Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Appeal help late application

33 replies

sukilou · 18/03/2011 11:37

hi everyone
I'm on the verge of crying all the time and it is all my stupid fault
Back at the beginning of Nov I suddenly thought ooh shouldn't it be the time for secondary applications for my daughter, so i looked on the internet and found to my horror that we had just missed the date.
I rang my daughters primary school to find that they had sent all of the forms to the yr5 (at the time) classrooms back in July.
Nothing ever came back with my daughter so i'm guessing the application has been dumped in her tray and then emptied during the summer holidays.

Any way we sent the application off late and attached a covering letter with the reasons for this
Today we have finally been offered a place and it definitely isn't a school that we want.
We have also been told that as of today she is number 25 on the waiting list, originally there were at least 74 ahead of her who got apps in on time but were out of catchment and they take priority over late apps

Our daughter is in the (said) feeder school for bramhall high, our son attends bramhall high and we are in the catchment for bramhall high.
But because of the late application we now have to appeal.
we have no medical grounds
but our daughter is very very shy even with her close friends sometimes and to break them up and sent her to an area that she hasn't ever been to and knowing nobody this is really going to affect her.

Any help towards building a fantastic case would be great
louise

OP posts:
Original poster
sukilou · 18/03/2011 13:59

Is distance the same as not in catchment or am i reading that wrong

OP posts:
titchy · 18/03/2011 13:36

As of 1 March you were one of the 11 late apps. However now that 1 March has passed and places have been allocated, you are now on the waiting list the same as everyone else - so the fact that you were late applying does not now make a difference. You are 24th on the list according to distance.

However - you say your son goes to this school - if you're in catchment and have a sibling there already you shoudl be much higher than 24th I'd have thought?

Original poster
sukilou · 18/03/2011 13:16

when we received the original letter on the 1st of march it included a list of allocations
it went-
sibs in catch - all allocated
catch - all allocated
sibs not in catch - all allocated
distance - 33 of 107 allocated
wait list catch - 0
wait list sibs not catch - 0
wait list distance - 74 of 107
wait list received after closing date - 11

when i rang today to find out where she was on the waiting list i was told 25, i then asked if the listing was correct because it seem the people on waiting list for distance are being picked before waiting list for late apps.

OP posts:
angelpantser · 18/03/2011 13:13

I second accepting the place you have been offered and appealling for the school you want. I would recommend that you also check with the LEA if they have a date when appeals should be submitted by. It should be printed in the admissions booklet.

curlymama · 18/03/2011 12:55

I think you should accept the place that you have been offered, and jsut in case the appeal doesn't work, start to look at other schools that could be a possibility. Get your name on all the waiting lists, and you may end up with a little more choice, even if they are not your first preference. Good Luck!

prh47bridge · 18/03/2011 12:46

I am a little unclear as to what you mean by "We have also been told that as of today she is number 25 on the waiting list, originally there were at least 74 ahead of her who got apps in on time but were out of catchment and they take priority over late apps".

If you mean that those who applied on time got places in the original allocation ahead of those who applied late, that is perfectly normal. However, if you mean that they put late appliacants at the end of the waiting list that is a direct breach of the Admissions Code. They aren't allowed to do that. If that is what has happened and your daughter would have been admitted if the waiting list had been administered it is a very strong case for appeal.

Can you clarify. Have they put you at the end of the waiting list because you applied late?

mummytime · 18/03/2011 12:32

Wait until the admissions gurus get here, but I don't think the admissions code allows them to put people who applied on time ahead of you on the waiting list. You should be at the place on the waiting list for where you are for the admissions criteria, not behind those who applied on time.

That is why people move down waiting lists as well as up.

GrungeBlobPrimpants · 18/03/2011 12:22

How on earth could you not know?! [shock} - not that that's the point any more and you've got to take action now.

There are lots of people on mumsnet who work on admissions and I hope someone can come along to give you some good advice but I think:

  • you need to keep the place you've been offered, even if it's not the one you want, because that keeps you in the system
  • keep on all continuing interest lists, no matter how pessimistic they may seem. There can be a lot of movement and you may want to consider sticking there and considering a move during Year 7 to your first choice school if a place comes up - people do move etc all the time even at highly sought-after schools
  • I really dont think you have grounds for appeal tbh - being shy or not being school you want is the case for a lot of people and not (and should not ever be) grounds for appeal