School appeals - help offered

Savvy_Sue

geoffky wrote: »

Please can i point out that we ended up with our daughter getting into a school over a hour away from where we live(our preferred option)

The lack of friends around here for my daughter has had a big impact on her social life and she often spends her weekends in the general area of where the school is, as her friends are there..

She has said that she wished we had sent her to a local school.

She does fencing and other sports after school so misses the one bus home which means we are forever doing the journey to pick her up..

It is something we really had not planned when we applied for the school so when choosing what school include this in your thoughts..
Especially if you are both at work later as they will miss out on after school activities if there is no one to pick them up..

Geoff, I think this is often something parents do not consider: what impact distance to school may have on the whole family ...

Having said that, at secondary school level journeys of an hour may not be completely unreasonable - at peak times that's certainly what my siblings and I had to allow in order to be there on time, and it was much the same for my own boys.

And I hope you will encourage her not to spend too much time wishing for things to be different: they are as they are, and you all need to make the best of the situation as it is!

In no time at all she'll have the chance to make fresh decisions about post 16 education, presumably ...

schooling123

[FONT=&quot]My daughter did not get into our first choice of school and we urgently need to appeal against the decision. She has no medical issues but we are looking to use various social issues to help win the appeal.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] IS THIS POSSIBLE?[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]My daughter comes from a broken home and the last few years have been EXTREMELY traumatic for her as there have been an ongoing series of issues involving me and her father (ex does not live with us) who subsequently has had a chronic and debilitating drink problem. He was an aggressive drunk but never, never to our daughter. (This does not excuse his actions. Police have been called numerous times over disturbing the peace and other antisocial behavior. His behavior was such that trouble always seemed to follow him whether his fault or not. This problem has been ongoing for years. This unsettled family life has been very upsetting for my daughter and has affected her behavior at school. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]She has had issues in the past with chatting and constantly being distracted during lessons which went on for several years and this has meant that she has missed on vital learning at school and therefore has missed out on some essential building blocks of the school curriculum. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Her teachers have said time and again that she would fly through school providing the perfect home life was available to her . The school that was her first choice has a reputation for a rigid structure in terms of its discipline and education and it has 100% proven results in helping those that are under achieving reach their full potential and beyond. It’s famous for this![/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
The problem is that due to the fact that I have been and am a single mother, my aim was always to keep my daughter protected and safe and in doing so I tried and managed to keep social services out of the situation as her father has been extremely aggressive, unstable and anti-social in the past (never in any way to our daughter) has had good qualities that have shone through but have constantly been undermined by his issues. Looking back if social services had been involved I feel that a record of this may have given weight to my appeal now? Is this correct? I abstained from this for obvious reasons. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Her friendship group at school has been undermined by this as her current schools have got into the school she didn't get into also and my daughter is upset that she will no longer be with her friends. But is it more than this it is all the points combined throughout this post. [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As an only child she suffers from loneliness and has self confidence issues. The fact that she is going to be separated is making her extremely anxious. She is also mixed race and despite me having a degree education and a ‘loud and proud’ attitude towards bigotry and racism she has confidence issues about her color. This I feel is because her primary school, although portraying itself as a multicultural school on the surface is beneath this definitely biased towards mainstream whites. Should I use the race card?

The school that she has been offered is a girl’s school. My daughter is adamant that she does not want to go to a single sex school and has been very distraught by this. I cannot highlight this enough. There is a third school choice that my daughter really wishes to go to but I have misgivings concerning this choice. The only choice therefore is the appeal for the academy.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] A friend who is an expert at finding the angles suggested that I be ruthless (i.e. the end justifies the means) and get a psychological profile report done suggesting my daughter is traumatized i.e. get what I’m saying backed up by official documents. However I’m against this as it will be on her medical record forever? This seems a step too far? [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Because I have never used proper official channels of mediation in the past, there is no official written proof to back up my claims, I feel that the only way this appeal could be won is with a detailed social history backed up by a social services record (which for reasons explained above I do not have.) I’d like to know is he correct in this approach? Or is there another option?[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What I am looking for is advice on how I can make a good -NO, WINNING! Appeal to the school panel. It is a famous academy beginning with M and therefore is independent from the trust though I think the appeal board is independent of the school? Perhaps people who have guessed the school can enlighten me? [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Also is it true that as long as i technically hand the appeal form on time i can present the reason for the appeal along with any evidence later on? [/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What evidence official or otherwise would I need to support my case and make it strong enough for them to overturn the original decision[/FONT][FONT=&quot]?[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] I must mention that this school is probably the most famous school in the UK. It is based in London, hackney to be precise. It is extremely difficult to get into, but I know that it is the perfect school for her.[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thanks[/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]P.S THIS IS URGENT THE APPEAL NEEDS TO BE IN TOMORROW. CAN PEOPLE PLEASE OFFER ADVICE THANKS? [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]

Savvy_Sue

I don't believe you can submit new evidence at this stage, if you didn't present it when you made the application.

So if you'd said at the time that your DD had been traumatized and had psychological issues, and these had been ignored, you could use those grounds for appeal. You didn't.

Your strongest grounds for appeal were always that the school had somehow failed to apply its admission criteria correctly, and that if they had done so your DD would have been admitted.

Have you followed the advice given in your separate thread?

Have you put your DD on the waiting list for this school, and found out where she is? If she's very high up, then there's a fair chance she may get in anyway.

Savvy_Sue

And sorry, I know this isn't what you want to hear. However, personally I wouldn't rush to get a psychological assessment and social services involvement at this stage, with a view to applying next year, I'd want to work on improving her self-confidence and resilience.

And a girls school may be the ideal place to do that, TBH.

We don't always get what we want. No-one gets a perfect home life. What matters is what we make of the !!!! which happens. By all means fight with all your worth to get the best for your DD, but then fight with all your worth to help her make the best of what she gets. As I'm sure you do already.

susancs

schooling123 wrote: »

[FONT=&quot]My daughter did not get into our first choice of school and we urgently need to appeal against the decision. She has no medical issues but we are looking to use various social issues to help win the appeal.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] IS THIS POSSIBLE?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]My daughter comes from a broken home and the last few years have been EXTREMELY traumatic for her as there have been an ongoing series of issues involving me and her father (ex does not live with us) who subsequently has had a chronic and debilitating drink problem. He was an aggressive drunk but never, never to our daughter. (This does not excuse his actions. Police have been called numerous times over disturbing the peace and other antisocial behavior. His behavior was such that trouble always seemed to follow him whether his fault or not. This problem has been ongoing for years. This unsettled family life has been very upsetting for my daughter and has affected her behavior at school. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]She has had issues in the past with chatting and constantly being distracted during lessons which went on for several years and this has meant that she has missed on vital learning at school and therefore has missed out on some essential building blocks of the school curriculum. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Her teachers have said time and again that she would fly through school providing the perfect home life was available to her . The school that was her first choice has a reputation for a rigid structure in terms of its discipline and education and it has 100% proven results in helping those that are under achieving reach their full potential and beyond. It’s famous for this![/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The problem is that due to the fact that I have been and am a single mother, my aim was always to keep my daughter protected and safe and in doing so I tried and managed to keep social services out of the situation as her father has been extremely aggressive, unstable and anti-social in the past (never in any way to our daughter) has had good qualities that have shone through but have constantly been undermined by his issues. Looking back if social services had been involved I feel that a record of this may have given weight to my appeal now? Is this correct? I abstained from this for obvious reasons. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Her friendship group at school has been undermined by this as her current schools have got into the school she didn't get into also and my daughter is upset that she will no longer be with her friends. But is it more than this it is all the points combined throughout this post. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As an only child she suffers from loneliness and has self confidence issues. The fact that she is going to be separated is making her extremely anxious. She is also mixed race and despite me having a degree education and a ‘loud and proud’ attitude towards bigotry and racism she has confidence issues about her color. This I feel is because her primary school, although portraying itself as a multicultural school on the surface is beneath this definitely biased towards mainstream whites. Should I use the race card? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The school that she has been offered is a girl’s school. My daughter is adamant that she does not want to go to a single sex school and has been very distraught by this. I cannot highlight this enough. There is a third school choice that my daughter really wishes to go to but I have misgivings concerning this choice. The only choice therefore is the appeal for the academy.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] A friend who is an expert at finding the angles suggested that I be ruthless (i.e. the end justifies the means) and get a psychological profile report done suggesting my daughter is traumatized i.e. get what I’m saying backed up by official documents. However I’m against this as it will be on her medical record forever? This seems a step too far? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Because I have never used proper official channels of mediation in the past, there is no official written proof to back up my claims, I feel that the only way this appeal could be won is with a detailed social history backed up by a social services record (which for reasons explained above I do not have.) I’d like to know is he correct in this approach? Or is there another option?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What I am looking for is advice on how I can make a good -NO, WINNING! Appeal to the school panel. It is a famous academy beginning with M and therefore is independent from the trust though I think the appeal board is independent of the school? Perhaps people who have guessed the school can enlighten me? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Also is it true that as long as i technically hand the appeal form on time i can present the reason for the appeal along with any evidence later on? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What evidence official or otherwise would I need to support my case and make it strong enough for them to overturn the original decision[/FONT][FONT=&quot]?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] I must mention that this school is probably the most famous school in the UK. It is based in London, hackney to be precise. It is extremely difficult to get into, but I know that it is the perfect school for her.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thanks[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]P.S THIS IS URGENT THE APPEAL NEEDS TO BE IN TOMORROW. CAN PEOPLE PLEASE OFFER ADVICE THANKS? [/FONT]

