Appeal for Year 7 place at faith secondary school after oversight

That is exactly the same as in Catholic schools. by application I mean entire process of filling a form online and sending supplementary documents. The school would chase a person who does not send Certificates but marked in the online application that you are sending it.

I made this comment (or similar) on a previous thread that seems to have been deleted, but it's worth repeating.

Presenting the strongest appeal argument should start by understanding and staying focused on what an appeal actually is and not getting distracted by things that the appeal panel can't and won't consider. You need to craft an appeal based on your individual child's unique needs and the specific ways the appeal school in particular will be able to meet them. The goal is not to convince anyone that your child is wonderful, bright, kind, an asset to a school, or otherwise desirable and deserving. All of the descriptions of your DS's character, behavior, and intelligence are distractions that the panel can't consider. Similarly, you're not trying to explain why the appeal school is a wonderful, desirable school overall. Things like having friends at a school, small size, and strong academics are only helpful if you can connect them to an individual need of your child that goes beyond the standard wants basically every parent and 11 year-old have for a school.

If the faith-based education is important then focus in on why it is so important to your child and family, with examples of how you prioritize faith education and community. Be truthful and don't set yourself up to look disingenuous - for example, don't state that you consider a faith-based education to be the most important factor in school preference if the panel are likely to have a copy your CAF form that put multiple non-faith schools ahead of any faith schools.

Transport and logistics arguments are difficult at secondary age. Students are expected to be able to get to and from school independently and being along for an hour or two some evenings would not typically be a problem or relevant to school selection. The best chance of success here is to clearly (but truthfully) articulate why your DS has a unique need in this area. If your family's evening home life actually typically takes place at a location that isn't accessible by public transport or parent pickup from his current school then explain that.

For academics, co-curriculars and practical subjects be able to tie specific offerings at the appeal school that aren't available at the allocated school to demonstrated interests of your DS. You can use multiple offerings/interests to help add to the cumulative weight of appeal but think about quality over quantity. And again, don't confuse this with trying to convince the panel that the school should want your DS because he's got so much to offer them. That's not up for consideration.

Most of it is entirely irrelevant.

Forgetting to submit the BC and FHC is something people do frequently. Is there evidence that there was no means of submitting them? Saying it was just a tickbox isn't the same as proving it was just a tick box.

The rest, being a great kid, parents having jobs, is the same for every parent. It's showing that the needs of the child for that particular school above any other outweigh the needs of the school and the other children who have places. And we are assuming that there won't be an offer once the LA gets all the acceptances and declines back in any case (doesn't mean don't appeal, it means that this could all turn out to be fairly pointless in the end).

AI word salad is worse than a clearly written and evidenced (and significantly shorter) 'this is why only this school can meet this child's needs'.

We did win an appeal on travel. It was 5 years ago in the big bulge years. First time ever all kids in catchment (and we have defined catchments) had not got in. As was a huge year group and we live rurally the nearest school with space was 32miles away. Public transport took almost three hours each way (had to walk a mile on country road to a bus stop to go into town A and get connection to town B and then wait for an hourly bus to school) and DC would have been late every day due to train/bus times. Driving (which we could not have done but maybe a taxi) was about an hour/hour fifteen at best at school time due to the types of roads. I think this is the type of transport issue you need for the panel to be able to seriously suggest that the impact on the child is larger than detriment to school as 6 hours travelling a day is not practical and they could never arrive on time.

I mean given round here we have about 2 months between the admissions process opening and closing, I’d think that’s ample time to understand and complete the SIF, especially if you can somehow manage to submit an appeal? None of your post looks like good reasons to succeed at appeal.

Our LA is always looking for panel volunteers, and run training sessions accordingly.

Everything about travel is irrelevant waffle that the appeals panel have to ignore - and it's difficult to find where it stops so it would be better to remove it to make the less irrelevant stuff stand out. It is mostly irrelevant though. Meally-mouthed use of the passive voice about the "oversight" that doesn't state outright who made the mistake just makes you look devious. If it was your mistake say so. If it was the church's mistake say so.

Yeah sorry it’s waffle and repetitive but I don’t think you’ve developed your arguments well enough. It just sounds like why you like the school and why your son is great but it doesn’t explain why he needs that school above any others.
I’d also be wary of calling my mistake of not submitting correct forms an administrative error. It sounds like you’re trying to blame someone else. If there are circumstances that contributed to you not doing this property (I’m thinking mental health, illness etc) then explain that but otherwise just be honest.

