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

Have not been offered any of out preferred schools, help

145 replies

JugglingLife · 02/03/2015 12:08

I can't believe it. My poor DD hasn't been offered anything from our list (which were all 'catchment' schools.) They have offered her a place at a 'catholic' school that is miles away, minimum 3 buses through some very dodgy areas. She can not go there. We are not even catholic. It looks like I now have to appeal for all of our catchment schools. Other than 'locality' can anybody give advice on how to successfully appeal. I can't believe that we are in a position where she has not been offered any of our local schools.

OP posts:
tiggytape · 04/03/2015 11:19

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 11:12

Ok, I have identified a school (with places), different LEA that I am much much happier with. Will it prejudice her appeal if we apply for it?

OP posts:
Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 10:05

Thanks didi, I have a lots of sticking points and faith is on that list. I'm working my way through Staffordshire, Walsall etc as we speak. The reality is that we should not be in this position at all, we have to do the best we can for our DC, acceptable to some is not acceptable to others.

OP posts:
Didiusfalco · 04/03/2015 09:55

Hmm - i sympathise OP, i wouldnt want my dc to go there, although personally the catholic ethos would be a massive sticking point for me - shame this isnt grounds for appeal. Ive been in other catholic secs in bham and my experience is that the catholicism is not a background thing. However in defence of Kingstanding, i lived there for years and it is a poor area but not a ghetto and certainly not somewhere it would be unsafe for dd to travel alone. Have you thought about Streetly school or aldridge school or are they full?

Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 09:33

Human jam, an action group is starting to come together, not much action yet but it is early days.

OP posts:
Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 09:31

Cats life, yes, I have already gone through the list, will be researching other areas today. Thank you for your helpful comments.

OP posts:
Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 09:19

Groundhog is presuming to know where I live. Not very useful. I have stated facts on the post and have not been disingenuous. I have received some very useful advice, all of which has been acknowledged and all of which I will be utilising. Going 'off piste' with presumptions by other posters is not helpful to my DC nor the others that are in a similar position.

OP posts:
thehumanjam · 04/03/2015 09:07

I agree with the posters that have said that you need to form an action group with other parents. We were in this position at primary level and the local parents set up a group, involved the local MP, went to newspapers and TV. The LEA agreed to a bulge class once the pressure was on them.

PanelChair · 04/03/2015 09:04

Thank you for being so gracious, Fionaf.

OP - I know Birmingham only as a visitor so have no knowledge of the schools. I have already warned against talking in the appeal about the location of the allocated school as if it were Kabul, as you may alienate the panel. Someone here is now suggesting that the journey would be nowhere near as difficult as you suggest. I have no idea what the truth of the matter is but, again, if you make exaggerated claims to the panel, neither they nor the LEA representative are likely to let them go unchallenged.

bangheadonwall · 04/03/2015 09:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tiggytape · 04/03/2015 09:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

catslife · 04/03/2015 08:46

Does you Council have a list of all secondary schools in your LEA that have places available / are undersubscribed OP? What happens when you are not offered any of your preferences is that you are offered the school closest to you that has places available. However there could be schools slightly further away that are easier to get to using public transport so this could be another alternative that you could investigate.
If there are other such schools with space available you can now apply for these schools as well as going on waiting lists and appealing.
Remember when you are appealing that it is reasons why the school you are appealing for is the best for your child NOT why the allocated school doesn't suit your child.

GroundhogGirl · 04/03/2015 08:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 08:21

Groundhog, the travelling is being forced on her, we did not choose it, she will be exceedingly vulnerable and I will not be in a position to help her as I have 2 other DC's. Anyway the travelling is one part of a very long list of reasons why we are not happy. Have you read the whole thread?

OP posts:
PaleoRules · 04/03/2015 08:18

Chilly, it's how I feel. As an atheist I wouldn't want my children to go to any faith school but Catholicism is a religion I actively dislike on so many levels there's no way my children would go there.

GroundhogGirl · 04/03/2015 08:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

fionaf · 04/03/2015 08:16

PanelChair, good points, I was unfair on those having to decide, it is tough for everyone on all sides of the decision making process, I wouldn't want to be the one having to decide!

Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 08:12

Walsall is difficult to get to, lichfield a possibility but king edwards is already oversubscribed.

OP posts:
Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 08:11

Hi didi, it's cardinal wiseman in kingstanding.

OP posts:
Didiusfalco · 04/03/2015 08:06

Morning OP, i work in Birmingham schools - we're talking about Arthur Terry - yes? Am intrigued about what the failing catholic school might be - care to share? If you are where i think you are is it worth looking at schools out toward walsall or staffordshire just in case they are less full than the Birmingham schools.

Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 08:03

Ok, found it, accept the place it is then. I wondered why DC's head was questioning her health when we chatted yesterday.

OP posts:
mummytime · 04/03/2015 07:57

Don't decline the place. The LA is not required to offer you another one. If you reapply they may just be able to find you one in a worse school, even further away.

Appeals do not favour someone just because they didn't get a local offer. They are decided on which child most needs to be at school X.

However if you live close but just not quite close enough, then you stand the strongest chance of getting a place from the waiting list if there is any movement.
As I have said before my son got a place from the waiting list and he started at at least place 25 (I didn't ask for where he was for a little while).

PanelChair · 04/03/2015 07:52

There is a separate thread in Secondary Education about accepting/declining the offered place, please read it!

The short answer to your question is that being without a school place won't advance your appeal at all. Frankly, if you turn down the place and then try to tell the panel that you need a place at the preferred school because your child has nowhere to go, you'll be in much the same position as the (mythical) person who killed their parents and then asked the court to be merciful because they were an orphan.

When weighing up the "prejudice" (ie disadvantage) to the child in not being admitted to the school, I do tend to think that not having access to education in any school adds to the prejudice that a child might face. But that is where the LEA has failed to make any offer to the child, not where the parent has turned an offer down. Panels cannot award places on appeal because parents have rejected the initial offer - if they could or did, everyone would do it - and may not respond well to anything they perceive to be an attempt to hold a gun to their head. You need them to think you're a reasonable person, so that they give you the benefit of any doubt.

tiggytape · 04/03/2015 07:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
JugglingLife · 04/03/2015 07:20

My first thought was to decline the place that she has been offered, however I am now thinking that we should accept that place even though I have no intention of sending her. Am I correct in thinking that if a panel had x no of appeals where the children have at least been offered a local school and then my appeal where the child has not, will hers stand out above the others? On top of the structured arguments that I will already have raised.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread