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Original poster

Plenary Hearing Today & Seems We Have Irregular Goings On With Admissins/Appeal ?

63 replies

RockinHippy · 01/05/2014 21:43

Lots of angry parents as a result & some excellent pointed questions asked - I'm glad I went along. It was interesting to say the least, but I didn't ask a question that maybe I should have, though maybe that can go in my favour now Confused it's daunting to say the least

Basically, thanks to a local news article slating our complicated local allocation pool system & our LA because a significant number of DCs who listed only the 2 schools in their catchment area which I didn't even realise you could do, as it's not clear in the booklet & I was given bad advice didn't get an offer of a catchment area school, which I now know putting only those 2 schools, guarantees a catchment area school - that number of children have now been split & both schools forced to take half each

This means that all the extra spaces in our chosen school, that would usually become available by other families turning down offers of places & going elsewhere - have now been absorbed by these children - given priority on catchment area only & not really allocated as part of the usual much bigger allocation pool

So it turns out that whilst all us appellants are frantically building our cases & gathering evidence together - the LA have given away the spaces we were most likely to have a chance of getting Hmm & as the panel were grilled by a several of parents! including a school governor from other school - he was good Grin

  • nothing in their information booklet or website says this is something they can do, so I suspect lots of complaints will be had, as it's soul destroying to sit there & suddenly realise that all number of appeals won in the past - is just not going to happen this year - even though when pinned down the chair of appeal said it would make no difference - but boy did he not want to answer that question - so I doubt anyone else believes it either :( & from the number of over PAN places the HT agreed he would comfortably take - the number of appeals won is going to be very low this year :(

No-one asked if they acted illegally by giving priority to catchment area DCs only - we have catchment area & strong medical grounds, with a ton of good supportive evidence - though the only medical grounds allowed in at admissions stage - were statemented DCs - everything else was ignored Hmm

I'm wondering if this could be considered as disability discrimination ? - I thought of asking the question, but wasn't feeling good myself & sort of hoped if no one else was asking it, maybe we are the only ones with strong medical grounds too, so have a better chance of what looks likely to be only 4 appeals won [hopeful]

Hope that makes some sense - long day & I didn't sleep well last night - this is a huge deal for us, as DD just can't travel to the other schools :-/

OP posts:
Original poster
RockinHippy · 17/05/2014 00:27

Should have read - Would not come into it at all

OP posts:
Original poster
RockinHippy · 17/05/2014 00:23

Thank you - yes she could have said something to the panel & not be heard by us, but it would be difficult to say with certainty - we were in a corridor running of the hearing room when I looked back - at that point her face was up & facing the panel, not shuffling papers, she was smiling towards them & I could see her mouth moving, but she might just have been saying goodbye - it was fleeting - I didn't pay full attention as I didn't know it was breaking rules & I was feeling quite ill by then anyway - by SIL account she followed us out straight after that, but I had my back to the door - she disappeared on route to the door though & then passed us when we stopped

She didn't ask questions - her role seemed to be there to fill in facts & figures, eg: when asked how many DCs from DDs new & old schools were allocated the school we were appealing for she gave figures which where 12 & 19 I think & they then asked how many at the school offered & she said 2 - the allocated school wasn't mentioned until the DofE interrupted the earlier line of questioning aimed at me about how DD would cope with overcrowding -

I used the plenary hearing comments I had noted to remind them, that the school HT had agreed when questioned, that there was a low accident rate & the overcrowding was well managed & as also mentioned at the a Plenary, that generally all city schools are overcrowded - she then chipped in that our allocated school (which we turned down straight away) wasn't over crowded & that there are plenty of spaces there too -

it was after this that our allocated school was brought up more often, though only a few times - but I stupidly didn't argue those points as felt I was sticking to the rules I was given - it was more distance & journey to both schools & the overcrowding issue & the panel then asking questions as to how many of DDs old & new class mates were sent to both schools - which I thought would come into it at all

I think you are right, I will bring this up with the LGO, as I was unprepared for any comparison of the 2 schools & it was down to the DofE butting in that this became an issue

Thanks for your help

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 16/05/2014 23:53

The question with the DofE is whether she would have been able to say anything to the appeal panel without your knowledge. If she simply gathered her papers and followed you out within seconds that is fine. If she shuffled her papers while you left the room and then had some time alone with the panel before leaving that is not acceptable.

I am unclear if the DofE was presenting the case to refuse admission. If she was that means she would be entitled to ask questions but she should not interrupt while you are making your case. She should wait until the appeal panel invite her to question you.

