School appeals - help offered

susanbevan

Our panel asked us questions about our daughter hobbies etc, if we had visited other schools and questions about us why we had moved to the area and where we had come from (we had moved last year). It seems to me they base the questions on what you have written in your statement to clarify they understand why you want that school.

sunnylou

We have our appeal tomorrow and are quite nervous not having done anything like this before can you give the panel additional info like reocomendation letters on the day?

susanbevan

sunnylou wrote: »

We have our appeal tomorrow and are quite nervous not having done anything like this before can you give the panel additional info like reocomendation letters on the day?

You could try but really they should have been given in a least five days before the hearing so copies could be given to all concerned school goveners or LEA, the panel and clark but that dosen't stop you verbally giving any extra information relevant to your case and then offer the letters (make copies so all concerned may have one) and appologise about not been 100% sure on the system Panels are really nice and try their best to put you at ease at this stressful time. Remember don't dis the allocated school just push your point about whats best for your child and why you chose the school in the first point above any others.

sal-ad_daze

Sorry for not replying sooner to some queries but as you know (!) it's 'Appeal season' and I've been a bit busy!

Parents are not encouraged to bring their children to the Appeal, it's not really the right place for them to be and quite frankly it doesn't go down to well with the panel AND the LA rep that you have taken your child out of school to do so. We actually have been known, on the rare occassions children have been brought, to request that the child stays outside the panel room (we sit in the Town Hall where there are 'receptionist/porters' on duty who will keep an eye out) and if needs be (for younger children) a parent goes out with them so it actually leaves one parent doing the appeal without any support.

sunnylou wrote: »

We have our appeal tomorrow and are quite nervous not having done anything like this before can you give the panel additional info like reocomendation letters on the day?

Ideally all relevant information should be included with the Appeal papers but we will accept information supplied on the day, (as long as it's relevant) with the proviso that the parent realises we haven't had adequate time to read it.

Mojisola

This for a friend who lives in Winchester - their daughter is due to start school in September and she had been given a place in an Infant School but they have now been moved by the council (serious neighbour problems) and the school is two bus rides away from the new home. Mum is a SAHM and has a younger child. In September, their daughter will only be doing half days. The bus timetable means that the Mum and toddler will only have half an hour at home before they have to set off for the school again. Their daughter has asthma and the school requests that a parent comes to the school if the child has an attack.

They have been told that they have to go through the appeal system. Doesn't the move mean they come under different rules? There is nothing wrong with the school they have been allocated apart from it being a long way from where they now live.

They have been moved just down the road from an extremely good, over-subscribed school and one bus ride away from two other good schools. They would be happy for her to go to any of them but don't expect that she would get a place in the closest one.

How can they appeal against being refused a place in all the local schools?

sal-ad_daze

This is change of circumstances.
They got the school they originally named on the form I would assume and now the 'in zone' schools are in a different area so were therefore not named in the original preferences.
The bad news is that if the schools nearer all have F2 classes of 30 then the LA can argue 'qualifying measures' (the government have made it illegal for KS1 classes to have more than 30 children in a class) and it would be virtually impossible for any appeal panel to grant a place. Hopefully one or two are not in this position either because they are not full or because their admission number is set under 30.
Your friend can list 'multiple' appeals, she can appeal for more than one school at a time. She will have a seperate hearing for each school.
She should explain frankly why the family had to move, and about the medical problems the family has. Be frank and honest, it may be uncomfortable and she may have to tell them things that she would rather keep to herself but the hearing is confidential and the panel will need to know the full facts if they are to help her.
Good luck, I hope she gets a place.

Savvy_Sue

I guess the alternative would be to argue that if they can't get into a closer school, they will need the LA to provide school transport because the combination of bus timetables and daughter's asthma makes the journey impracticable. I don't know if that ever works, but it seems reasonable to me ...

Are they still within the same LA area?

mydays

Hi Im not sure how to post so i hope u can read this lol. We are appealing for a secondary school specialising in the arts, there is no other school in the area with this specialism. My child is musically gifted and I can honestly say that this is the only school that will give my child the opportunity to excel in this area.

Is this enough of a reason for the appeal to go in our favour ?

Thanx in advance

Mandy

mydays

Hi,
I know its a long shot but does anyone have this Ben Rooney book that I keep hearing about on this site. If so I'd really apprecite a loan of it as i have an appeal in a couple of weeks. Its a very late appeal I know but i can pass it on to whoever might need it after me or return it to sender.

many thanx

modgit

mydays wrote: »

Hi,
I know its a long shot but does anyone have this Ben Rooney book that I keep hearing about on this site. If so I'd really apprecite a loan of it as i have an appeal in a couple of weeks. Its a very late appeal I know but i can pass it on to whoever might need it after me or return it to sender.

many thanx

Hi
I borrowed my copy from the library, they'd got quite a few copies.