School appeals - help offered

Justwe03

Hi there,

Wondering if anyone can give me any advice.

Ive recently moved into a new area and my daughters 5 (Yr1) & 7 (Yr3) have been allocated schools 5.8miles away from each other.

I am going to appeal to hopefully move my 5 year old into the same school as my 7 year old.

I've never faced this before and am feeling out of my depth! at the moment they both start and finish at the same time, and we are all exhausted.

We have to leave the house at 7.40 to get the 7yr old to one breakfast club for 8 then try and get my 5year old to school on time across the next town with morning traffic for 8.45.

It's a similar journey in the afternoons with the youngest going to OOSC which is an £8 flat rate everyday.

I am claiming ESA and DLA and the chaotic mornings and afternoons are making my health worse which affect my ability to manage with the girls.

I can't afford the ongoing £45 a week in childcare, thats before fuel is taken into account and I just feel a right mess.

Both schools are lovely, but I just don't know how to carry on like this.

I've got no idea what to put on the appeal paperwork, to make a case for us.

Thanks in advance for any help.

susancs

Justwe03 wrote: »

Hi there,

Wondering if anyone can give me any advice.

Ive recently moved into a new area and my daughters 5 (Yr1) & 7 (Yr3) have been allocated schools 5.8miles away from each other.

I am going to appeal to hopefully move my 5 year old into the same school as my 7 year old.

I've never faced this before and am feeling out of my depth! at the moment they both start and finish at the same time, and we are all exhausted.

We have to leave the house at 7.40 to get the 7yr old to one breakfast club for 8 then try and get my 5year old to school on time across the next town with morning traffic for 8.45.

It's a similar journey in the afternoons with the youngest going to OOSC which is an £8 flat rate everyday.

I am claiming ESA and DLA and the chaotic mornings and afternoons are making my health worse which affect my ability to manage with the girls.

I can't afford the ongoing £45 a week in childcare, thats before fuel is taken into account and I just feel a right mess.

Both schools are lovely, but I just don't know how to carry on like this.

I've got no idea what to put on the appeal paperwork, to make a case for us.

Thanks in advance for any help.

It is easier to win a Junior class appeal than for an infant class place, especially if you have a child already in the school. I would advise appealing to move the year 3 child into the 5 year olds school, rather than trying it the other way around. There is a published admissions number (PAN) maximum class size of 30 for infants with a teacher, but junior (KS2) classes do not have this limit.

Christabelicus

I agree - if you are happy with both schools you'll have a better chance winning an appeal for your elder daughter. That said, why not appeal for both? You have nothing to lose by doing so. Just remember that the LEA don't care about your arrangements for getting them both to school on time, they will only tell you that it's your responsibility. (Especially as you have access to out of school care) It would also be worth speaking to the Head teachers at both schools, explain your predicament and try to get them onside, I know they can't help you outright, but I know some teachers who have said the Heads can have the last say and can influence the LEA. I have a friend who pestered the school for a place and as soon as she knew a child had left she rang the Head who confirmed it and her son started there a few days later. The LEA sent their letter 2 months later offering the place..! If you are on their radar that can only be a good thing.

Good luck, I hope you get the right outcome!

tomtontom

Christabelicus wrote: »

I agree - if you are happy with both schools you'll have a better chance winning an appeal for your elder daughter. That said, why not appeal for both? You have nothing to lose by doing so. Just remember that the LEA don't care about your arrangements for getting them both to school on time, they will only tell you that it's your responsibility. (Especially as you have access to out of school care) It would also be worth speaking to the Head teachers at both schools, explain your predicament and try to get them onside, I know they can't help you outright, but I know some teachers who have said the Heads can have the last say and can influence the LEA. I have a friend who pestered the school for a place and as soon as she knew a child had left she rang the Head who confirmed it and her son started there a few days later. The LEA sent their letter 2 months later offering the place..! If you are on their radar that can only be a good thing.

Good luck, I hope you get the right outcome!

What you describe is highly unethical and could have resulted in disciplinary action against the head teacher - it is not within their remit to allow people to queue jump, nor to influence an appeal. I chair appeals panels and in this situation I would ignore any communication from the head teacher, as well as reminding the parents that canvassing is prohibited.

If there is a way to get the panel's backs up, this is it!

rinroo

I know the last post was quite some time ago but I am hoping someone will be able to offer some advice or support.


We have our panel hearing on Friday to appeal against our sons allocated school. I'm not sure we have any real grounds to appeal but are going to try anyway.


Basically - My elder son attends a RC high school, he's a non catholic and transferred to the school a little over a year ago after severe bullying which resulted in us having to attend the local magistrates court for him to give a statement. I applied for the RC high school for my other son to keep them together but he was refused a place and was allocated the school where my elder son was transferred from.


I obviously want the boys to go to the same school. My younger son is socially and emotionally very immature and the fact the allocated school is further away worries me as he would either have to cross a busy motorway entry slip road or the alternative route is through a subway where gangs loiter. I cannot take him to school everyday and nor can his older brother as his school starts earlier than the other. He has no concept of danger.


My younger son doesn't have any friends he's the butt of the playground jokes so we were told at parents evening last year, he just takes what other kids throw at him a bottles it up until he's at home. I fear he'll become more vulnerable attending the allocated school with no support. At the RC school he'll have his brother and lots of other family member for support until he has chance to mature and stand on his own two feet. He already getting himself in a panic over not being allocated a place at the RC school.