I wish you the best of luck with your appeal, however like Savy Sue syas I would be wary of getting a psychological assessment and social services involvement as it may not aid your appeal. You mention in your post that your daughter really wants to go to the school that was your third choice and this may well be noted in reports.

Hackney is also a very diverse multicultural area, so I would think that most schools would reflect this in their pupil intake, so it would probably be hard to provide evidence that another school offered would not have good equal opportunities and diversity policies and practice (in regard to race).

You have to provide information as to why this particular school specifically meets the needs of your child which another school cannot or as Savy Sue states show how the admission criteria was not correctly applied. For example a local school had to admit pupils when it was found that a well known and mapped, public footpath to a school was not taken into account when measuring home to school distances. Things you may need to consider are does this school offer specific counselling services that would benefit your child, that the other school does not? Is their pastoral care better e.g. more form time with a tutor? Does your child have a talent which can be better met in this school, for example a friend of mine had a child who did training with a premiership football team youth team and the school she appealed a place at (and won) had sports, with great football fields, as a specialist subject.

As your child's primary school is aware of issues with home, would they be willing to support your appeal with a letter stating that your child would struggle socially and emotionally if separated from the support of her classmates, most of whom are going to this school?

As Savy Sue has said, you need to ensure your child is on the waiting list for a place and check where she is on the list and make sure you accept another school so that she will have a school to go to in September if your appeal is not successful. If your child is happy to go to the third school it may be worth putting her on their waiting list. Unless the school is very poor, then she will have a vested interest in doing well there as it was her choice.

TeamLowe

Just to answer the procedural points-

You can put your appeal in tomorrow and then supply evidence later on- it's best speaking to the clerk to see what the deadline is, usually a few working days before. Panels are not obliged to consider any evidence submitted at the appeal itself and you'd be best place to give evidence as soon as possible, especially if it's likely to be long and complicated

The admission appeals code states that the appeals panel must be independent of the school governing body, although I'm not sure how this works for independent schools, although they may have bought the service from the local authority

You must make sure that your appeal is based on how that particular school is best place to help your child- how will going to that school help her deal with her emotional issues that no other school could?

