3rd on the waiting list for secondary, reason to hope?

[MayorMumbum]

Hi all. I don't know if anyone remembers me from my (many ) previous threads about DD's school situation.
To cut a very long story short my DD was offered a terrible secondary, in special measures and frequent assaults etc. She is a very young 11 who suffers incredibly with anxiety and trichotillomania. We decided to move to an area a bit further away to better her chances of getting in to a good school.

Well we have finally moved and she is 3rd on the waiting list for a fantastic school with amazing pastoral care.

Do I have reason to hope she'll get in by September? In three weeks we'll be home schooling for the rest of the academic year but she really wants to start fresh and finally make some good friends in September. She's very lonely and unhappy at the moment.

I would think you have a good chance as there can be more churn in secondary places than at primary.
Do you also have her name on the waiting lists for any other schools more suitable than the one you have been given?

re home schooling. I read that as you are staying for SATs and then home schooling? Sounds like a good plan. I'd be tempted to have a good break to recover from whatever has been going on, but then ramp up in August to be 'up to speed' for starting secondary. That would give her self esteem a boost when she can do some of the maths / science / French that others have forgotten.

have you considered appealing for your preferred school? You don't need to tell your DD, and it might not be heard now until Sept, but could be worthwhile. If so, go onto the Secondary board to get some good advice.

Unfortunately I've been advised/told that we don't have very good grounds for appeal as both schools offer pastoral support. However now it would take her over an hour to get there as we live much further away. I may still appeal, but the council have been incredibly unhelpful and in some cases outright hostile about my staunch refusal to send her to the offered school.

She is currently on only one other waiting list and very far down. Hoping beyond hope that at 3rd she will get in.

Are there no other schools nearer by that could also be applied for?
Got to be better than being over an hour away.

Just because both schools offer pastoral support isn't a reason to not appeal!
You need to find reasons why the preferred school is better, and why your DD would be disadvantaged by not attending more than the school is disadvantaged by her having to attend.
So pastoral support could be a reason, if it offers more than the offered school. (Onsite counsellors, social skills support if there is a need, stress-busting-support-groups, whatever.)
But so also could extra curricular activities. e.g. Your DD is in chess club at primary, preferred school offers chess club at lunch, offered school doesn't.
Possibly also academics. Your DD has been doing latin at Primary after school, preferred school offers latin, offered doesn't.

Are you still under the same council? They don't like it if you 'refuse to send to the offered school', but that's why the advice is always to accept and then appeal.

Yes same council, so they don't like me very much!
I just don't see us getting in via appeal, especially as you can't use how bad x school is as a reason for wanting the appeal school, which it mostly our whole reason to be honest.

Honestly, there are loads of threads on the Secondary board with people 'finding reasons' to appeal. Go and have a read. If you start a thread titled 'help me find grounds to appeal' or something similar people will come and help you.

So lets start. You say the new school has fantastic pastoral care.
Tell me what is so fantastic about it, over and above other schools you've looked at.

It isn't the LA who decide appeals. It is the appeals panel. It is not for some official at the LA to tell you that you have no grounds for appeal.

My DS was third place on the waiting list and was offered one, but it was earlier in the cycle.

Your chances will depend on the size of intake (more chances for families to choose an alternative) and the transience of the school population. Do many people move into/ out of the area? It sounds like it is a highly sought after school so maybe not. Is it in an affluent area? Others may choose an independent option but decide not to let the local authority know just to keep their options open. Do families have to actively accept the place? If not there is still scope for movement, particularly when No Shows are chased after Transition Day. Is it in a grammar school area where people change their minds after looking at transport options, releasing places for other children which then has a knock on effect.

It’s notoriously difficult to predict but there is still a lot of time for things to change. I’d hold off buying any uniform for a long time. Places are sometimes offered in September, too.

There’s no harm in appealing but I’d get on other waiting lists to improve your chances of getting a school place you would accept. I thought the general advice was to accept what you were offered just to stay in the system.

You can appeal for a place AND stay on the waiting list. Double your chances so to speak.

Do you know the number of children the school take in each year?