Being a non catholic and having no medical or written evidence am I just fighting a loosing battle?

susancs

rinroo wrote: »

I know the last post was quite some time ago but I am hoping someone will be able to offer some advice or support.


We have our panel hearing on Friday to appeal against our sons allocated school. I'm not sure we have any real grounds to appeal but are going to try anyway.


Basically - My elder son attends a RC high school, he's a non catholic and transferred to the school a little over a year ago after severe bullying which resulted in us having to attend the local magistrates court for him to give a statement. I applied for the RC high school for my other son to keep them together but he was refused a place and was allocated the school where my elder son was transferred from.


I obviously want the boys to go to the same school. My younger son is socially and emotionally very immature and the fact the allocated school is further away worries me as he would either have to cross a busy motorway entry slip road or the alternative route is through a subway where gangs loiter. I cannot take him to school everyday and nor can his older brother as his school starts earlier than the other. He has no concept of danger.


My younger son doesn't have any friends he's the butt of the playground jokes so we were told at parents evening last year, he just takes what other kids throw at him a bottles it up until he's at home. I fear he'll become more vulnerable attending the allocated school with no support. At the RC school he'll have his brother and lots of other family member for support until he has chance to mature and stand on his own two feet. He already getting himself in a panic over not being allocated a place at the RC school.


Being a non catholic and having no medical or written evidence am I just fighting a loosing battle?

To win an appeal you usually have to show how the criteria was not applied correctly and if it had been your child would have been offered a place or that a particular school is the only school that can meet your child's specific needs.

Usually one of the top admission criteria in a R.C. school is a baptised, practising their faith R.C. (with supporting signed form from the R.C. parish priest) and siblings are lower down the criteria. If it is like our area, the oversubscribed R.C. secondary schools get practising R.C. who are attending R.C. primary schools appealing for places. They will often have supporting letters from their R.C. primary school headteachers stating that the childs needs are best met by continuing on in a R.C. faith school. Sometimes there will be a letter in the child's own hand and words stating how much their faith means to them and how continuing to have a catholic education is important to them.

If your child attends a R.C. primary feeder school it may be worth arguing in that vein that this school is the only one that can meet his needs and ask the Head teacher for a supporting letter. Also you could get him to write a letter on how important it is for him to continue in the catholic education system he is used to.

Make sure you put your child on the waiting list for a place. Sometimes in year admissions happen.

Sarah_jane25

Hi, I'm moving counties and have been refused our school of choice on grounds that it's full. We are moving to a brand new estate and fall literally just outside the catchment for the desired school. The reason I desperately needed this school is because it's the only one in the area with afterschool care, and all the nurseries and childminders I can find are full or don't collect from the catchment school.. the council said I'm welcome to appeal but unlikely to be successful on the grounds of the school being full and us not being in catchment. My question was it's a new estate, my house is yet to be built, and I think it is closer to the requested school than the catchment school... but without a crow I can't prove.
I don't know what to do other than quit work at the minute!

Savvy_Sue

Sarah_jane25 wrote: »

Hi, I'm moving counties and have been refused our school of choice on grounds that it's full. We are moving to a brand new estate and fall literally just outside the catchment for the desired school. The reason I desperately needed this school is because it's the only one in the area with afterschool care, and all the nurseries and childminders I can find are full or don't collect from the catchment school.. the council said I'm welcome to appeal but unlikely to be successful on the grounds of the school being full and us not being in catchment. My question was it's a new estate, my house is yet to be built, and I think it is closer to the requested school than the catchment school... but without a crow I can't prove.
I don't know what to do other than quit work at the minute!

make sure you are on the waiting list, and ask where you are on said list.

susancs

Sarah_jane25 wrote: »

Hi, I'm moving counties and have been refused our school of choice on grounds that it's full. We are moving to a brand new estate and fall literally just outside the catchment for the desired school. The reason I desperately needed this school is because it's the only one in the area with afterschool care, and all the nurseries and childminders I can find are full or don't collect from the catchment school.. the council said I'm welcome to appeal but unlikely to be successful on the grounds of the school being full and us not being in catchment. My question was it's a new estate, my house is yet to be built, and I think it is closer to the requested school than the catchment school... but without a crow I can't prove.
I don't know what to do other than quit work at the minute!

The LEA will have computer software that measures home to school distance so you could ring up and ask for them to check the distance. As long as you can proof that the occupany of the new built is before the start of this school year, it may be considered at appeal. However there is no guarantee that even using this, that your child would have got a place as other criteria factors will come into play e.g. our local school one year had 24 siblings for a 30 place admission, so only 6 places for other children which meant only those whose accomodation was in the road beside the school got offered places.

Your childcare needs will not usually be considered a valid appeal reason. Keep ringing your local childcare team as new childminders may be registered in the coming months and have a place for your child. Also consider putting an advert in a local shop window for a registered childminder who can collect from the school. You could also consider hiring a nanny (who could be someone with children at the school) to work in your home before and after school, plus in the holidays. You would be responsible for doing paye and employers NI contributions.

bylromarha

Evening all. Just looking at DDs secondary school appeal. DS goes there, so I feel we know the school pretty well. The county's appeals page says that you can ask the school for any information that can help your appeal. I don't have a clue what information they may have which would help my appeal! It's a case of me not knowing what I don't know.

Anything you think I should ask for please?