School appeals - help offered

silvercar

Fraz800 said:

hayleyjg said:

I work for an local authority in the school admissions team and have many years experience of school appeals (both admissions and exclusions) so if anyone has any questions I would be happy to help.

Hi Hayley, 
I know this is a old post but I was wondering if you could offer some advice. I have two girls, my eldest daughter wasn’t initially offered her first choice place at school, but one week before the schools began we received a letter from the first choice school offering a place for my daughter which we accepted. Now its the time for my youngest daughter to start reception school and we applied to the same school to which we have not been offered a place. Doesn’t siblings have a priority in school placements? As its near impossible for then to attend different schools. We have appealed this and still waiting to hear back. Can you offer some advice on what steps to take in regards to this. Thanks again.  

You need to look at the admission policy of the school. More often than not siblings do have priority but very occasionally their priority is too far down the list for you to benefit. It may also depend on whether your elder daughter will still be at the school when your younger one is due to start; with a large age gap the sibling rule isn't always applied. 
If siblings are a priority then that is certainly grounds for appealing, though if it is an obvious mistake a quick phone call may put it right. In the mean time remain on the waiting list.

pinkshoes

Fraz800 said:

hayleyjg said:

I work for an local authority in the school admissions team and have many years experience of school appeals (both admissions and exclusions) so if anyone has any questions I would be happy to help.

Hi Hayley, 
I know this is a old post but I was wondering if you could offer some advice. I have two girls, my eldest daughter wasn’t initially offered her first choice place at school, but one week before the schools began we received a letter from the first choice school offering a place for my daughter which we accepted. Now its the time for my youngest daughter to start reception school and we applied to the same school to which we have not been offered a place. Doesn’t siblings have a priority in school placements? As its near impossible for then to attend different schools. We have appealed this and still waiting to hear back. Can you offer some advice on what steps to take in regards to this. Thanks again.  

You will need to find out what the admission policy of the school is.
My local primary has the following priorities:
1. Looked after children (including adopted)
2. children with exceptional medical needs 
3. children in catchment with a sibling at the school.
4. children in catchment
5. children OUTSIDE of catchment with a sibling at the school
6. other

So if you are outside school catchment, then even having a sibling at the school would put you quite a way down the list! All you can do is put your name on the waiting list IMMEDIATELY, find out what number you are on the list, then hope for the best. 

A friend of mine moved to the area and was allocated a second choice, as they were out of catchment for the first choice, but 4 weeks into term a place became available so they took it.

Are there any places at the school you have been allocated for the older sibling to also attend?

Savvy_Sue

You say it's near impossible for them to attend different schools, but it's also not uncommon: we were in an Infant --> Junior situation when my boys were at that stage. It does depend how far apart the schools are, and what their start and finish times are, but you should consider how it could be made to work if you had to. I realise a lot depends on the ages of the children and how far away the schools are, from home and from each other. 

But definitely worth following the other suggestions: checking the policy, checking it was applied correctly, getting on the waiting list, checking whether both could attend the school where the youngest has been offered a place. 

eddyesi

pinkshoes said:

Fraz800 said:

hayleyjg said:

I work for an local authority in the school admissions team and have many years experience of school appeals (both admissions and exclusions) so if anyone has any questions I would be happy to help.

Hi Hayley, 
I know this is a old post but I was wondering if you could offer some advice. I have two girls, my eldest daughter wasn’t initially offered her first choice place at school, but one week before the schools began we received a letter from the first choice school offering a place for my daughter which we accepted. Now its the time for my youngest daughter to start reception school and we applied to the same school to which we have not been offered a place. Doesn’t siblings have a priority in school placements? As its near impossible for then to attend different schools. We have appealed this and still waiting to hear back. Can you offer some advice on what steps to take in regards to this. Thanks again.  

You will need to find out what the admission policy of the school is.
My local primary has the following priorities:
1. Looked after children (including adopted)
2. children with exceptional medical needs 
3. children in catchment with a sibling at the school.
4. children in catchment
5. children OUTSIDE of catchment with a sibling at the school
6. other

So if you are outside school catchment, then even having a sibling at the school would put you quite a way down the list! All you can do is put your name on the waiting list IMMEDIATELY, find out what number you are on the list, then hope for the best. 

A friend of mine moved to the area and was allocated a second choice, as they were out of catchment for the first choice, but 4 weeks into term a place became available so they took it.

Are there any places at the school you have been allocated for the older sibling to also attend?

Were in this situation (we are a 5 on the policy priority and the allocation is full of children in catchment) we are still appealing but recognise its unlikely. Its immensely frustrating as the catchment area is terrible , we are c700m from the school our older daughter is at, but 1200m from our catchment school (in the opposite direction so makes for a horrible dual drop and pick routine)

Is there any guidance on challenging the catchment are itself being incorrect? we know for example 2 new estates have been built in the school catchment in the past 5 years, 1 finished recently which is causing the intake to be oversubscribed for children in catchment

We dont want to move our daughter to the new school as its on special measures and were in middle school system so only has 2 years till she moves, and we would be in the same situation for 2 years. The middle school is on the same site as the primary we want and eldest is at so wouldn't be in the situation if we had our allocated place

silvercar

Is there any guidance on challenging the catchment are itself being incorrect? we know for example 2 new estates have been built in the school catchment in the past 5 years, 1 finished recently which is causing the intake to be oversubscribed for children in catchment

You will struggle with this, the catchment has been set to include these new houses. If a school has a policy where catchment children are above non catchment siblings, then that is a deliberate policy to rapidly move the school to serve the catchment area.

eddyesi

silvercar said:

Is there any guidance on challenging the catchment are itself being incorrect? we know for example 2 new estates have been built in the school catchment in the past 5 years, 1 finished recently which is causing the intake to be oversubscribed for children in catchment

You will struggle with this, the catchment has been set to include these new houses. If a school has a policy where catchment children are above non catchment siblings, then that is a deliberate policy to rapidly move the school to serve the catchment area.

OK thanks, though the Catchment map we were given was drawn in 2013 and the development wasn't approved until 2016 or 17 i think. There is also a closer primary to the development (in the red area) - so are argument is that if the catchment had been revised we would not have been disadvantaged. Long shot but we have to try something

silvercar

Interesting. In my area there used to be a policy about the distance to the nearest alternative school, so you would have got Meadows First on the grounds that the people in the red area had a nearer school they could attend.
Nowadays there is a priority if the school is your nearest one over and above the distance rule, but still behind siblings.

Ahhhhstress

Hi, sorry in advance as this is my first ever post and not sure if I'm doing this right. 
We are in the process of moving house and applied to the school board for my 9 year old to go to the primary school that is just round the corner from our new house, its literally a 2 minute walk. I've contacted the admissions board to find out what's going on and been told the school is full and we will be offered a place at the next school which is about a 25 minute walk away. We have contacted the closer school who have confirmed they are full and that we would need to appeal.
My son was born with clubfoot and struggles to walk long distances due to the pain and is currently relapsing and due to start treatment which is normally casts and surgery. The walk there and back everyday is going to be a nightmare. How likely are we to win the appeal because of medical reasons? Is it worth appealing? 

silvercar

Ahhhhstress said:

Hi, sorry in advance as this is my first ever post and not sure if I'm doing this right. 
We are in the process of moving house and applied to the school board for my 9 year old to go to the primary school that is just round the corner from our new house, its literally a 2 minute walk. I've contacted the admissions board to find out what's going on and been told the school is full and we will be offered a place at the next school which is about a 25 minute walk away. We have contacted the closer school who have confirmed they are full and that we would need to appeal.
My son was born with clubfoot and struggles to walk long distances due to the pain and is currently relapsing and due to start treatment which is normally casts and surgery. The walk there and back everyday is going to be a nightmare. How likely are we to win the appeal because of medical reasons? Is it worth appealing? 

Welcome!
Always worth appealing as you have nothing to lose.
Medical evidence would add weight to your appeal. Assuming you are in England, schools are allowed to increase a class above 30 for junior classes, but will have a restriction on overall numbers, so your appeal is more likely to be successful than if your son was in infants, where the 30 max rule is more stringent.

Savvy_Sue

Also get yourself on the waiting list and ask how long it is. You mention the school board - where in the UK are you?