the medical evidence with her application? And if not, why not?

IAmWales

Coconut01 wrote: »

My daughter was refused her first choice of secondary school this year. The reason given was that the school was full. The school she has been given was the nearest one to where we lived when we applied for the place. We moved house in the first week of March, to a house which is a few streets away from the school we want. I have put her on the waiting list for this school, and have been told she is 3rd on the waiting list.
The appeal hearing is next week, and is being done as a grouped appeal. I have received the school’s statement of case today and would appreciate some views as to the admission numbers and my appeal grounds.
We put in a FOI request in March and the response stated that the net capacity of the school was 1170. The school’s information says that their roll for Sept 2017 is 1140, and they also mention a local agreement to take SEN children (I think) and those figures are not included in the roll, but add up to 27 for Sept 2017. So as I understand it, they are still three short of their net capacity (and well short of their stated maximum capacity of 1300- which we also asked about in the FOI request).
Am I missing something in that there appears to be at least three places up for grabs?
The school’s case is that admitting further children would have a negative impact on their students and teachers, they have limited access to specialist rooms and equipment and they have a high number of children who have English as their second language. Is there anything I can say to counter this argument as these issues would appear to affect every school?
I intend to also mention a number of medical and emotional factors (I have medical evidence to back these up) which I think affect my daughter having to go to a secondary school where she will know no one, and will be at least 2 bus journeys away. The school I want her to attend is walking distance, and a number of her friends and her cousins will go there.
I also want to mention that the school she has been given has a much better Ofsted report than the one I want her to go to. So I’m really only interested in getting her a place at the school that is right for her, not the ‘best’ one in the area.
And I have supporting evidence form her current head teacher which states what a positive impact she has on others in her class. I want to show that she won’t create any extra work for the school, and actually she will be an asset to them.

Thanks

An extra child will create extra work for the school, however positive an impact you think she has. Also a child with additional medical and emotional needs will create an extra burden. In fact your arguments are contradictory, on the one hand you claim she's not going to create extra work but on the other she needs this school because she has additional needs.

You need to look at the numbers for her school year. They may have capacity in a higher year, but that has no bearing on what can be done in her year.

She may well get a place if she is third on the list, there's plenty of time for others to move elsewhere. However you should be aware that others who appeal may have grounds to be placed more highly, so that position may go down as well as up.

Coconut01

Thanks for your replies. The school have rung this morning and offered her a place at the school, so we're very relieved. They've found/made 10 additional places so there's a few happy families this afternoon.

bellkat

bellkat wrote: »

Hi, I'm hoping that someone could give some advice or thoughts regarding a High School appeal.

My DGD has been declined a place at a Church of England High School. Most of the places at this school are allocated to children who attend church regularly.

We attend church every week, and have done for more years than is required. The church we attend is an evangelical church, but it is considered as part of the Church of England. About 10 years ago an agreement was made between the school and our church that they would accept our children to the school as Anglican applicants, which means they would be placed in the top box

Consequently, in previous years the applicants from our church have been accepted without question, 3 having gained a place last year.

We have since found out from the school that my DGDs application was taken out of the top box and placed in a much lower category, this is why her application was declined.

The school have asked for copies of our church documents to pass to the governors, with a view to moving her up the waiting list, she is currently number 92!!!

We supplied the documents the following day. This was 5 weeks ago and we are no further on!

In the meantime we have lodged an appeal which is due to be heard in May.

Our church has been very supportive, and have agreed to pay for a solicitor. We're not sure if we need one or not?

If anyone has any advice at all I would really appreciate it, sorry for the long ramble and thanks in advance

Kath

Hi, just an update, my DGD has been given a place at our chosen school

The school admitted that a mistake had been made in her case, thankfully before the appeal took place.
Thanks to all who posted replies, its great to have somewhere to come to for advice.

Good luck to anyone else going through an appeal

Kath

FBaby

That's good news Kath and Coconut.
For those who are still crossing fingers and anxious, I just wanted to say that from my experience of people who never got their choice of school, either directly or via appeal, I can look back and say that all have done well at the schools they were allocated, even those who were very anxious.

I say that as I ran into an an old friend last week-end. Last time I'd spoken to her, she was really angry as all her attempts to get her DD in one school had failed and her DD started in the local school which she had always said she would do everything so she wouldn't have to go there!

Girls are now doing A levels and when I asked how it had turned out and whether she'd finally got a place from waiting list, she laughed and said that although her DD did struggle a bit in Y7, she finally adjusted well in Year 8 and when she got offered a place after Christmas, her DD absolutely refused to go. They argued because my friend was worried about her chance to get good GCSEs but her DD wouldn't move. In the end, she got all As and A*s and got a good scholarship at an independent school to do her A levels.

I know of a few more of have done just fine at the school they were allocated when at the time of moving to Y7, there was great concern about how they would fare.

I'm sure not all adapt and end up doing well, but I think most parents look back in time and do wonder why we got ourselves in such a panic over some decisions when ultimately, it was half as drastic as we feared.

So if you don't win your appeal, don't panic and assume your child's education and welfare is ruined. Take it year by year and see how it goes, chances are they will do just fine with the right support at home.

silvercar

With so many winning appeals, you do wonder if there is a deliberate attempt by over subscribed schools to leave some places available for the appeal stage. Selection criteria being keen parents who are interested in education will add value to the school.