From the information you've given so far the medical argument is the strongest part of your case and should have been enough to win the appeal on its own.

You should not have been told not to mention the offered school, although I suspect it was well meaning advice to stop parents spending time running down the offered school. You shouldn't be negative about it but it is perfectly acceptable to point out that it hasn't got things your daughter needs and to argue that it was too far away because of your daughter's medical condition.

Original poster
RockinHippy · 16/05/2014 23:09

I should add, we were warned at the plenary hearing & at the beginning of the appeal process to concentrate solely on why the school we appealed school was the right school for DD & to not in any way mention or put down our offered school

OP posts:
Original poster
RockinHippy · 16/05/2014 23:02

Hi everyone

Thanks for the replies, please excuse me I've sort of hit a wall mentally & physically & not even sure I can string a sentence together right now, so please excuse typos etc & my missing anything you ask - I also EDS amongst other thinks & the stress of this lat fe weeks & shock if yesterday, along with DD being very ill right now has hit now me like a ton of bricks Shock

Yes by DofE I meant director of education - though they might be the assistent DofE, they were sat next to school reps at plenary & next to me at our hearing - LAs representative

I checked with SIL who turns out was in the ball & was watching for things like that - they arrived in the room at the same time as us - SIL reckons they left just behind us, but took a few moments to shuffle papers together etc so was still sitting at the desk when I looked back into the hearing room, but SIL reckons they followed us out withing a couple of minute -

the lay out if the building meant that when we headed to the way out, we stopped so that I could catch my balance/breath, they would have had to pass us to get out - SIL stopped & chatted fir about 5 minutes or more inside the building & the DofE didn't pass us until we were just about to leave - hence why I though they left the room after us - SIL reckons they did, but not by much - can't be sure where they went for those extra few minutes though, but can't now say they were in the room for long - SIL did also say that she looked directly at the DofE, who looked back, so knows SIL was watching her - though neither SIL or I knew it was breaking any rules.

The allocated school is over 3 miles away, 3.3 I think - this means we do get help with transport, but it's a free bus pass - good friend whose DS has Downs Syndrome had to fight tooth & nail for a cab for him for a similar distance when he started last year - they were having to pay for it initially - so we wouldn't have a hope in hell of our LA providing a taxi for DD.

There's not a massive distance between the bus journeys for both schools, but over 10 minutes is enough to make a difference to DD as she gets very travel sick & also gets anxious & that can kick off IBS, she panicks about being late etc, so a bus ride at all will be difficult fir her

with our more local school it's only a 10 minute cycle ride or 30 minute walk, as opposed to a 35-40 minute bus rude & ideally when fit DD would cycle - I was really grilled on this point & aggressively so by one of the panel - I'm not sure I did as well as I could have TBH, they seem to have a hard time believing I would let DD cycle on her own & I also suspect they didn't understand that DD needs to be superfit in order to help her stay healthy, so walking or cycling is better for her.

But this is only part of the argument for the school - the allocated school is a "needs improvement school" an "Academy" too, according the Ofsted report bullying is dealt with well - but we know that's not true - DDs older friend was sent there last year & hated it & cried on DDs shoulder over how unhappy she was, she was racially bullied from day one & it wasn't dealt with at all, they brushed it under the rug - she moved schools as soon as she could get a place elsewhere - DD cried her eyes out when she found out that was the school offered to her.

Only 2 of her old school have been offered places there, none from her new school. - the others sibling is at a school in completely the opposite direction & they are appealing for a far less popular school & should win
Meaning DD would know no one - the panel quizzed me on how well she had settled into her new primary school - she has settled in amazingly well - it's a similar feel & ethos to the school we want - I stupidly didn't emphasise that she also knew kids in her year there already - with hindsight they were likely pulling apart her anxiety issues - so kicking myself

Allocated school is also a sports specialist - but it's contact sports which are bad for DD - it's also since been done up & made into an Academy, got an old style stricter feel to it - strict uniform code, tie etc & there seems to be nothing artistic about it at all - DD is considered creatively gifted - she is academically too, but she is a very creative kid, music art & creative writing are very much her passion - all strengths of the school we appealed for, who also have the right type of sports facilities, swimming pool, gym, etc etc

After all she's been through at her old school, culminating her being so ill & scarily fragile emotionally & us having to pull her out of school & then change schools part way through year 6 due to bullying & too frequent accidents - I just can't put her through that again

