School appeals - help offered

emerald21

Well today we have heard that Caitlin the 13 year old hasn't got
into the school in their village. Usual thing oversubscribed. So up to now only one of the three has been successful and she s the youngest. They will be appealing in September for the both but where are they supposed to go in the meantime .

silvercar

emerald21 wrote: »

Well today we have heard that Caitlin the 13 year old hasn't got
into the school in their village. Usual thing oversubscribed. So up to now only one of the three has been successful and she s the youngest. They will be appealing in September for the both but where are they supposed to go in the meantime .

Sorry to hear she hasn't got in.

How far away are their current schools? If that isn't an option then it is time to get on the phone to other schools in the area and see if they have room. The other option is to ask the local authority. Their job is to match pupils without places to schools with places. At the same time you can ask about the provision of transport from home to school. If they can't provide a school place within 3 miles (2 miles for under 11s) then they should be providing transport - though this can vary from giving a bus pass to providing a taxi.

emerald21

silvercar wrote: »

Sorry to hear she hasn't got in.

How far away are their current schools? If that isn't an option then it is time to get on the phone to other schools in the area and see if they have room. The other option is to ask the local authority. Their job is to match pupils without places to schools with places. At the same time you can ask about the provision of transport from home to school. If they can't provide a school place within 3 miles (2 miles for under 11s) then they should be providing transport - though this can vary from giving a bus pass to providing a taxi.

Thanks silvercar. The school for the younger two is about 6 miles away and the one for Caitlin is even longer.Seren has got in the school so that's her sorted.

Her mum said they are going to look at a school about a mile away for Josh who is 10 apparently they have one place left in year 6 there.

Caitlin well they don't know where she will end up yet .

tiltal

Hi everyone.

How is everyone getting on with their appeals etc, now that it is the end of term?

Once again I am having nothing but difficulty. I sent my appeal in within the deadline. Didn't hear anything, so chased this not long ago. I received an email back from the Schools solicitors saying could I complete a form that contained all the same details that was contained in my appeal:( - name, reasons for appeal etc.
I returned this, and they replied with a one page brief document from the head explaining why my son wasn't granted a place. Apparently due to distance. Also that the appeal panel should stick to the decision to not admit as they are at their PAN number and will be reducing numbers in the coming years.

I sent an email back saying I still wished to continue with my appeal.
So that was like 3 weeks ago, and I haven't heard a word. I stressed the fact that the appeals should be held within 40 school days of the appeals deadline and that the end of term was fast approaching, and at least an idea of dates should be provided.

I am really annoyed.

Plus I have found out that another girl in nursery who also has a sibling in my eldest sons class didn't get a place. She lives closer to school than me, and definitely closer than the other mum I mentioned in an earlier post, and does attend church. I am not sure what is going on I have checked the admission criteria, and it has just left me questioning why some received a school place and others including us have not.

This is really frustrating me. I work in schools as an education welfare officer and totally understand the importance of school, attendance, punctuality etc, but I have 3 children, 2 in one and another in a different school with different start and finish times. This ultimately means one (or 2) of my children will either be late for school everyday or picked up late everyday. This is not acceptable and I don't think it is fair at all. :mad:

Does anyone know where I stand with the fact the appeal hasn't been arranged or dates even indicated to me within the 40 school days, that are recommended?

Thanks in advance

Art_Deco

Really feel for parents going through this , I can still remember having a 30 minute walk with both kids to a childminder ,who could take one of them to another school for me because I couldnt get both of them in to the school a 5 minute walk from our house , then having to run like a maniac to the other school with the 5 year old he was shattered by the time we got there, go to work worry all the time ,pay for after school club for one because I couldnt be there to pick him up because I was half an hours walk away picking the other one up, nightmare.

silvercar

Does anyone know where I stand with the fact the appeal hasn't been arranged or dates even indicated to me within the 40 school days, that are recommended?

Phone the education authority and complain.

tiltal

silvercar wrote: »

Phone the education authority and complain.

Hi

The LA do not have anything to do with their appeals. They administer their own appeals through the Governors....which is part of the problem.
I appealed for my eldest and t took them a year!!! Yes one year. I never even had an appeal in the end, I threatened them with the Ombudsman, as they hadn't followed the legal appeals process and given me fair access to an appeal as a parent. They knew they had messed up and by magic my son was granted a place!

tiltal

Art_Deco wrote: »

Really feel for parents going through this , I can still remember having a 30 minute walk with both kids to a childminder ,who could take one of them to another school for me because I couldnt get both of them in to the school a 5 minute walk from our house , then having to run like a maniac to the other school with the 5 year old he was shattered by the time we got there, go to work worry all the time ,pay for after school club for one because I couldnt be there to pick him up because I was half an hours walk away picking the other one up, nightmare.

I don't even want to think about it Art Deco

silvercar

tiltal wrote: »

Hi

The LA do not have anything to do with their appeals. They administer their own appeals through the Governors....which is part of the problem.
I appealed for my eldest and t took them a year!!! Yes one year. I never even had an appeal in the end, I threatened them with the Ombudsman, as they hadn't followed the legal appeals process and given me fair access to an appeal as a parent. They knew they had messed up and by magic my son was granted a place!

The LA may contact the school and encourage them to work through their appeals.

emerald21

Seren and Josh are both sorted allbeit at different schools Seren at the one in the village and Josh at one a mile away , not ideal but ok for his last year in junior school I suppose.

Caitlin the 13 year old isn t going anywhere when the schools start after the Summer holidays. They are waiting to appeal sometime in September.

There is a place for her in a village about 4 miles away but she doesn t live in that village. They want her to go to the school practically round the corner. So will have to wait and see and hopefully she will be offered a place there.