Reception (still) waiting list..

[Allyoudude]

Hi all,
Just after some advice and/or experiences about Reception places: getting bumped down the waiting list 😟 and chances of an offer.. (Quite long, sorry!)
So current situation is: DD has started at 2nd choice school (we live pretty close between 2 schools, so figured just be realistic and put those first.)
As of today, we are 3rd on the list for our 1st choice.
However, I was made aware that another family had won their appeal for a place at 1st choice school. Now I don't know the full ins and outs, but I know this child got a place at their 2nd choice school, has no older siblings at 1st choice, no physical disabilities, or special educational needs, it's a regular state primary so faith not an issue, and they live at least 250m further from the school than us.
Back in April, we were advised not to appeal as we were top of the waiting list anyway.
But what is the appeal panel's policy on allowing a place to go to another child that seemingly has no more urgent a need than anyone else on the waiting list? Has this happened to anyone else?

[Thetruthfairy]

Who knows op. It would be too hard to say without actually being at the appeal. My friend successfully won her child a place at her first choice school- her child has severe allergies and she argued that she needed to be able to get to the school quickly if anything happened to her dd, or she needed taking to medical appointments. She also argued for the school meeting dd's needs better as she is bilingual French-English and the school is strong on languages.
Maybe the child has a medical issue? Hard to know x

[PatriciaHolm]

The waiting list and the appeal are unconnected.

How many children are in the class?

You are unlikely to know the detail that would be relevant to an appeal as they would be very personal to the family and child, or the admissions authority might have made a mistake somewhere which cost them a place - details of which you wouldn't know either unless it affected you too (for example measuring distance from school incorrectly).

Of course it's possible the panel were a bit too lenient; it happens. It shouldn't but it does.

[PatriciaHolm]

Also - just so you are aware - if the appeal was ICS (30 in a class) then this child counts as an excepted child. If a child now leaves the class, there is no vacancy; the class needs to go back under the 30 for that to happen I'm afraid.

[prh47bridge]

If this was an infant class size case (i.e. the school has classes with 30 pupils in Reception, Y1 or Y2) the parents would only have won an appeal if they could show that a mistake was made and their child should have got a place when offers were made initially. The appeal panel in this situation only deals with those parents who have appealed. They can't do anything about other parents who may have been affected by the mistake but have not appealed.

If it was not an infant class size case and there was no mistake the parents won by showing that the disadvantage to their child from not attending the school outweighed the disadvantage to the school from having to cope with an additional pupil. The fact their child had a place elsewhere is irrelevant. Siblings, faith and distance are also not generally relevant. Just as with infant class size appeals, the panel can only look at parents who have appealed. The fact that other pupils may have greater need for this school is irrelevant. The panel does not have to consider whether this child has a greater need for this school than other pupils on the waiting list, only whether the child's needs outweigh the problems the school will face.

If you think you have a good case you still have the right to appeal.

[Allyoudude]

OK thanks for all the help and info.