Unless it’s the same panel for each hearing

I'm genuinely confused that you are doing three separate appeals, is that to three different schools? Of so, then surely all three can't be the only school locally to nurture their football or drama talents? I'm sure th other thread focused on drama in that way and now this one is also somewhere he needs to go for drama or performing arts.

Luckily they won't know you are trying the same argument for multiple schools, but it does make these threads sound a bit less convincing that there's any case for any one school.

Indeed. Having been through the process myself, aim for facts, these are your friend. Find out the NOR (number on role) and the PAN (Published admissions number), sometimes if the overall number of the school is lower than what it could be, then the school will be told that there is space even if the year group is technically full. You mainly need to prove then that your ds being an 'extra' will not be detrimental to his peers.

I'm not fully sure what your appeal will actually be based on-mainly your error in giving the evidence? I suspect the lack of commitment to drama outside of school will mean they aren't necessarily interested in that part and they aren't usually interested in your difficulties getting to work etc.

Hopefully a space will just come up at one of the schools you'd prefer and you won't need to go through the full process.

This again

You can only appeal if they have applied their own criteria unfairly, or if the child’s need to go there overwhelmingly exceeds the school being full.
‘Both parents work’ isn’t criteria.
‘A nice person’ isn’t criteria.

My son is in the Catholic school. When you apply you fill the form where you marking if you apply as a Catholic, as a Orthodox etc etc

In the instance where there was the application marked as a Catholic but not evidence provided they would call. They would call you to send them Certificate of Catholic Practice and Baptism Certificate. And when we applied we received a note confirming that they have received the documents.

I find it very strange that you applied as a Catholic and they have not chased you for documents.
I know kids in 4 Catholic schools and everywhere it looks more or less the same.

Yeh it was top set that's why tbh. It was tricky – if everyone was there someone had to sit on the end of a desk.

Lower sets usually have fewer DC in for obvious reasons. Actually it was an amazing group, I still think of them fondly.

What generally happens is that if the school is forced to take (say) 4 on appeal then when 4 kids with offers later decide they don’t want a place then a new space is not offered to someone on the waiting list. So by the time it gets to 1st September there are no extra children.

No guarantee for the school of course so they have to allow for the extras but probably won’t happen.

Friends of ours appealed. When they turned up there were 6 appeals. 1 had used some kind of legal adviser / appeals consultant. Our friends had spent many many hours perfecting the perfect speech. 3 others appeared to have done different levels of work on theirs. And one hadn’t turned up at all.

They were all waiting in the waiting area (and friends were fretting that they should have got advice) whilst the school gave their thing first. After which the panel chair came out, said the school had failed to prove detriment so all 6 were in. Including the one who hadn’t turned up!

Our friends were simultaneously delighted and slightly aggrieved they had wasted so much time on their perfect speech!

No ideal for the teachers honour the kids all being piled in like that really! 33 is a lot!

“All the rest of it is just ChatGPT generated waffle that has nothing whatsoever to do with the admissions criteria.”

Appeals don’t have to be ‘linked to the admission criteria’. That’s why they’re an appeal. But the reasons given do have to carry enough weight to outweigh the school’s case for prejudice.

I think not submitting faith evidence can be a good ground for appeal IF there are genuine and exceptional circumstances such as a bereavement. But in this case it seems it was half arsed forgetfulness. And wanging on about spiritual development when there appears to be no mention of regular church involvement or personal faith (beyond a couple of certificates) seems disingenuous.

As a panellist I wouldn’t feel particularly compelled by this.

A school cannot choose not to accept appeal decisions.

It may well argue that it cannot take more DC but if the appeal panel finds in favour of the appellant then it has to accept the extra student.

If they then have more than 30 in a class they'll have to work with it. I had 32 seats in my classroom and one year my top set year 9 was 33 students which was always a bit of a struggle. Unless someone was off.

I think our local comp must choose not too do that perhaps, then again it’s fairly new and all the classrooms are set up for 30 kids so no actual extra desk space etc… so never more than 30 in a class and I believe all these are offered out? Could be wrong -
interesting thought but as older one is there the other 2 will get in on the sibling rule

That's not what happens with appeals.
With appeals they can make extra spaces if the argument balance is strong enough.

Didn’t even realise an appeals consultant was a thing!!!
Ultimately very few kids get In on appeal as most accept the places which leaves little room for additional kids.
I would not be wasting my money on this if there’s any spaces left there is, and if not there isn’t!

Thanks @ApathyMartha and @PanelChair

I will keep an eye out.