School appeals - help offered

Hi there Hayley any advice for helping my grandchildren get into the schools they need to be in would be very helpful. Or anyone else lol. I haven t had time to read all the thread yet but I will.

My son and his family have moved to a village from nearby purely really to get their three children in the schools there. Up till now they were travelling about 3 miles a day going to one school and dropping two of them off then travelling another 6 miles or so to drop another one off. Then back again in the afternoon. They both work so not always easy and it cost an awful amount of petrol .

They have just heard they have got a place for the little one Seren whose 4 into the school but her brother Josh hadn t. Josh will be in his last year in the juniors. He does have anxiety issues ta the moment. This would obviously help him to get to the senior school there which apparently is the best in the area. They are going to appeal .

Lastly the elder child Caitlin is 13 and will be going into the 3rd year at senior school. They haven t heard back yet about her application but as it's over subscribed might not be looking good.

It would be ideal if all 3 could get into the local schools which are within walking distance , less travelling for everyone and less petrol.

I would be grateful for any tips etc to help them in their appeals please. Sorry it's so long but needed to explain

emerald21 wrote: »

Hi there Hayley any advice for helping my grandchildren get into the schools they need to be in would be very helpful. Or anyone else lol. I haven t had time to read all the thread yet but I will.

My son and his family have moved to a village from nearby purely really to get their three children in the schools there. Up till now they were travelling about 3 miles a day going to one school and dropping two of them off then travelling another 6 miles or so to drop another one off. Then back again in the afternoon. They both work so not always easy and it cost an awful amount of petrol .

They have just heard they have got a place for the little one Seren whose 4 into the school but her brother Josh hadn t. Josh will be in his last year in the juniors. He does have anxiety issues ta the moment. This would obviously help him to get to the senior school there which apparently is the best in the area. They are going to appeal .

Lastly the elder child Caitlin is 13 and will be going into the 3rd year at senior school. They haven t heard back yet about her application but as it's over subscribed might not be looking good.

It would be ideal if all 3 could get into the local schools which are within walking distance , less travelling for everyone and less petrol.

I would be grateful for any tips etc to help them in their appeals please. Sorry it's so long but needed to explain

As I understand it your youngest grandchild has been given a place at the school to start in September and your current year 5 grandchild is the one you are appealing for a place in year 6 next year. The issue with travelling a reasonable distance would not usually win an appeal or that it is a feeder school for a certain secondary school. What may help with an appeal could be a letter from specialists dealign with his mental health issues (e.g. childrens health and adolescent mental health services)involved with your grandson which states reasons why it is the only school that can meet your grandsons needs. It would not be enough to state he has anxiety. This school has to offer something no other local school can. For example a friend of mine won an appeal as a secondary school was the only one with all ground floor level classrooms and he had physical issues and he had lots of specialist support to back this up.

As your grandson will have a sibling in the school and many schools have siblings as a high criteria he may be high up on the waiting list (make sure he is on the list).

Your eldest grandchild will probably have to wait for a place from the waiting list.

susancs wrote: »

As I understand it your youngest grandchild has been given a place at the school to start in September and your current year 5 grandchild is the one you are appealing for a place in year 6 next year. The issue with travelling a reasonable distance would not usually win an appeal or that it is a feeder school for a certain secondary school. What may help with an appeal could be a letter from specialists dealign with his mental health issues (e.g. childrens health and adolescent mental health services)involved with your grandson which states reasons why it is the only school that can meet your grandsons needs. It would not be enough to state he has anxiety. This school has to offer something no other local school can. For example a friend of mine won an appeal as a secondary school was the only one with all ground floor level classrooms and he had physical issues and he had lots of specialist support to back this up.

As your grandson will have a sibling in the school and many schools have siblings as a high criteria he may be high up on the waiting list (make sure he is on the list).

Your eldest grandchild will probably have to wait for a place from the waiting list.

Hi thanks for replying too. They haven t heard yet about the eldest child so fingers crossed. I ll tell them what you have said. The school is literally 5 minutes away from where they live. He has been seen by cahms but luckily they don't think he s on the autistic spectrum etc but there s something upsetting him for one reason or another which doesn t seem normal.

FBaby wrote: »

Surely if he suffers from anxiety, the best thing for him is to finish his primary school with his current year rather than having to settle into a new class where most will all know each other, and then again next year?

But then he wouldn't be in the feeder school for the secondary school they want him to go to.

sheramber wrote: »

But then he wouldn't be in the feeder school for the secondary school they want him to go to.

But that's not going to be sufficient grounds for a successful appeal.

emerald, is there anything this school can offer to support his anxiety that no other school can? Excepting an administrative error, that's the only grounds for appeal I can see.

They'll let you appeal when the class is full because it is your statutory right. They cannot say no without giving you the opportunity to present your case.

(Also worth checking if being in a feeder school gives you priority for secondary. It's not a common criteria any longer.)