A doctors report will help if you are claiming she has emotional/psychological issues to clarify what they are but a Panel must give you the benefit of the doubt.

schooling123

Thank you to everybody for your replies. I will submit the form and provide additional information later on. my daughter is no 78 on the waiting list so there is not a lot of hope that she will get in that way.

johnny_p_2

Hi everyone,

Hoping for a bit of advice regarding an in-year admissions appeal.
Bit of background - my son has recently moved to live with me, he previously lived in another town approx 80 miles away with his mum.
Reason for moving (short version!) is due to his mums mental health problems which subsequently caused parenting and welfare issues with social services being notified.
It is therefore very improtant to me that I am able to provide stability and security to my son given the difficult home life he has had previously.

I have applied to local schools - my first choice is 0.5miles away and in addition to being closer they also have a breakfast / afterschools club.
From a convenience point of view this suits me perfectly as I work full time and out of town so I would be able to continue my current job.

However I was unsucessful as the school is currently 'full' (not infant school though)
Second choice school does not have an after schools club and starts later so it would be difficult for me to continue current employment. MY concern then would be that I would be unable to provide the stability and security my son needs given his background.
I am aware that I could use a childminder however he is used to attneding an afterschools club at previous school so I beleive this will be better as a continuity of care as it is a set up he is used to, and also to allow him to mix with more children locally.

I have appealed on these grounds - in addition to the fact that the school has increased its intake steadily (including adding more classes) over previous 3 years and results have increased.

I realise making this appeal is probably a long shot! If anyone has any advice or comments i would be grateful.

Many thanks

D

Savvy_Sue

How old is your son?

What is the PAN for your son's year?

What are the actual numbers for your son's year?

If your son is infant, then I'd argue that admitting him now isn't a problem. They can sort out the junior stage by not admitting children as others leave, there's always a few ...

Don't know if that would work, it is worth reading up on the subject, because on the whole your childcare arrangements are no concern of the school.

susancs

johnny_p wrote: »

Hi everyone,

Hoping for a bit of advice regarding an in-year admissions appeal.
Bit of background - my son has recently moved to live with me, he previously lived in another town approx 80 miles away with his mum.
Reason for moving (short version!) is due to his mums mental health problems which subsequently caused parenting and welfare issues with social services being notified.
It is therefore very improtant to me that I am able to provide stability and security to my son given the difficult home life he has had previously.

I have applied to local schools - my first choice is 0.5miles away and in addition to being closer they also have a breakfast / afterschools club.
From a convenience point of view this suits me perfectly as I work full time and out of town so I would be able to continue my current job.

However I was unsucessful as the school is currently 'full' (not infant school though)
Second choice school does not have an after schools club and starts later so it would be difficult for me to continue current employment. MY concern then would be that I would be unable to provide the stability and security my son needs given his background.
I am aware that I could use a childminder however he is used to attneding an afterschools club at previous school so I beleive this will be better as a continuity of care as it is a set up he is used to, and also to allow him to mix with more children locally.

I have appealed on these grounds - in addition to the fact that the school has increased its intake steadily (including adding more classes) over previous 3 years and results have increased.

I realise making this appeal is probably a long shot! If anyone has any advice or comments i would be grateful.

Many thanks

D

Although I appreciate there are other reasons, reading your post, the main reason for the first choice of school seems to be the childcare provision. However a lot of breakfast and after school clubs based in schools only operate during school term time, so your child may have better continuity of care and security with the same regular childminder who is able to have him before, after school and in the school holidays even if he was to attned your first choice of school. You may also find although second choice school does not have onsite childcare, they may have lowcost activities after school that would allow your child to mix with other children in his school e.g. football, dance, rugby and you could arrange for the childminder to collect him after these activities. You may also find that the afterschool club has a waiting list and the admissions criteria in the event of oversubscription are independant of the school's admissions, so gaining place at the school does not guarantee a place in the afterschool club.

I know it seems unfair, but I doubt your work/childcare will be given any weight at an appeal as many other Parents will have similar issues, plus gaining a place at the school is no guarantee that your child will be entitled to a place at the after school club and as such it cannot be part of admission policy or procedures. Savy_Sue's advice is the best course of action IMO. Good luck.