Help with appeal please

Feel free to PM me if you need any help or advice.

There is always a member of slt there generally the head

That is a clear breach of the Appeals Code.

Paragraph 2.13 is clear that representatives of the school may not support individual appeals. It sounds like the head is indicating which children they want admitted. The Appeals Code clearly and unambiguously tells appeal panels they must not allow this to happen.

Paragraph 2.15 is clear that at no point should anyone representing the school be in the hearing with the panel unless the parents appealing are also present. Whilst that only covers the hearing, it should go without saying that when the appeal panel makes its decisions the only people present should be the members of the panel and the clerk. Neither the head nor any other member of the school leadership team has any business being there. Having them there jeopardises the independence of the appeal panel. The importance of the appeal panel being independent is emphasised several times in the Code. If parents involved in unsuccessful appeals find out that someone representing the school was present when the appeal panel was making its decision that would be grounds for having the decision overturned.

Yes, the school will be involved in the appeal. A representative of the school will present the case to refuse admission and answer questions from the parents. They are entitled to question the appellants after they have put their case. They will also sum up the case to refuse admission near the end of the hearing. That is the only involvement the school is allowed to have in the process.

This isn't a case of "doing things differently here". This is a case of blatant disregard for the Appeals Code. The Appeals Code is a statutory code so it has the force of law and can be enforced by the courts if necessary. If this isn't sorted and a parent finds out it could be very costly for the school. I strongly suggest you read the Code and make sure these abuses stop.

Just to be clear, I am not blaming you for this. I suspect from your responses that this was going on long before you joined the appeal panel and no-one has ever told you it is wrong. But it is wrong and it needs to stop.

Getting it fixed may not be easy if the school has managed to house train all the other panelists. But it must be fixed.

should NOT

no basis for appeal really and the ones that then stand out - if there is no basis for appeal, then a letter from the child involved, which has probably been dictated by the parent, absolutely should not be swaying anyone on the panel! There should be cases of schools "doing things differently" - it is either a process or not!

Does anyone else feel very uncomfortable with the emotional manipulation of a child to write such a letter?

That anyone would find the practice anything other than (for want of better word) icky and actually attaches any sort of weight to it, beggars belief.

But none of the SLT should, legally, have anything to do with deciding on appeals. All
Appeals have to be heard by a panel that is independent from the school. And that's not just best practise, or normal procedure, it's a legal requirement.

How does your head even get to make the decision wannabe? They can't be the panel chair surely? How illegal is that!

It is absolutely not correct. The appeal panel is required to be impartial and not linked to the school. The fact that the head has a soft spot for hand written letters is definitely not something that should enter into their thinking. By going down this route they are laying themselves wide open to having their decisions overturned.

I thought that all appeal panels were impartial and not linked to the school? If the head at wannabestressfrees school gets to decide to accept an appeal based on a soft spot for a child's letter, surely that is not correct?

You've no idea whether the child has written of their own volition, or had the letter dictated to them by the parent.

wannabestressfree, sorry but not sure in any training for admission appeals or the documentation for appeals have I come across anything that says letters from children should be given priority. To me that is something you should not be basing decisions on.

DO NOT put a letter from the child in evidence. That is unlikely to help and could hinder. The appeal panel will be far more interested in letters from the child's performing arts teachers saying how interested she is and how she will benefit from attending this school.

Can't add anything really to what Tiggytape has said.Go to appeal on the basis of what this school can offer but be realistic that there will be a lot more parents doing exactly the same so somehow to get a place you will need to be presenting a very compelling case. Nothing that has been said so far would suggest that is something you have.

How is it unfair? Under what grounds would an appeal be made?

There has been a clear process that has been consistently and fairly applied. It's a shame she lives further out than the others but that's just hard luck.

There has to be a cut off somewhere because there aren't enough places for all who want them. That's too bad and not grounds for an appeal.