Child refused school place

[Truelylittle]

Hi,

My child has been refused primary school first choice place, yet your next door neighbour has been given a place? Does anyone think this has rights to appeal?

[Truelylittle]

Sorry meant to say our next door neighbour.

[myrtleWilson]

Sorry for your disappointmnt but you'll have to provide a heap more information on this one for posters to give useful advice- what were the admission criteria, where were you in criteria, what information did your letter say why you missed out?

[Truelylittle]

We are in the criteria, only it says in criteria 4, 22 applied, 21 accepted and 1 refused. It is a catholic faith school. A child in a complete different borough has been offered a place and we have not received any letter as to why we were refused. What should I do next

[Truelylittle]

I am assuming that 1 person in criteria 4 that was refused was us. Even though there is a child with a sibling in the school who was refused a place. Though they are very much way out of the catchment.

[Truelylittle]

Should I of received a letter as to why we were refused by now? Or do I need to request it?

[myrtleWilson]

You mention criteria 4 - what were the full criteria listings and which category did you fall in to?

[AornisHades]

Do you have the admissions criteria for the school if it's a faith school?

[Truelylittle]

Criteria 1- catholics adopted or looked after children
Criteria 2- baptised catholics with cert of practice with a sibling in the school
Criteria 3-baptised catholics who are a resident in school parish
Criteria 4- baptised catholics who are in neighbouring parishes
Criteria 5- other baptised catholics

[Truelylittle]

So technically I attend the school parish - I have done since a child as I also went to school there. My daughter was baptised there, I volunteer each month by helping to clean the church.

So technically my road is 1 road out of the parish catchment - so even though criteria 3 I fall into criteria 4 because I am in the catchment for the local parish although I have never attended.

[myrtleWilson]

So were there any category 5 children admitted?

[Truelylittle]

No one in criteria 5 was offered a place. I am assuming that my child is that 1 rejected place on the council website for criteria 4. I am assuming that because my neighbour was accepted?

[Truelylittle]

However the one child that was rejected has a sibling in the school, they are very much out of catchment. So I am assuming they must of placed that child in criteria 5 as being out of catchment?

[AornisHades]

Do you know which category NDN came under? Do they list their tie breaker comditions?

[Truelylittle]

Sorry if i am not making sense in parts hardly slept since finding out

[Truelylittle]

Sorry what is NDN. Tie breaker states: In the event of a tie break of families living equidistant from the church, the tie break will be resolved by random allocation.

[AornisHades]

Does the rejected child have a certificate of practice? Does your dc attend in the school parisn?

[Truelylittle]

I also used an online software and it showed distance as the crows fly as exactly the same in a straight line distance

[Truelylittle]

I don’t know if they have a certificate of practice- I would assume so because you cannot really get into this school without one. Yes we attend the school parish, she was also baptised there

[AornisHades]

NDN is next door neighbour.
Random allocation is quite literally a lucky dip. So all the children in category 4 go into a draw and the first X names out of the hat get a place.

[Truelylittle]

I would assume criteria 4, as we are both 1 road out of the catchment for the school parish, but fall under neighbour parish which is criteria 4

[AornisHades]

You need to talk to the school and get their explanation of the places allocated and how your child was categorised. If they have got it wrong then you have a good case.

[myrtleWilson]

I would imagine either a mistake has been made re out of parish sibling or perhaps child wanting to be admitted has not for some reason been baptised. But regarding your application, on the face of information supplied, it would appear you've lost out on distance under category 4 (assuming you don't know/think neighbour should be cat 5 and also assuming that tiebreaker is on distance)

[Truelylittle]

Really :( I am absolutely devastated, I done my communion and confirmation both at this parish and really wanted my daughter to have the same experience as it really is a lovely church and school. She also already attends the nursery at the school, and she has moved nursery twice already I would feel absolutely awful changing her again

[Truelylittle]

Well no one in cat 5 was offered a place, on the council website it says 20 in cat 5 applies and 20 rejected, criteria 4 has 22 applied and 21 accepted

[Truelylittle]

So my neighbour has to be criteria 4 as no-one below was offered a place.