Appeals help

I can't offer any specific advice but would just like to add that if the offered school does have less than 400 pupils that is very small and actually could well provide a nurturing environment that larger schools cannot. Less chance to be lost!

Good luck.

I fear we are going round in circles here. As has been explained several times now, it is very common for parents to argue that their child is worried about starting primary/secondary school and wants to stay with friends from nursery/primary school. That is never enough for the panel to allow the appeal, as the panel will almost certainly take the view that all schools know how to help nervous new starters settle in. To stand any chance of success, parents will need to show that this nervousness is on a level where it can be regarded as a medical need to be at this school, confirmed in the opinion of a health care professional.

As PatriciaHolm explained, in the current climate there are likely to be even more appeals mentioning anxiety or mental health needs. That isn’t to belittle your son’s problems at all, but it means that now more than ever the panel will expect you to show that there’s something different about the preferred school that means that it can meet your son’s needs while other schools can’t.

If you mention the outdoor curriculum, you therefore need to demonstrate how it would help your son. I’m sure every secondary school would say that it helps with pupils’ personal, social and emotional development, so why does your son need this particular programme?

We all know that physical activity improves mental health, but why is the provision so much better for your son at the preferred school? Surely the offered school has sports clubs too?

The questions above are rhetorical but I’m trying to show what the panel will be looking for and what your evidence needs to cover.

I would strongly advise against mentioning the offered school’s Ofsted rating or the number of pupils on free school meals etc. It will make you sound as if you consider yourself too good for that school and could backfire on you. For all you know, panel members have children at that school.

Your perception of the allocated school does not come into an appeal. The outdoor ed aspect may but unless it is specifically aimed at children in your ds situation, and you can evidence it, it may not influence it. "Ds has a history of anxiety (reference professional reports etc). School A has a programme of support and facilities including outdoor education to improve self confidence and alleviate anxiety" might be better. What support does school A promise?

I agree with the above, especially around this -

"My son is already currently seeing a councillor at school every week and has been for almost a year, it’s for his anxiety so if I can get a letter from them would that be good enough medical evidence?"

This year, I think pretty much every appeal I heard mentioned anxiety, and being supported for it in school. That's not to belittle it at all, more to say that over the last couple of years the amount of children needing this support has grown quite significantly, and a letter saying he's being supported in school really won't be anything like enough to win an appeal.

All secondaries are supposed to be able to deal with it, and several around here have employed extra staff on the counselling/support side.

Again, I agree entirely with Lougle. You need to demonstrate that there’s something particular to your preferred school that - in the opinion of health care professionals - will help your child and isn’t available elsewhere, whether that’s the presence of his friends or SEN provision that’s not offered at the other school or anything else. Otherwise the panel is likely to conclude that all schools are geared up to deal with these issues and could meet your child’s needs.

It's a start, but you have to consider what that evidence will say. You don't have to tell us, but it's worth thinking yourself:

~Your DS has presumably been in the same primary school for 7 years, yet he is still anxious. What is the root of that anxiety, and how will that be helped by gaining a place in your preferred school?
~The Ed Psych will state what measures should be taken to help your DS. In all honesty, that's going to be quite generic stuff. Unless you know that there is a specific thing that your preferred school offers that the other schools don't, the panel is likely to conclude that any secondary school can do that.
~Unless the Ed Psych says that only x school will do, it's not going to have much impact.

Have you talked to the offered school about what they could provide for your DS? The panel is likely to ask and if you say no, you risk looking like you are only looking for your preferred solution, rather than the best solution.

I very much agree with Lougle. The argument about staying with friends is always a weak one and parents will never sway a panel with it, unless they can demonstrate that this is much more than starting school nerves and the child’s mental health depends on it. The panel will probably expect, though, that a child with these needs will have received a diagnosis and will be receiving appropriate care from mental health professionals.

I think you need to be really clear, in your own mind firstly, what it is that you are fighting for. We all have that instinct that our child needs stability and the best. For as many children who are excited about the new chapter in their lives, there will be children who are anxious, scared, or down right terrified.

From a panel's point of view, look at your arguments objectively.

~Your DS doesn't like change: Ok, but change is coming, wherever he goes.
~Your DS wants to be with friends: OK, but he'll move to a school with, say, 1300 children, which is 300 to a year group. 10 classes, so 10% chance of being in the same form class as his friends and even then, about 8% chance of being in the same teaching classes. That's using the example of DD2's school, where the year group is split in half for timetabling, then split in 6 within that for their main lessons. Then they're set for maths, science and PE.

So putting friendships aside, because honestly that's a really common argument and also a really weak one, what is it about your preferred school that your DS needs? Go from there. Don't just say 'SEN provision', especially if he hasn't got established SEN. Be really specific. Talk to the SEN departments of all 3 schools and find out what they would do for your DS.

You must do whatever you need to do, to feel you’ve given it your best shot.

A letter from a teacher is unlikely to persuade the panel, because if you’re talking about your child’s (mental) health they will expect to see evidence from a health care professional and a teacher isn’t qualified to comment on a child’s health needs. The panel will expect to see a letter which says something to the effect that your child has anxiety and, in the health care professional’s opinion, they need to remain with their peer group from primary school to continue to receive their support.

Again, to be frank, if your main argument is that your child’s health needs are such that they need to attend a particular school, the panel might find it surprising if you can’t show that you’re seeking support from health care professionals. How you do that is up to you.

An educational psychologist’s professional opinion is likely to carry more weight than a teacher’s or head teacher’s, firstly because it’s discussing a child’s health and well-being and secondly because teachers and head teachers are discouraged from getting involved in appeals.

Vey little chance of getting an educational psychologist unless you go privately and it may not carry much weight

If you can, it’s better to send all your supporting evidence with your appeal, so that you can draw attention to (say) a letter from your GP or a psychologist and so that everyone knows where you’re coming from. But if you can’t get all the documents in time, send an outline of what your arguments are going to be and say that you’ll follow up with letters of support from professionals (and say who they’ll be).

don't panic.
waiting lists can move very fast.
dc got 6th 'choice' on offer's day but moved through the lists and was offered first choice less than a week later.

Ask the LEA (or the school itself, if it’s an academy) for numbers in each year group at your preferred school. What you’re looking for is any year group where the actual numbers are more than the published admissions number (PAN); that would really help your appeal, as you can then argue that the school managed to cope with additional pupils then and could therefore cope with your child as an additional pupil.