Appealing for a secondary school place

I feel like only people who have gone through this will get it. My family and friends are disappointingly uninterested in how very distressing this has all been. Still, it's over now!

@AvaCallanach whoop! I’m so pleased for you. Thank goodness!!

Thanks prh.
It was a rather strange appeal based on family cirumstances but I guess I managed to communicate the potential harm of removing support systems. Thank you for your brilliant advice.

You are very welcome. Glad it worked out for you. Congratulations.

@Thischarmlessgirl

Just got our result - appeal allowed! Still shaking!

Thank you in particular to @prh47bridge who was so helpful behind the scenes via PM. Much appreciated, sir!

I agree with PRH about what is and is not a stronger case. The guidance should mean that across the country that every panel should be using the same criteria for what is a stronger case but I also know that different admission authorities (which includes individual schools) can have slightly differing views on what is a strong case.
OP the only thing that you can do is appeal and make the strongest case you can for admission. Most panels know the difference between an appeal case which shows little strength and those that do and warrant strong consideration for admission.

It sounds like a weak case to me

A weak case is one built around proximity to the school, transport difficulties, a desire for the child to attend the same school as their friend, childcare difficulties and the like. Appeal panels hear a lot of cases like that.

If the parent can identify specific things (subjects, extra-curricular activities, etc.) that the appeal school offers that are missing from the allocated school and can show that these are particularly relevant to their child, that is a strong case. It is not necessarily a winning case - that depends on the strength of the school's case to refuse admission and the cases put forward by other appellants. It certainly isn't as strong as a child who has been deprived of a place by a mistake, or a child who needs a particular school on medical or safeguarding grounds. But it is stronger than most of the cases appeal panels hear and is potentially enough to allow the appeal to succeed. The parent has shown that their child will be prejudiced if not admitted. The question is whether that outweighs the prejudice to the school of having to cope with an additional pupil.

Any appeal panel that takes the view such arguments should never outweigh the school's case has failed to understand its proper function.

I’m not sure to be honest, we weren’t asked a single question. I did put special consideration in originally but still wasn’t granted a original place. I’m keeping everything crossed for you

@Thischarmlessgirl
That's wonderful news, glad to hear it.

We recently had our appeal, no result yet. One question, the panel asked if I had written about our child's needs in the application form box for special consideration when we applied for a place. We didn't, because our older child (who left last year) got in on distance from the same address and we didn't expect the area to have shrunk and thought younger would get in like older did. Will this count against us? It was the only question anyone asked after our case presentation.

We found out today that our appeal was successful and I’ll child has been placed in the first choice school. I’m so relieved

[quote Mstiva]@PorcelainCatStack hi where abouts in the country are you thanks[/quote]
North West

@PorcelainCatStack hi where abouts in the country are you thanks

We never know how many people who seek help from the MN threads win their appeals (or how many would have won anyway without MN help) so it's nice to hear of people who do win. I can think of a few people who I've had long conversations with behind the scenes who won their appeals.

We appealed and won and the main thing that helped us was reading the posts on this forum. Out of 30 plus families we were the only one who really understood the process which gave us a huge advantage.

Remember that the panel are trying to help

Raera, Panelchair
Thanks. I have evidence from a psychologist and her current school. Her current head has said in the letter that he doesn't usually write in support of appeals as he understands the pressures on places but is making an exception.
My daughter is in top 5 on waiting list - or was on offers day - so we are hoping we won't have to go to appeal.
Onwards and upwards!

As you can see from the previous posts, some appeal panels will accept written evidence on the day of the hearing, others won't. Even if they accept the evidence, the panel may need to adjourn the hearing which won't make you popular. I would very strongly recommend making sure you submit all evidence to the clerk in plenty of time before the hearing so that it can be circulated to the panel members and the admission authority.

Mstiva - I can't remember whether the school you're appealing for is an academy, which manages its own admissions. The bundle of appeal papers, which will include your statement, will go to the panel members and the admissions authority (so the academy or the local education authority if it isn't an academy). That way, everyone has the same information in front of them.

I agree with Raera. It isn't enough to say at appeal that a child has social and emotional needs or that they are vulnerable. All children have needs and the panel needs some evidence, so that they can distinguish between those children for whom the usual settling-in support will be enough and those who need to be at a particular school or to remain with their friends for their needs to be met.

Our panels generally will accept evidence on the day where it's been promised (for example, the appeal statement says that the child's consultant will write a letter and the parent brings the letter on the day) but it's better to submit the evidence in advance. That way, all parties have the opportunity to consider it - we've occasionally had to adjourn appeals because the new evidence has raised significant issues that need time to consider.

I’m just wondering will the school I’m appealing for get to read my appeal or is it the LA that deals with my appeal thanks

Yes, I meant things like certificates or badges from having done (say) a workshop or a letter from a tutor saying that the child is studying something at a level beyond their years. Panels can’t really do much with bits of school work, art projects or whatever!

Thank you, I will have a look through some things which he has completed that I could possibly add.

Getting the opinions of teachers, tutors or similar about his work would be better than putting in his actual work.

@AvaCallanach I’m appealing under the same criteria, never been so stressed in my life! My DS has been offered a school 12 miles away with no other children from his primary (we didn’t list it) We have a supporting letter from an educational psychologist my son psychotherapist as he suffers with anxiety, and supporting letters from his primary school headteacher class teacher and sendco. I’m appealing for our first two preferred schools.
@Choccyaddict4eva - best of luck, the experts here have been so helpful and knowledgeable, it’s definitely given me a little more confidence.
I submitted our appeal paperwork yesterday so now we play the waiting game.