Sorry I'm rambling as I'm so exhausted

I have now rang admission back to see where DD is on the list - turns out we don't have a list, but that is an allocation pool too :( - 1 DC has a sibling priority & 140 like us a catchment priority Shock - I have asked how to have DD changed to medical priority & was told to email in withstood supporting evidence - which I have now done & will follow up with calls on Monday, but feel very deflated at the moment

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 16/05/2014 19:16

I must admit that since the OP referred to "the DofE" I assumed she was referring to the LA's Director of Education but I should have checked.

admission · 16/05/2014 18:49

Can i just clear up something. OP when you say the woman from the DofE are you meaning the person who presented the case for the school, someone from the Local Authority or someone literally from the Department of Education.
If it really was the latter then you absolutely need to bring that up with the LGO. They can only be there as an observer and to be saying anything is totally wrong.

tiggytape · 16/05/2014 14:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Icimoi · 16/05/2014 13:59

I think the latter point depends on how well documented it is that there are bullying problems at the other school. To be honest, it does happen that parents make up or exaggerate that sort of problem (and I want to emphasise that I'm definitely not saying that OP is). However, if it were a case of, on the one hand, an appellant saying there is a bullying problem and, on the other, an admissions authority saying there isn't, with no evidence either way, a panel is going to tend to find in favour of the admissions authority.

No such assurances should have been given unless the OP was present at the time

But as OP hasn't suggested that she has given us a word-for-word account of everything that was said I'm not sure we can assume this to be the case, which is why I asked. In my experience one of the first responses of admissions authorities to allegations that individual schools don't deal well with SEN or bullying etc etc is to say that all local schools have spiffy SEN and anti-bullying arrangements.

Don't get me wrong, my feeling is that OP should have got in on the first allocation assuming that the LA had all the relevant medical evidence, but I'm trying to think about the sort of justification the appeal panel may put forward for their findings.

prh47bridge · 16/05/2014 13:15

Have you had the panel's detailed reasons yet

Given the OP's last post I think we can safely say no.

I'm wondering whether their thinking is that the travel problem could be overcome by the LA providing home to school transport

Possible but that is assuming the OP won't have a huge battle with the LA to justify free transport. And of course free transport only applies to the child, not the parent. In any case, in my view this argument would not be enough to ignore clear medical evidence that the OP's daughter needs to attend the appeal school. If the medical evidence suggested that another school would be ok if transport is provided the panel might be justified in reaching such a conclusion. In the absence of any such statement the panel should not jump to conclusions.

I wonder whether assurances were given about sorting out the bullying problem at the other nearby school

No such assurances should have been given unless the OP was present at the time. And the appeal panel should, in any event, have ignored any such assurance. The other nearby school was not represented at the hearing so any assurance from anyone who was present would be meaningless, and the school concerned was not part of the appeal as it was neither the appeal school nor the offered school.

Icimoi · 16/05/2014 13:05

Have you had the panel's detailed reasons yet?

How far away is the school you have been allocated? I'm wondering whether their thinking is that the travel problem could be overcome by the LA providing home to school transport? DD could well be eligible even if the school is less than three miles away on the basis of her health problems.

Also, given that they have to be satisfied that DD can only attend this school, I wonder whether assurances were given about sorting out the bullying problem at the other nearby school?

prh47bridge · 16/05/2014 12:06

she did leave shortly after we left the hearing room

Even if it was only a couple of minutes after you it is not acceptable. She should not at any point have been in the same room as the appeal panel without you present.

They had also lost a DWP print out of a booklet explains EDS & Hypermobility

If this wasn't available at the hearing I would raise this as well. This may have helped the appeal panel understand your daughter's condition.

Original poster
RockinHippy · 16/05/2014 11:04

prh4 THANK YOU!!!

That us a fantastic easy to follow break down for me - week of little sleep as DD is so ill is impacting on my health too, so I'm very fuzzy headed to say the least, so that us very much appreciated.

I have already rang the LGO & lodged a complaint first thing this morning - the guy I got was lovely & was very patient as I was struggling - I suspect from a few comments I am not the only complainant either, he knew both catchment schools & commented that he'd heard of "this" when I mentioned our odd allocation system & the 22 places allocated ahead of the appeal.

I hadn't seen your recent post before I made the call, so I raised the complaint on..

