School Appeal

Good question.

OK first thing, don’t panic- 8th on the waiting list is a good chance. Not 100% you’ll get a place for September but possible.

next - the school you have been allocated, have you visited it? Accept that place so you have something for September, you can still be on the waiting list. If you have any other schools available locally that would be a better fit than the one you’ve been allocated (distance, ethos etc) go on their waiting list too, you can be on more than one waiting list.

You are unlikely to be able to force a place at your preferred school, feeder schools aren’t really a factor anymore in place offers, so it wouldn’t put you higher than someone else who lives closer who went to a different school.

try to get plan B sorted and hopefully 8 children will drop out of your plan A school.

Where do the Catholic children who live in your parish go? Can he not go there?

The point of an appeal is to see if the school/ la have made a mistake in applying the admissions code as well as identifying an overwhelming need for your DC to go to the school.

Unfortunately if you've failed the appeal then neither of these criteria have been met.

Stay on the waiting list, add yourself to the waiting list of other schools and also make your peace with the school you have been allocated in case these other options fail.

But what are the admissions criteria for the school?
Criteria are applied in order and usually include EHCP and looked after kids, possibly faith, in catchment siblings, kids in catchment, siblings out of catchment and then everyone else.
Your issues with the logistics of getting your youngest to school are completely irrelevant here.
Feeder schools are not very often a thing any more.
If you are a regular mass attender and have a letter from your priest to prove it then that might make a difference. Most catholic schools have faith as a criteria but you have to prove attendance at church. Just being baptised may not be good enough.

HEy @AmyW1992 I am genuinely surprised that high anxiety levels is classed as a learning disability (not difficulty?). If he has LD then it should be possible to get him an ehcp which would name the school. I would imagine a bit late for this Sept tho.

You talk about needing to get both DC to school - but the vast vast majority of secondary-age DC get themselves to school by foot, bus, bike. So thats not something the appeal panel can consider.

How far away is the allocated school? What other schools might be acceptable?

I would suggest you:
Start the process for an ehcp
See what other schools have spaces
Go on as many WLs as you can find
List more than one school when you apply for your younger child!

Wete you appealing on the grounds that his anxiety means he cannot travel independently and did you have evidence of this? As the normal expectation is that a Yr7 will be travelling alone.

Although saying that, a council isn't actually obliged to put infant aged children in the same school and the logistics ate up to the parent to support.

Try reading my posts again. Absolutely nowhere have I said the school does have a learning disability register. Quite the opposite if you actually read my posts. I specifically said via the GP. My point was you didn’t know the OP meant the SEN register and not the learning disability register because she didn’t say at school.

Parents may have to appeal, potentially more than once, but you do not need to be behind for an EHCP. It is a myth perpetuated by some schools and LAs and just another unlawful criteria some LAs like to try to get away with using.

There is nothing you can do at this stage if you have not won appeal.

You can apply for EHCP and this will guarantee you a place. But he would really need to be 2-3 years behind and there were real needs for the special assistance

After the waiting lists are scrapped you can apply for in Year Admission but if you are not in parish you will be preceeded by everybody who is in parish.

If there is closer school than the one you have in mind the appeal panel usually doesn't agree.

But unless attending the feeder school and attending (did that had to be a minimum number of times and certified) is placed in the admissions criteria ahead of living in the parish your argument fails. It is an anomaly but unfortunately your move worked against you. If there are 7 ahead of you on wl they will be in similar position or late applicants.

This. It's unfortunate but you didn't win the appeal and there isn't anything you can do to change the outcome. You can try again next year but otherwise you need to just stay on the waiting list for your preferred school (8 is quite high), get on the waiting lists for other schools you would consider and start preparing your DC for the school they've been allocated. Or you could decide to home school.

@BrumToTheRescue the school doesn't have learning disability register but SEN register. Disability is something that NHS is tackling therefore any disabilities are listed at GP

I am perfectly aware of what SEN stands for and the definition of SEN, which does actually include the word disability in part of the legal definition in section 20 of the Children and Families Act 2014.

I was pointing out you don’t, as you posted, know the OP means her son is on the SEN register at primary school and not the learning disability register because there is in fact a learning disability register via GPs for those with a learning disability.

Yes I'd be surprised if he has been diagnosed with a learning disability bc of anxiety. LDs usually means something permanent like Down's syndrome.

Anyway @AmyW1992 I agree with others - find out which other schools locally have places or WLs and visit. Did you accept the offered place? Have you looked round it?

SEN is special educational needs. In education they are very careful with using the word "disability" as it implies something permanent

This is why no one should rely on one choice . It doesn’t increase your chances . The same criteria is applied .

visit all schools you would consider

Unless he has an ehcp or there is social/medical needs category they probably took the view that all schools can manage his issues. Did you highlight any particular support offered by desired school which would mean it was the only school suitable for him. Did you present any hcp evidence which stated that it was important in their opinion? Your logistics and circumstances are unlikely to be relevant. Were there any other grounds to your appeal?

Why did you only list one school, that meant you would be allocated next nearest available rather than any of your choice, should your first preference not accommodate him. If parish residence is ahead of faith on the admissions criteria, it is possible the places had been allocated before your dc was ranked, so no error made. How far is it?

The school can't not offer a place just because you don't live somewhere specific. However... All applicants, for any mainstream state school, are ranked by the school according to its published oversubscription criteria. Looking at the oversubscription criteria for the school, what is the highest one ranked which describes your DS? From what you have said, attending a named feeder school (is it? Or just, a school from which lots of children usually go to that secondary school - but the actual criteria under which they are offered a place are something else?) must be a lower criterion than the one in which the cut-off for the offer of places occurred. Or it was the criterion of the last offer, but you are ranked further down within it than the actual cut-off offer.

It would be odd for an independent appeal panel to state that it had specifically decided that prejudice to your DS from not attending a school did not outweigh the prejudice to the school of admitting another pupil just on the grounds that you lived outside the parish.

I don’t know if the OP means the learning disability register or the SEN register, but there is a learning disability register.

Your best option is to accept the place you currently have, remain on the waiting list of your preferred school, and ask if any other schools you prefer have places and if they don’t go on their waiting lists.

Do you mean the learning disability register via the GP? Having anxiety wouldn’t mean you are on the learning disability register unless the person also has a learning disability which is a separate diagnosis. Or do you mean DS is on his primary school’s SEN register?

Why did you only put one preference?
Does your child have an EHCP? Or just on their schools Sen register.
You marital status, job, caring responsibilities etc etc are irrelevant as far as any appeal or school
place goes.
Stay on the waiting list and look to see if there is anywhere else that you could apply for.

you mean that your son is on SEN register. this is not register for disabilities. There are many many kids on SEN register in every school. It doesn't change much when applying to secondary school