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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wish we'd not bothered appealing?

30 replies

Sonicknuckles · 15/06/2019 14:21

DC didn't get a school place with their sibling.
We aren't too far from the school (less than a mile) but are out of catchment and the school was heavily oversubscribed this year.
We've now got an appeal hearing but we have already accepted the other school now and dc is going for settling in days soon teacher been to visit them etc.
It's an infant class size appeal and I just want to be able to move on now.

OP posts:
DonkeyHohtay · 15/06/2019 14:24

Can't you withdraw your appeal?

Witchend · 15/06/2019 14:25

You can withdraw your appeal. If you're happy, and it's an infant size, so almost certainly won't win, that seems sensible.

araiwa · 15/06/2019 14:26

One letter / email/ phone call withdrawing your appeal surely solves this?

pinksquash13 · 15/06/2019 14:27

Withdraw the appeal. It won't win plus it costs the school money.

INeedAFlerken · 15/06/2019 14:56

If you would prefer he's in the other school, no harm in going through with the appeal and/or keeping your child's name on the waiting list. Primary school last 7 years ... you have to think long term if you have the option.

VladmirsPoutine · 15/06/2019 15:01

Can someone pls explain why it's unlikely the OP wouldn't win? I don't know the ins and outs of this sort of thing.

ACurlyPube · 15/06/2019 15:06

How are you going to get 2 primary aged siblings to different schools daily?

Original poster
Sonicknuckles · 15/06/2019 15:07

I have a car and will just have to drive them drop eldest off a bit earlier

OP posts:
ACurlyPube · 15/06/2019 15:15

So will the eldest wait outside the school gates? What if there's traffic?

I would keep the appeal because of this. It's crazy to have siblings at different schools and surely the LA will see that.

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 15/06/2019 15:21

Keep the appeal, see if you win and then make a decision.

WoahThereMama · 15/06/2019 15:23

I’d keep the appeal tbh and see what the outcome is. You never know, there’s a slim chance you might win it and if you don’t then just continue with your current plans.

Billben · 15/06/2019 15:24

Personally, I would go ahead with the appeal hearing. If you get in, than just cancel the other school place. If not, then you at least have the other one to fall back on. Having kids in different schools is more of a ball ache than people initially realise.

Original poster
Sonicknuckles · 15/06/2019 15:40

I think my child is starting to accept the other school and will be attending settling in sessions soon so she might end up really liking it and if we win the appeal then might not want to go to the school where her sibling goes after all. Then what?

OP posts:
quizqueen · 15/06/2019 15:41

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Taswama · 15/06/2019 15:41

What’s the age gap? If it’s 5 years, so only 2 years overlap that’s a bit different to having 2 kids at different schools for the next 6 years (if 1 school year between them).

Original poster
Sonicknuckles · 15/06/2019 15:43

There's 3 years between them. In our case it's not immigration it's just more housing estates being built

OP posts:
Pud2 · 15/06/2019 15:46

If you’ve no chance of winning and you don’t want to go there then cancel. It costs the school money and a lot of time so I’m sure they will be relieved.

Fleetheart · 15/06/2019 15:52

@quizqueen maybe not racist but definitely ignorant! Provision of places in our country is by LA and the duty of each LA is to do their sums properly and ensure there are enough places for the children forecast. Unfortunately it seems that they haven’t been doing that properly in lots of places. Immigration or no immigration it is not beyond the wit of man to increase provision as it’s needed.

Peregrina · 15/06/2019 15:53

However, if you've voted in the past for political parties which have encouraged mass immigration !!!!!

Hoqwever, if you vote for parties which appear to have a hatred of Local Authorities, so that they are charged with finding school places but not allowed to build the places but have to persuade someone to start a free school or a MAT to start one, then you are complicit.

fairweathercyclist · 15/06/2019 15:53

In our case it's not immigration it's just more housing estates being built

still "immigration" but could be domestic. We were attracted to the area we live now by a new estate, we don't live in that house anymore but we might not have come if a new estate hadn't been advertised.

I do think there should be a sibling preference at all primary schools, it's a nonsense to expect someone to take kids to two schools (as long as you haven't deliberately moved out of catchment since child 1).

minisoksmakehardwork · 15/06/2019 15:56

@quizqueen - but the rules are the way they are to prevent people who move once they have child number one in from blocking places with siblings that children who live within catchment should have.

Unless there are very good reasons, children should attend their catchment school and bollocks to ofsted.

The schools that do well do so because the parents are the ones who engage well with the school. The ones which suffer are the ones who are full of parents who don't give a flying fig if little Timmy does his homework or reads every night.

It also means children can engage in nurturing friendships on their doorstep as opposed to travelling miles up the road and living next door to a child their own age but who they don't know so well.

LarryGreysonsDoor · 15/06/2019 16:07

There should definitely be legislation, in my view, that children in the same household should attend the same primary school if that is what parents request.

There already is. Children who are siblings in the school is a priority over catchment usually.

Oh an increasing immigration has bugger all to do with increasing class sizes. The school I teach in has a vanishingly small number of immigrant children (mores the pity. Every single immigrant child I have ever taught has be polite, well behaved and highly motivated) yet our number on role has increased over the last 5 years from 1.5 to 2 form entry. No new buildings just more children.

user87382294757 · 15/06/2019 16:13

In our area siblings get priority, surprised that is not the case

minisoksmakehardwork · 15/06/2019 16:20

@user87382294757 - where we used to live, if every out of catchment sibling got priority, children who lived in the village would have had a 6 mile drive each way to school every day.

It should always be in catchment children first unless your child has been placed as a result of being in care or sen and the school is named on their plan.

If you move following your child starting school, your child should move to your nearest school. Freeing up spaces for the family who might be moving into the house you have vacated.

Soontobe60 · 15/06/2019 16:21

However, if you've voted in the past for political parties which have encouraged mass immigration then you only have yourselves to blame for school places being harder to come by, I'm afraid. ...and before anyone comments, this is not a racist comment, it's a 'number-ist' comment. You can't have an ever increasing population within the same space without there being lots of drawbacks!

Nice! So you're not racist but you're blaming immigration for lack of school places? I bet you have some 'black' friends and love a good curry too 😱😱😱