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Original poster

Advice for Year 7 appeal after refused place for being out of catchment

65 replies

caperucita · 14/03/2026 18:48

@prh47bridge, my son is currently number 20 on the Year 7 waiting list for our first choice.
The only reason we were given for not being offered a place was that we live outside the school's catchment area (even though we live in the same borough, Islington). We live approximately 20 minutes away by bus (a direct journey on bus 43) and 10–15 minutes by car. His father can drive him to school every morning if necessary. I was informed by the admissions team that this was the only reason he was not accepted and that if we had lived slightly closer, he would have been offered a place.
My son is currently on the waiting list for a neurodevelopmental assessment for Autism and ADHD.

Music plays a particularly important role for him He often fidgets with his hands using modelling clay while listening to or quietly engaging with music throughout the day, which helps him stay calm and focused (he has achieved the ABRSM Award in Music Performance Grade 2 in Violin from The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music). This has been very helpful in supporting his concentration and emotional regulation.

Not receiving a place at this school has been emotionally difficult for him =( as he was very happy when he saw the music department at our 1st choice.

Any advice on the appeal, what should I write, which grounds can I base my appeal on?

Thank you so much =(

OP posts:
Original poster
caperucita · 14/03/2026 23:03

The alternative school does not offer the same extracurricular music activities, and, given his possible neurodiversity, music helps him throughout the day. He sings or fidgets all day long with musical patterns, which seems to help him focus on other activities.

OP posts:
Original poster
caperucita · 14/03/2026 22:58

@LIZS thanks =) He is currently at his primary school ensemble, I guess I lose more if I don't try =)

OP posts:
cestlavielife · 14/03/2026 22:57

Yeh is just regular grade 2 music you might expect for his age. Is great he pursuing his interest
What is wrong with the allocated school?

LIZS · 14/03/2026 22:52

Grade 2 is pretty standard after a couple of years of tuition. To give you some idea 11+ music scholars at private schools are usually minimum grade 5 (or have the equivalent aptitude as evidenced by audition) in more than one instrument. So while it is great he plays and presumably is keen to practice it is unlikely in itself to be enough to, for example, join the school orchestra or ensemble.

murasaki · 14/03/2026 22:43

Grade 2 wouldn't count as great at nearly 11, sorry.

Original poster
caperucita · 14/03/2026 22:40

I contacted an "education solicitor", and he wanted to charge £2000 for the appeal. I was shocked =(, thanks God then I found this forum =)

OP posts:
Original poster
caperucita · 14/03/2026 22:25

@prh47bridge Thank you so much =) My son was offered a place at an outstanding school, even though we also live outside their cut-off distance, because he scored 120 out of 140 on the aptitude test (a non-verbal reasoning test). I am ADHD myself and find this type of test quite easy, so I helped prepare him for the exam. However, this school does not offer the same extracurricular music activities as the other one. @cestlavielife I’m not entirely sure what his violin grade means =( , but the certificate states that it was awarded by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and that he received 9 credits at Level 1 in Music Performance (Grade 2). This is his 3er certificated. My son is very good at music. His dad gave him a harmonica, and within a couple of days, he was already playing a song.

OP posts:
Original poster
caperucita · 14/03/2026 22:03

@HighburyHope it's not SMMA, but SMMA is 5 minutes from us, and even though the cut of distance did not help us either (literally we can walk there), but SMMA was not our first choice. Also, thanks for understanding what I meant by "catchment area"@prh47bridge , yes, we are Spanish speakers =) Latin Americans, the school offers many extracurricular music activities, including one-to-one classes and a recording studio. The school is Central foundation boys, but they do not take medical into account =(

OP posts:
Passthebiscuit · 14/03/2026 21:37

Have you checked on the council website the home / school distance? Although it feels close by in terms of the travel time, sometimes the measured distance is much further than we would assume (this is the distance the allocations are based on).

cestlavielife · 14/03/2026 21:34

By "grade2 performance " do you mean the one for above regular grade 8? Meaning he is for his age quite exceptional in music? If he really high level in music that clearly gives you grounds to appeal for a school with good music dept.
Or regular grade 2 level?

cestlavielife · 14/03/2026 21:27

Does the allocated school have a music dept?

prh47bridge · 14/03/2026 21:25

LimeSqueezer · 14/03/2026 20:37

You seem to have zero grasp of how London school admissions works. There are no catchments. Each school has its own criteria, usually prioritising children in care, those with an EHCP that names the school, siblings continuing at the school, and then distance, usually stratified by CAT4 score bands. You need to read the criteria. You haven't mentioned anything that sounds like reasonable grounds for appeal.

You need to find out if your waitlist place is #20 within your band, or across all students. If the latter, you might have a chance.

People often use catchment when referring to the distance of the last child admitted. For this reason, formal catchment zones are often referred to as priority admission areas.

The vast majority of secondary schools in Islington do not use banding for admissions.

OP has mentioned the importance of music to her son which could be reasonable grounds for appeal.

LimeSqueezer · 14/03/2026 20:37

You seem to have zero grasp of how London school admissions works. There are no catchments. Each school has its own criteria, usually prioritising children in care, those with an EHCP that names the school, siblings continuing at the school, and then distance, usually stratified by CAT4 score bands. You need to read the criteria. You haven't mentioned anything that sounds like reasonable grounds for appeal.

You need to find out if your waitlist place is #20 within your band, or across all students. If the latter, you might have a chance.

prh47bridge · 14/03/2026 19:22

As @HighburyHope says, you should check that they haven't made a mistake by putting him in the wrong category or getting the home to school distance wrong. It is unlikely but mistakes do sometimes happen. If there was a mistake and your son should have been offered a place at the school, that would be a very strong appeal case.

Regardless of whether there was a mistake, you need to identify specific things about the appeal school that are missing from the school he's been offered and are particularly relevant to him. So, for example, given his interest in music, if the appeal school has more extra-curricular musical activities he could join, that would be a point in your favour. Identify as many things as possible that you can show are relevant to him and are missing from the allocated school. It all helps. But remember, this has to be about what benefits him. Saying, for example, that you would like him to learn Spanish which is not available at the offered school would not carry any weight. However, if you can show that he has a particular desire to learn Spanish (or, even better, a need, such as some of his family being Spanish speakers), that would be a stronger argument.

HighburyHope · 14/03/2026 19:03

I’m not an education expert, but I do live in Islington and I don’t know any schools here with defined catchments. Perhaps what they meant was that you live further away than the last place offered on distance? If so, do check that they have measured correctly, and that he was placed in the right oversubscription category.

What did he like about the music department when you visited? Can you be specific about the musical opportunities the desired school would offer, that he would be disadvantaged by missing out on?

I am wondering whether this is SMMA? Didn’t think they had an orchestra or regular instrumental groups but it’s a while since I visited. Choir - yes. If it is SMMA, did he take the Governors’ test and is he on the separate waiting list for those places?

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