Any advice regarding secondary school appeals please help!

Spendless

I'm no expert but I do recall several children not getting into their preferred school for Reception when I was applying for my son. The parents concerned went to appeal over it and it was asked that had the school stuck to their published admission criteria (they hadn't)  would these children have received a place? The answer was yes to 4 of them and no to the 5th, so 4 got in. I'm wondering if roughly the same principle would apply though it's not in this case the school's fault and an appeal would ask the same question - would you have got in if the address had been different - if yes, you may get a place, if no then you won't.

You do perhaps have ground to appealing to the council to put your son in the nearest available school with spaces to your address. I'd gather all your evidence together. Your tenancy agreement will show the commencement date and there will be some evidence showing when you were successful with your bid on your property which might also say if you'd turned down you wouldn't have got another offer. If you don't have these items, ring your housing officer and explain they should be able to send you copies. 


Your other option is to wait on the list and home educate in the meantime. Waiting lists are fluid though as you have seen. Even if the current 27 above your son decide to g elsewhere and your son becomes first, should another child go on the list with a higher criteria than yourself and a space becomes available it goes to #1 on the list at that time.    

In addition is your child's sensory issues a 'stand alone' condition or part of a wider issue? My DD has always had some sensory problems, never picked up at school and now she's an adult has questioned for a while if she has ADHD (yet to go down a formal assessment though). Just if it is part of a wider issue and you can get the current Primary school onboard with diagnosis/assessment then *perhaps* it might help with  your appeal. 



 

grumiofoundation

Have you spoken to the 'new' school about what they will be doing to support your son when he starts? They will be planning for the children joining who have additional learning needs. I do appreciate you have a preferred school but this doesn't mean all other schools will not be able to support your son at all. There may be other things they can do you are currently unaware they offer/could offer?

This could help
a) reassure you [somewhat] about him going there if this ends up happening
b) highlight to the school of the support they are putting in place is inadequate/more is needed


As posters above have said you are absolutely not letting your son down. 

Cellardoor93

grumiofoundation said:

Have you spoken to the 'new' school about what they will be doing to support your son when he starts? They will be planning for the children joining who have additional learning needs. I do appreciate you have a preferred school but this doesn't mean all other schools will not be able to support your son at all. There may be other things they can do you are currently unaware they offer/could offer?

This could help
a) reassure you [somewhat] about him going there if this ends up happening
b) highlight to the school of the support they are putting in place is inadequate/more is needed


As posters above have said you are absolutely not letting your son down. 

Thank you for your reply, the only 2 schools now with spaces available are HH ( the school he absolutely cannot go to due to the smell of the building triggering him) or another thst is even further away than the allocated school.

Can anyone tell me if the school capacity on the osted and government websites is true? As its different to what the head is stating in his groups for appeal 

Cellardoor93

Spendless said:

I'm no expert but I do recall several children not getting into their preferred school for Reception when I was applying for my son. The parents concerned went to appeal over it and it was asked that had the school stuck to their published admission criteria (they hadn't)  would these children have received a place? The answer was yes to 4 of them and no to the 5th, so 4 got in. I'm wondering if roughly the same principle would apply though it's not in this case the school's fault and an appeal would ask the same question - would you have got in if the address had been different - if yes, you may get a place, if no then you won't.

You do perhaps have ground to appealing to the council to put your son in the nearest available school with spaces to your address. I'd gather all your evidence together. Your tenancy agreement will show the commencement date and there will be some evidence showing when you were successful with your bid on your property which might also say if you'd turned down you wouldn't have got another offer. If you don't have these items, ring your housing officer and explain they should be able to send you copies. 


Your other option is to wait on the list and home educate in the meantime. Waiting lists are fluid though as you have seen. Even if the current 27 above your son decide to g elsewhere and your son becomes first, should another child go on the list with a higher criteria than yourself and a space becomes available it goes to #1 on the list at that time.    

In addition is your child's sensory issues a 'stand alone' condition or part of a wider issue? My DD has always had some sensory problems, never picked up at school and now she's an adult has questioned for a while if she has ADHD (yet to go down a formal assessment though). Just if it is part of a wider issue and you can get the current Primary school onboard with diagnosis/assessment then *perhaps* it might help with  your appeal. 



 

Thank you. I do wonder if adhd may be a factor for him to be honest.

Thankyou

silvercar

Cellardoor93 said:

grumiofoundation said:

Have you spoken to the 'new' school about what they will be doing to support your son when he starts? They will be planning for the children joining who have additional learning needs. I do appreciate you have a preferred school but this doesn't mean all other schools will not be able to support your son at all. There may be other things they can do you are currently unaware they offer/could offer?

This could help
a) reassure you [somewhat] about him going there if this ends up happening
b) highlight to the school of the support they are putting in place is inadequate/more is needed


As posters above have said you are absolutely not letting your son down. 

Thank you for your reply, the only 2 schools now with spaces available are HH ( the school he absolutely cannot go to due to the smell of the building triggering him) or another thst is even further away than the allocated school.

Can anyone tell me if the school capacity on the osted and government websites is true? As its different to what the head is stating in his groups for appeal 

I thought that appeals were on the basis of why a particular school should offer a place, rather than why a different school is wrong for him. After all you are appealing to the school you want him to attend.

Flugelhorn

silvercar said:

I thought that appeals were on the basis of why a particular school should offer a place, rather than why a different school is wrong for him. After all you are appealing to the school you want him to attend.

This is absolutely it. The appeal is why they should go to the other school not why they can't go to the allocated school - remember, someone on the panel may have a child at HH and like the school or know of others who go there.

Flugelhorn

Cellardoor93 said:

Thank you for your reply, the only 2 schools now with spaces available are HH ( the school he absolutely cannot go to due to the smell of the building triggering him) or another thst is even further away than the allocated school.

Can anyone tell me if the school capacity on the osted and government websites is true? As its different to what the head is stating in his groups for appeal 

There will be a PAN set each year for the school, it is possible that there may be a few over depending on appeals - what does the head say and what do the official figures say?

Cellardoor93

I've got both sides, why he can't go hh and why he needs to go to the preferred. 

Flugelhorn

Cellardoor93 said:

I've got both sides, why he can't go hh and why he needs to go to the preferred. 

Yes but the panel will only be interested in why he needs to go to the preferred and why that school can take another child without prejudice to the school 

Flugelhorn

@Cellardoor93 this appeal is an oversubscription appeal, here is a link to a site that although is an 11plus site it has an excellent FAQ on oversubscription appeals and the reasons that can be given etc etc - well worth reading it https://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/advice-preparation/appeals/oversubscribed-school