Secondary School Appeal

Ignore previous poster, they are on every appeals thread trying to dissuade parents to appeal. I would set out the travel difficulties, and look at the timings - are they in line with DfE guidance for her age? Also, if there are travel difficulties in relation to her SEN. You have a right to preference a school, and the right to appeal the decision as per School Standards and Framework Act.
The distance you were missed is close so hopefully a place comes up for her through the waiting list. Good luck.

"I’m hopeful we will get a place from the waiting list. The last 3 years we would have got a place."

Then if you do plan to appeal, do it as close to the deadline as possible. If you appeal, then withdraw, the school probably still gets charged a fee by the appeals service.

My wording was poor - I agree there isn't much point appealing in many cases. However I disagree that the OPs case is weak and therefore it's not worth bothering. It might not be the strongest case, but there is potential to build a case there, and we don't know all the details. Nearly 1 in 5 appeals are upheld. That's not fantastic odds, but it's not terrible either if you research your case well. Of course appeals cost time and money, but you have a right to, and only one opportunity for your child. Assuming the school is holding other appeals, then one more won't make a huge difference financially. I'm sure many schools/LAs wish we could do away with appeals, but it is currently a small but vital part of our admissions procedures that parents are entitled to use.

I have worked in schools with very segregated SEN units and mainstream children get no benefit. I have worked in other schools that look at overall need and are able to include some mainstream children in parts of their provision. For example they run lunch clubs or homework clubs which other selected children can join. The TA may be in the lesson for X and Y but is happy to give some support to Z too when X and Y are working well. OP has given some examples from the SENCO which will help. I think it would also help to have evidence about why your daughter will find travelling more tricky - why will she specifically find it harder to cope with transport problems than a peer.

"We had a separate tour of the school with the SEND lead and she said that our daughter would be able to use the hub during break times etc if she needed a quiet space."

Yes, she might be able to use it if she gets a place, but that's not strong grounds for appeal. Remember that the school will already have many children with similar needs to your child, who will also be using the hub. You have no strong case for pushing them over PAN.

Our school successfully defends against this sort of case all the time. Our lovely pastoral staff impress parents at the open day, more so than their equivalents at other schools, so the parents convince themselves ours is the only school that can meet the need. It isn't.

Can you look at the allocation data on the local authority website to see if there are any closer schools with places in addition to going on the waiting list for the one you want? I appreciate there are only the two in walking distance but even if you could reduce it down to one bus journey it would be a help.

Are you certain the school you have been allocated doesn't a have space for children who are overwhelmed at break times etc. in my experience most do even if it isn't in a dedicated SEND hub.

"Always worth trying an appeal,"

No, it is not always worth trying an appeal. If your grounds are weak (as these seem to be - see my pp) and the school has a solid defence against going over PAN (check previous years' stats) the op will be wasting her own time and the school's time and money (because they have to pay for the appeal).

She has the right to appeal, but that doesn't mean she should.

Hopefully you will get a waiting list place. Always worth trying an appeal, but you will need to a) confirm if your daughter would be included in the SEN hub and b) build a case about specifically how they would help your child in a way other schools won't.

Transport is a weak reason unfortunately. You can probably mention if it is harder for her to travel alone but it won't be a main point.

"Our daughter has adhd and dyslexia. The school we want has a dedicated hub for SEND children whereas the other one doesn’t"

The dedicated hub for SEND children will either be aimed at children with an EHCP, and funded on that basis. It won't have capacity for every child in Bristol with adhd and dyslexia. Those are very common needs that can be catered for by any school.

"and also if our daughter had to travel on 2 buses. It would extend her day by 2 hours, and would probably prevent her taking part in extra school activities as she would be even later home."

Did you only put two preferences on your application form? Are there closer schools that you didn't put in your form, and are they likely to have spaces? If so, your argument won't wash.