  1. The 22 places being given out ahead of our appeal which in the light of the admissions booklet not making it clear that you can only put 2 school places & that it doesn't say a place is guaranteed in catchment if you do is at best very unfair & at worst potentially illegal & as only 9 appeals won this year, it appears to have definitely prejudiced our chances at winning our medical & catchment area grounds appeal. he already seemed to know all about this point
  1. That in the light of DD having very real medical need for this school & my submitting at least 5 medical letters supporting that need, one very detailed & naming the school, others supporting the need for our closest school that deals well with bullying, excellent pastoral care & the right type of sports facilities etc etc, that I believe they have either not understood the evidence on what I know is a difficult medical condition to understand, or they have not properly considered the evidence put before them. he agreed that this seemed odd with so much medical evidence
  1. That I only received a basic letter telling me we had lost our appeal & a detailed response would follow shortly - when calling Appeals to ask for more details, how many appeals won etc, I was told that detailed response would take up to 6 weeks, which I felt was unacceptable as it left me without proper information on which to base a complaint he said that it was normal procedure for that information to be included in with the letter telling us that we had lost our appeal & that he hadn't heard of it being sent out separately before, said he didn't know if there was a time scale that was allowed, but he agreed that 4-6 weeks was unacceptable

I did finish up saying that I was sure I had more, but due to stress & lack of sleep my mind had gone blank & I just couldn't remember - I burst into tears at one point when explaining this left us with no viable school for DD to go to at all, I'm so not a cryerBlush .- he was great though & I pulled myself together quickly - it was left that I would receive paperwork in the post quickly & that not to worry as I could add anything else at that stage - he offered the choice of post or phone call & I chose post, explaining that my own health problems might mean I couldn't cope well with a call if they rang when I was ill, where as paperwork allowed me to have some double check it all & gave me time to properly gather my thoughts & respond.

Re the DofE - I know she did leave shortly after we left the hearing room, but I am certain she didn't leave at exactly the same time, I had to stop & catch myself for a few minutes, as I was using a crutch to walk with & felt dizzy - she walked passed us & left the building at this point, but she couldn't have been in there long after us - I'm not sure if she was already in when we arrived, I think she came in at the same time, but just ahead of us, but will check this all with SIL who was with me & use this too if I can.

I do think it's possible I inadvertently got her back up - I initially asked our MP for help at the admissions refusal of a place for DD & he was rubbish - initially just contacting her & getting the info as to how the system worked - I had already manage to get that a week earlier & by then understood that as DD didn't have a SEN we were automatically overlooked for medical need - I then asked our MP if I could make an appointment & asked for his help with our actual appeal.

He didn't answer a single pointed question & simply passed my query on AGAIN to the DofE - I received realms of email copies back all pretty much saying the same as the first response & all of these were included in the paperwork copies I got from the appeals dept - so they were apparently submitted as evidence, even though I hadn't sent themConfused

They had also lost a DWP print out of a booklet explains EDS & Hypermobility, which I had included with my original school application form.

I will use all your points as written here when I get the ombudsman paperwork through - thanks again Flowers

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 16/05/2014 10:08

You certainly could have argued that the allocated school was too far for your daughter to travel. That is not criticising the allocated school. But it was in your papers and you had clear medical evidence so I wouldn't beat yourself up over that.

I hope the DofE went into the hearing with you and left at the same time you did. If not that is a clear breach of the Appeals Code. And if she repeatedly interrupted you the chair should have told her to shut up. Unless she was presenting the case to refuse admissions she should have kept quiet unless she was asked a question. How much space the allocated school has is, in any case, not really relevant. What matters is the prejudice to the appeal school if your daughter is admitted. Space in the allocated school does not affect that.

Also...

Last year 19 appeals were won & I've been told that was with less spaces becoming available due to offers of places being turned down at admissions stage.

If what you have been told is correct it shows that this LA hasn't got a clue what it is doing. It also suggests their appeal panels are very poorly trained. If an offer is rejected the place must be offered to whoever is at the head of the waiting list. It does not become available for allocation at appeal. The appeal panel should only offer places beyond PAN. Therefore, given that the school was only 2 over PAN at the time of the hearings, the impact on the number of successful appeals should have been minimal. It may, of course, be that this appeal panel took a different view to last year's as to how many pupils the school can handle. That is acceptable. Similarly, if the total school population is higher than last year that could reduce the number of successful appeals. But there is absolutely no way the appeal panel should be allowing more appeals on the basis of rejected offers.

So I think you should say to the LGO:

  • The LA uses a lottery as a tie break for all schools. This may contravene Admissions Code paragraph 1.34. This fact may not have been adequately considered by the appeal panel (given that you haven't got the detailed decision yet you don't know this, of course, but I would still bring it up).
  • Additional pupils appear to have been admitted to the appeal school in a way that was contrary to the admission arrangements and the Admissions Code. This may have prejudiced your appeal by taking the school over PAN. And if this had been handled correctly it is possible your daughter would have got a place via the waiting list (although, given their use of a lottery, there is no way of knowing). This may also not have been adequately considered by the appeal panel.
  • If the DofE was in the room with the panel before you entered or stayed when you left that is a breach of the Appeals Code paragraph 2.15.
  • The chair's failure to control the repeated interventions from the DofE hampered you in presenting your case.
  • Given that the appeal panel has admitted other children and given the strength of the medical evidence you presented I would argue that their refusal to allow your appeal was unreasonable.
  • I would point out that the LA has informed you it will take up to 6 weeks to give you the detailed reasons for the panel rejecting your appeal. I would say that this appears to be a breach of the Admissions Code paragraphs 2.24 and 2.25, and that, in the circumstances, you may wish to add further grounds when the detailed reasons become available.
Original poster
RockinHippy · 16/05/2014 00:17

Thank you, both if you

Just re read my last post & it's not clear at all Blush long stressful week, especially today - thankfully DD is finally asleep & seems to be comfortable at long last :)

Last year 19 appeals were won & Ive been told that was with less spaces becoming available due to offers of places being turned down at admissions stage.

Other years more appeals were won - 2012 for example 30 appeals won

This year - 9 appeals were won - which IMHO screams that the 12 or 10 places given away before the appeal hearing, definitely affected the number if appeals won

I've just been on the LGO website & reading that suggests I definitely have very good cause for complaint, on several levels

The other thing that keeps bugging me is that during our hearing, the DofE sat in on the appeal & sat to my right - she kept insisting on butting in & reminding the panel that the school DD was offered was not overcrowded & had plenty of spaces left, so was less of a safety risk - even though the school we were appealing for admitted they had a very low accident rate -

we turned this school down straight away as even if it was the best school in the county, it's just too far away for DD to travel - born out by pretty much ALL of the medical letters - but the DofE wouldn't let it drop - it was annoying, but I didn't engage with her & concentrated on the appeal panel as we had already been warned it was not about slating the school offered, but arguing to get a place at the school we were appealing for

But I can't help feeling that I should have argued, though it was in the paperwork it was too far fir DD to travel without getting ill & exhausted & risking her arriving at school stressed & vomiting & this was mentioned too

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 15/05/2014 23:51

As there have been successful appeals I agree completely with Admission. Given the strength of your medical evidence I do not see how the panel can even begin to justify admitting others and not your daughter.

MumTryingHerBest · 15/05/2014 23:08

RockinHippy big hugs to both you and DD. Can't offer advice but will offer support :-)

Original poster
RockinHippy · 15/05/2014 23:01

Thank you, all of you :) - I posted earlier feeling like I had hit a brick wall & had nowhere else to go with this & felt completely shell shocked at the prospect of having nowhere else to go but HE DD, which isn't a good option for either of us.

Thanks to you all I now know what I CAN do & I will definitely be contacting the LGO tomorrow & I have no intention of giving up on this, this whole thing is so wrong, DDs medical need for this school is very real -

she's lying next to me now wracked with severe stomach pain due to a physical reaction to SATs stress & this week in general & has barely slept all week - but she loves her new primary school so much that she forced herself in to take all her SATs - she even refused to go home & miss her maths one today because she was so obviously ill the staff told her to go straight home - that's the difference the right school makes to her - it gives her the will to push through the pain, exhaustion & ill health & to do it anyway - in the end her old a Primary school had the opposite effect

So no matter how exhausted by it all I am, I'm not giving up on it, because she needs it & it's wrongAngry

Via a friend, I have now managed to get hold of the appeal figures - less than half have won appeals this year, the difference to last year is almost exactly number of places given away to this schools share of the 22 families who went to the press - so this has without doubt affected our chances at appealAngry

& you are right, how the hell could they just ignore DDs EDS specialist consultant letter - let alone her GPs letter - her OTs letter - Physios letter, Rheumatologist letter - her Gastro Drs letter .- my GPs letter confirming my own list of health problems & how sending DD to any other school & the stress it will cause us as a family & therefore impact in my own health further & therefore affect the quality if care I can give to DD & that I've had to postpone much needed surgery as a result of this appeal - NHS & DWP print outs explaining her condition & POTs as a symptom of it & a whole heap more of evidence proving she's suffered physically & mentally as a result of bullying & on & on -

