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Original poster

Another appeal question

36 replies

beanhunter · 08/05/2023 09:10

Good morning. Hoping to use the huge amount of knowledge on here to help me support our appeal. I have read so many threads on here!

To summarise we moved in Jan 2023 and therefore our daughter was not allocated a local secondary school place. In fact she was initially not allocated any place. Subsequently she has been allocated a school 10 miles away with a distrous ofsted which states 'children cannot learn due to disruption in lessons' and 'safeguarding is inadequate'.

We are appealing for our closest (catchment) secondary. We have included distance, the significant social upheaval and the need for pastoral care in our initial documentation but I suspect these will be considered nothing special. As we live 1 mile away from this school there is a small chance we may get an offer next week and then not have to proceed to the appeal a week later.

We have now received the info from the school. Each year the pan is 230. In round 1 they agreed to offered 237 places to accommodate all catchment children at the request of the council. There is also reference to wanting the school to remain a 'local school'.

By the reallocation round (when my daughter was offered the other school) they had 12 declines and offered 2 sibling and 3 non catchment children taking them back to 230.
Of note they are above pan in all year group, year 9 is at over 250 which they say is primarily due to children from Ukraine who moved into catchment.

On these grounds how would you approach this appeal? My thoughts is to explain again why we wanted the school in terms of location but to say that they were planning to admit 237 shows that going over 230 clearly negates their prejudice argument and that the same priority they gave to children from.ukraine moving into the area to remain local (who presumably in a number of cases needed increased support) is reasonable to consider for a late mover in terms of being able to accommodate more children?

I'd welcome any advice as I'm horrified at thr prospect of sending my fairly short daughter to the offered school where I think her academic progress will falter (she's working at greater depth in all areas) and I'm worried for her safety let alone her emotional wellbeing and happiness.

Thanks in advance if you've read this far!

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Original poster
beanhunter · 08/05/2023 12:41

PanelChair · 08/05/2023 12:13

I agree. The fact that PAN+7 offers were made weakens the argument that is usually part of any school’s case, that going over PAN would be detrimental to the efficient provision of education. By the time second offers were made, you should have been (as I read it) on the waiting list and (depending on the oversubscription criteria) somewhere near the top. Again depending on the oversubscription criteria, I would have expected you to be offered a place after the siblings but before the out of catchment children. This sounds as if it might be an error (perhaps because of a delay in adding you to the waiting list) so probe this more deeply.

I wish this were the case but they consider this a round 1 reallocation and not a round 2. Which to me seems wrong and she's missed the best chance. I'm hoping we are very near the top now and may get an offer on Friday before the appeal but I can rely on that I guess.

I plan to go hard on the 237 offers, some mistakes in the transfer of her application and the lack of communication causing distress - we also were told she shouldn't be offered anywhere in the reallocation round and I wonder if the fact she wqs is an admission of this error?

OP posts:
Original poster
beanhunter · 08/05/2023 12:38

Takeachance18 · 08/05/2023 11:45

Yes, but when reallocation happened for the 2nd round, they should have been on the wait list in order, not by late application- that was only for the March allocation, any late applications join the wait list for 2and round, if recieved by a certain date (I think 1st March).

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The council stated that address changes are not taken into account for the reallocation round and that our address is therefore onky changed for the offer round on 12th May. Personally this seems bonkers but that is their rule.

In terms of pastoral care we have included that she needed thus previously and has also had a recent close family bereavement.

For extra curricular there is very little offered at the offered school buy strong sport and dance where she excels and have included this.

Am hoping the 237 and request to accept all children in catchment helps us.

OP posts:
PanelChair · 08/05/2023 12:13

I agree. The fact that PAN+7 offers were made weakens the argument that is usually part of any school’s case, that going over PAN would be detrimental to the efficient provision of education. By the time second offers were made, you should have been (as I read it) on the waiting list and (depending on the oversubscription criteria) somewhere near the top. Again depending on the oversubscription criteria, I would have expected you to be offered a place after the siblings but before the out of catchment children. This sounds as if it might be an error (perhaps because of a delay in adding you to the waiting list) so probe this more deeply.

TeenDivided · 08/05/2023 11:48

Takeachance18 · 08/05/2023 11:45

Yes, but when reallocation happened for the 2nd round, they should have been on the wait list in order, not by late application- that was only for the March allocation, any late applications join the wait list for 2and round, if recieved by a certain date (I think 1st March).

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Oh yes, you're right. Good question.

Takeachance18 · 08/05/2023 11:45

TeenDivided · 08/05/2023 11:39

They moved house so were late applicants.

Show quote history

Yes, but when reallocation happened for the 2nd round, they should have been on the wait list in order, not by late application- that was only for the March allocation, any late applications join the wait list for 2and round, if recieved by a certain date (I think 1st March).

TeenDivided · 08/05/2023 11:39

Takeachance18 · 08/05/2023 11:34

If this school is your catchment school, when reallocation happened do you know why 3 out of catchment were offered places, but your child in catchment wasn't offered, as surely they would have been higher up the list as a catchment child? That would be where I would start, depending on admission criteria order.

They moved house so were late applicants.

Takeachance18 · 08/05/2023 11:34

If this school is your catchment school, when reallocation happened do you know why 3 out of catchment were offered places, but your child in catchment wasn't offered, as surely they would have been higher up the list as a catchment child? That would be where I would start, depending on admission criteria order.

Postapocalypticcowgirl · 08/05/2023 11:10

If they were previously going to admit 237 and now haven't, then that's a good argument for you.

Them being above PAN in all year groups may not work in your favour, as they may state the site is overcrowded.

However, you need arguments to show why your daughter would benefit from this school specifically- you're not arguing against the allocated school.

Being closer, helping to build local friendships is an argument you can use, but it may not be enough. The panel can't really agree with you that the other school doesn't offer appropriate pastoral care to students who have moved into the area. If you want to say the pastoral care would be better for your daughter, then you need to show a) why this would be needed and b) what, specifically, the new school offers that is special. Moving house is quite a common thing, and all schools are expected to be able to support this.

You should also look at subjects and extra curricular your desired school offer- can you build any arguments around this?

And yes, go onto waiting lists for all schools that you would prefer!

TeenDivided · 08/05/2023 09:38

If you aren't already, get her on waiting lists for any other schools you refer over the offered one.

TeenDivided · 08/05/2023 09:37

I'd have a look at clubs etc that your DD would particularly benefit from that the offered school doesn't have but that your preferred one does.

e.g. She plays clarinet, preferred school has a wind band, offered school doesn't.
Or - she's top set maths, preferred school does maths challenge and offers additional maths GCSE, offered school does neither.

Original poster
beanhunter · 08/05/2023 09:32

I should add please don't jump on me and assume I am saying that only my child shouldn't be at the allocated school. I'm.horrifed than any child should be in a position of being unsafe at school.

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