Dr challoners headteacher

The only way to resolve these issues is to go to appeal. It might seem frustrating but you need to follow the process

Whatever you do though, OP, please try to be less arsey in your communications with the school than you've been on here.

You mentioned you had been unwell at the time of application. Evidence of this being true may well help them to see why you made the mistakes in the first place. It may also help them to see that you are not a useless nightmare parent, you just had an awkward moment - that shouldn't affect their decision based on the facts but if you get in then it will help with your ongoing relationship with the school.

Still attach the evidence again to any correspondence and take copies of EVERYTHING of there is a face to face appeals hearing.

@ArriettyJones Good advice thankyou. I had submitted all the evidence already and I think that was why I felt like I wasn't being heard.

@TorkTorkBam thanks for your reply. That is a good point. I admit, I am a bit raw and frustrated. Let me take a deep breath!

You have to admit that is about the most suspicious-looking error you could possibly have made.

Use the appeals procedure. Gather every scrap of documentary evidence you can find. Be apologetic and emollient (ie do NOT harbour a grudge against the head or anyone else). Cross everything.

There are always places allocated later through appeal for DCGS. Places are not accepted or rejected later because parents move for work (often internationally - it is a very mobile population). Some decide to take a private school place instead. Calm yourself and be ready for the appeal.

You can’t rectify it because they have already allocated the places. They can’t ask other children to leave the school because you need the places.

I know some who forgot to apply for a primary school place as she just forgot (third child) and was completely bemused when she didn’t get the email on allocations day along with everyone else. It was a complete mistake but the LEA can’t just write to Jane’s mother saying ‘actually Jane wouldn’t have got a place if Leo’s mother had sent her form in because Leo would have got it. So we are giving it to Leo now.’

I don’t understand why you don’t understand.

I just don't understand why a mistake is not allowed to be rectified

It is but you were too late rectifying it for the initial admissions. They should be taking the new information into account for the waiting list so you should be at or near the head of the list.

Of course people make mistakes. But if the school is full then they won’t offer places on that basis, harsh as it may seem.

Did both ds pass 11+ well enough to qualify for DCS? I'm still unclear whether you did submit the SIF on time or even at all?

The four year rule is clearly stated in the admissions criteria. It has been made publicly available. It is your responsibility to check it. You did not.

You were asked to provide the SIF which would have highlighted this. You did not.

Then asking the admissions board to take into account information at a later date when they had given you the opportunity to do so earlier, and even reminded you to do so is what goes against you I’m afraid. The Bucks website also tells you to read the admissions policy for each school you are applying to. They cannot make people read stuff - you had plenty of reminders to make sure you had.

I really do feel for you as it sounds like if everything is above board and if you had provided the information when asked then your son would have a place.

Your anger should, however, be with yourself and not admissions, the head or anyone else. We all make mistakes and unfortunately this one has had consequences that affect your son.

You need to look at an admissions panel likely response to “I made a mistake, I didn’t read the admissions policy, I didn’t fill in the SIF when asked, I provided the wrong date, but now I want to give you all the information I should have done when you asked for it originally and expect a school place for my son.” When everybody else given a place in similar circumstances obviously did manage to do this. Why should you get special treatment and different rules to everyone else?

I honestly don’t want to seem confrontational - we all want our first choice schools for our children. It’s an incredibly emotional time. Nobody would blame you for trying at appeal. Just be realistic that it doesn’t look good.

Think you've highlighted the wrong section. Your places were refused under b). You have a property with 20 miles, further away than your current address, which has been leased to a third party but that you still own.

You’ve won in the high court 4 times. Crikey. You must have had better representation there than your educational solicitor who could only tell you it “didn’t seem right”.

Is that you, Big Steph?

On your other thread you want the late evidence of your address to override your error. Unfortunately that is not the case, the LA allocated places based on the information available at the time of application. Are your Dses (you seem to have two seeking places) on the waiting list? If you blame the head (potentially unreasonably) why would you still want them to attend his school?

But can you evidence this, particularly in the light of your error? You effectively had 2 local addresses for 3 months, over the critical period for the application. Did you decline RGS, if so when?