It's an absolute farce that she hasn't got in & I'm now angry & not accepting it & will go as far as I have to - I'm also wondering what else I can throw at them - perhaps as they can't offer her a place at a suitable school fir her not insignificant health needs they would like to fund a place for her at our very close private grammar Angry

Thank you all for the kick & info I needed - off to google LGO :)

OP posts:
admission · 15/05/2014 21:18

Have to agree with PRH and tiggytape, you have nothing to loose by referring to the LGO immediately. You can for a start be saying to them that not getting for 6 weeks any detailed response on why the appeal was unsuccessful is unacceptable in that it then takes you into more or less into July and the end of the school year.
If you had a long very detailed letter from one of the countries top paediatric EDS consultants and it named the school as the school child needed to go to, then I am not sure what else the panel would need to admit.
I suppose that the panel could have failed to understood the letter but then they should have got appropriate advice. Unless they literally did not admit anybody the panel is going to have a hard time explaining why this appeal did not succeed when others did.

tiggytape · 15/05/2014 18:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

prh47bridge · 15/05/2014 17:59

LGO = Local Government Ombudsman. They can intervene if the appeal was not conducted correctly. That includes the appeal panel considering matters they should have ignored or ignoring matters they should have considered. If they decide in your favour they usually recommend a fresh appeal with a different appeal panel but they will sometimes recommend that the child be admitted without a further appeal. Whilst the LGO only makes recommendations it is unheard of for an LA to fail to comply in a school admissions case. Unfortunately there have been a few occasions where faith schools have ignored LGO recommendations but that is rare.

I wouldn't wait for the detailed letter before going to the LGO. It sounds like they may be in breach of paragraphs 2.24 and 2.25 of the Appeals Code which require them to send a decision letter setting out a summary of relevant factors considered by the panel and giving clear reasons for the panel's decision within five school days unless there is good reason for the delay.

Original poster
RockinHippy · 15/05/2014 15:10

Thanks for the reply - Not yet prh4 - the letter I received was very basic, simply said that we had lost & that the reasons why would be detailed in another letter that would follow soon

I rang appeals to ask how many won their appeal, which they said they couldn't answer, telling me to put my question in an email to the Clerk of Appeal - same person I asked for minutes of the plenary hearing by email & phone & never did get a reply

The person I spoke with said the point by point break down of the reason we last could take up to 6 weeks, but we might get it in 4 - hardly soonHmm

excuse my ignorance - but what is the LGO ?? - the school we appealed for is not an academy - the school they are trying to force DD into is an Academy - its miles away & unsuitable on so many levels, but all our local schools are full & over subscribed

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 15/05/2014 14:59

They should have given reasons for this decision. Have they done so? Do they mention your medical evidence?

Given the shambles you have described here I would be very tempted to refer the matter to the LGO or EFA - you need the EFA if this is an academy or free school, the LGO for other types of school.

Original poster
RockinHippy · 15/05/2014 14:32

That was a long very detailed letter from one of the countries top paediatric EDS consultants - shell shocked & can't even type a sentence properly Blush

OP posts:
Original poster
RockinHippy · 15/05/2014 14:30

I'm still reeling from the shock & don't yet have full details - that takes up to 6 weeks apparently & they can't tell me how many appeals were wonHmm

But after a hellish week of running up & down to DDs lovely new primary school - as she was so ill with a very nasty flare up stress related IBS, & very painful Mesenteric Adenitis stomach gland flare up too, due to a virus going around school - yet she was so determined to do her SATs regardless, so went to school anyway

Came home from picking her up after this mornings exam to find the letter telling us

We have LOST the appeal Shock

Even the schools admissions criteria lists medical need as a high priority & I had so much medical backing - including a long & very detailed letter that even named the school & insisted DD needed to go to our closest school listing all the reasons why, symptom by symptom

Feeling gutted & let down is an understatement - we now effectively have no high school for DD at all - she genuinely cannot go to her allocated school, it's too far for starters

Wonder WTF I paid so much tax & NI contributions for in my time & DH too, if we can't even get a suitable school place girl DD Confused

I've rang & made sure she's still on the list

I do want to complain to whoever I can

But I don't think any of it is going to get her a school place in the near future & I feel so bloody let down, she's been through too much & just doesn't deserve this:(

OP posts: