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Original poster

Appeal advice needed

27 replies

Zingy123 · 17/04/2014 08:40

What information will the panel have on the day?
I want to use parts of the Schools Admission Code and the School's own admissions policy. Do I need to copy these and send them with my appeal or will they have them already? In my written submission I have copied the relevant paragraphs.

Waiting lists
Can I just check I have this information right please. Any rejected places must go to the child at the top of the waiting list the day the rejection is received and not whoever is top of the list the day the reoffer is made. I believe they gave places to children at the top of the list 4 weeks after original offer day in the second round (still have no proof of this as school is shut for two weeks and they refused this information before when I asked)

Do the school get sent my appeal submission information including my evidence?

School is shut until 28th April.
Clerk is away until 29th April.
Clerk wants information in by 30th April.

Surely the school and clerk should be available to help now, it doesn't leave much time to get information to clerk who is based in another town miles away.

Thank you for any help

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prh47bridge · 24/04/2014 21:39

It isn't about what you want. It is about what your child needs. So if you want to use sport you need to show that your child is particularly gifted at sport or has some other reason for needing a school that is strong in that subject. You don't necessarily have to specify a particular sport although the panel would probably be interested in which sporting activities were most relevant for your child.

Original poster
Zingy123 · 24/04/2014 18:12

Another question is it enough to say you want the school speciality e.g. sports or music or do you need to specify individual sports or music e.g, hockey or cello.

Thanks again

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Original poster
Zingy123 · 24/04/2014 06:58

Thanks I think it's just a general letter so we should be ok. Will check with the school on Monday.

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prh47bridge · 23/04/2014 23:39

If you have already confirmed full attendance you shouldn't need to supply any additional information on that front. I hope they are simply asking people who didn't supply this originally to do so now, but it isn't very clear. I would check with the school just in case but they really shouldn't be asking you to supply again information you have already given them.

Original poster
Zingy123 · 23/04/2014 21:07

Just reading through the appeal information. It says please include evidence of your medical information, change of address if you have moved or faith attendance.

On our support form when we applied my priest confirmed we had full attendance. Do we need to get more evidence or is this referring to people who didn't have this when they applied?

Thanks

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Original poster
Zingy123 · 20/04/2014 23:09

Thanks. Won't mention the extension then. It is a new building as hey increased the PAN this year.

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ParkingFred · 20/04/2014 21:46

I would agree that a proposed extension will not strengthen your case.

One of the reasons the LA gave us for not allowing another pupil was overcrowding during whole school assemblies/lunch times/between lessons.

I got the number of pupils in each year from the county council which showed a couple of years had under the PAN due to children leaving, which allowed me to argue that as a whole, the school was not over capacity.

I also used national comparators for pupil:adult ratios, pupils:square meterage of school etc.

I hope you're successful. It's enormously stressful. I spoke for a solid hour at our appeal - I am sure they were sick of me.

admission · 20/04/2014 21:26

15 extra classrooms is a large extension. Are you sure they are an extension and not just replacements? As others have said you cannot use something that does not exist yet as part of the appeal.
You need to concentrate on what you know is fact and make the very best case from this. Trying to bring in other factors just confuses the situation and potentially detracts from your case.

titchy · 20/04/2014 15:14

If the extension hasn't even got planning permission it isn't an argument you can use. It could be two or three years before it actually creates 15 classrooms. Also, having dcs at a school which is undergoing major building works it's a logistical nightmare trying to get from A to B at their school so it could work against you as the school can argue that getting their existing kids round the site safely will be an issue in itself, and therefore it's less likely they'll be able to admit over PAN.

Original poster
Zingy123 · 20/04/2014 14:35

Thanks. Extension is waiting for planning permission so hasn't been built yet. Planning officer has recommended it for approval. It will add 15 classrooms.

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tiggytape · 20/04/2014 12:13

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tiggytape · 20/04/2014 11:57

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Original poster
Zingy123 · 20/04/2014 11:28

Also the school has increased the PAN by 30 this year. Last year 34 appeals were allowed as the panel knew this increase was planned. Would this help as the current year 7 would be 4 over the PAN for this September?

Thanks again

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Original poster
Zingy123 · 20/04/2014 11:04

Can I use a proposed extension in my appeal or would that not count until it had been built?

Thanks

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Nennypops · 20/04/2014 08:18

If your appeal is upheld at Stage 1 then that is the end of the process and you have a place.

Not necessarily. It can happen that the panel decides at stage 1 that something has gone wrong at the allocation stage and that that affects a number of appellants, but the school can't possibly take that number. I agree with prh47.

Original poster
Zingy123 · 19/04/2014 23:03

Thanks Smile

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prh47bridge · 19/04/2014 20:24

If there are about 60 appeals being heard it is unlikely any of them will be upheld at stage 1 unless there was a mistake affecting only that child. Even if there is no prejudice in admitting one or two additional children it is very unlikely the school could cope with nearly 60 so the panel will need to hear stage 2, even if it is only so they can compare cases and decide which children to admit.

tiggytape · 19/04/2014 12:01

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Original poster
Zingy123 · 19/04/2014 11:47

You and the other admissions gurus make it a bit easier your help is very much appreciated.

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tiggytape · 19/04/2014 11:21

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Original poster
Zingy123 · 19/04/2014 11:16

Thanks tiggytape. Just wish it was all over.

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tiggytape · 19/04/2014 11:14

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Original poster
Zingy123 · 19/04/2014 09:01

If by any chance our appeal is upheld at stage 1 do they still do stage 2?

This will be a multiple appeal of about 60 then individual stage 2 on another day.

Also they say we will hear within a week. Is that a week from my individual stage 2 appointment or a week from the last appointment?

Thank you for any advice.

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Original poster
Zingy123 · 17/04/2014 20:47

Thank you. Hoping our other reasons are enough,

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admission · 17/04/2014 19:26

The panel will definitely want to know exactly what happened in terms of when places were initially offered, when places were rejected and when they were reallocated.
If the admission process states that there will be a second allocation on the 31st March then the normal procedure would be that no re-allocations will take place until that date, that is from March 1st when the places were initially allocated. It is perfectly reasonable for the LA to take those few weeks to allow all who have been offered places to accept or decline the offered place and to put themselves on the waiting list.
Whilst you may have been 5th on the waiting list on the 24th, it would not be unknown for 5 more people to apply for a place at the school who had a higher admission priority than you between the 24th and the 31st.
Whilst I accept that you can run an argument at appeal that you should have been offered a place because places were rejected in the time from 1st March to the 24th March which would have meant you should have been offered a place prior to that date, if the official admission process says there will be a second round of allocation on the 31st March then I do not believe that you have a viable case, as that is when the waiting list will be used to allocate places.
However you do need to be sure in your own mind that the allocations were carried out correctly and the way to do that is to go to appeal. My suspicion is that you will not get all the detail of when places became available etc until the date of the appeal but you should ask for them now, to give you the maximum time to consider whether they were handled correctly.