To be this upset about a school place

[cdoth]

Been in tears since I found out my DS didn't get offered a place at the school I applied for.

For background - he has significant speech delay and is on the pathway for an autism diagnosis. He is currently at the nursery of the school we put as our first choice, he is really settled there and they have been fantastic with regards to his SEN. They are helping us to gather as much evidence as possible for his EHCP. The school is also the closest one to us.

I am distraught with worry for what the future holds for him now having to go to a completely new school. I can't stop crying because this seems so unfair for him. He is not good with new places/people, when he started his current nursery last year it took weeks for him to settle in because he was so upset. And for him to have to go through that again genuinely breaks my heart.

I know we can appeal but I don't feel hopeful. Has anybody else been in the same situation? I just don't know where to go from here now.

Thanks so much everybody for the advice. First thing I will do is speak to the nursery, I will also mention the EHCP and I'm going to look at applying for it myself so we can get the ball rolling. Everything is so overwhelming, he's my first and only child so I have no experience with this and don't what the "norm" is.

The school we put as first choice is closer than the one we were offered (we literally live a few streets away) so I thought this would also help in our favour but obviously not. I'm struggling to make sense of everything at the moment.

If you ask for advice on the primary Ed board, there are experts on there. They'll be ready to help with things today

How did you find out? Live in south east and waiting to hear!

Hi OP,

I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this extra stress. Absolutely the most important thing today is to request the Education and Health Care Needs Assessment. There is a 20 week statutory timeline from requesting the assessment, which would have the process completed just at the start of the new academic year in September. You can name your choice of school on the EHCP regardless of whether the class is 'full' or not. You don't have to jump through your LA's hoops in terms of a pro-forma for requesting a needs assessment - you can use the model letter here: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/making-a-request-for-an-ehc-needs-assessment

The second most important thing is to accept the place you've been offered for now, but also get your name on the waiting list for your preferred school.

Then you can see if an appeal is possible, and speak to nursery and the other professionals involved about your options, which might include deferring his start in Reception. For what it's worth, my DC had a significant speech delay and with the benefit of hindsight I wish we had deferred. DC ended up repeating reception year a second time.

Finally, I would suggest spending some time speaking with your preferred school and the one you've been offered, especially if you haven't visited the offered place before. It's worth keeping an open mind to see which place might give your DS the best environment.

I hope that's helpful. You will get this sorted xx

The school we put as first choice is closer than the one we were offered (we literally live a few streets away) so I thought this would also help in our favour but obviously not. I'm struggling to make sense of everything at the moment.

There is a chance you are near the top of a wl , which will be ordered according to the same admissions criteria.

Me too, although I'm in South Wales

to those still waiting all local authorities announce at different times. Lots wait until 4/5pm so they aren’t flooded with calls today.

OP, I second everyone else and you should appeal plus put yourself on the waiting list, it won’t be long until you find out your waiting list place (a few weeks I think) and there is always movement, even once school has started.

Appeal should be based on medical need re ECHP, a friend of mine appealed as her son has Celerbal palsy and the school she wanted would meet his needs more, they won at appeal. So please don’t give up hope. Agree with others about looking into defferal of the place.

Best of luck OP, it will all be ok.

Hi Op I have an autistic child

What you need here is a belt and braces approach.

So - pursue all efforts to keep him where he is - BUT - you need to look the other option in the eye so you are not so panicked.

Go to the other school - visit it - meet the Senco - talk to them about your concerns.

You need to know what you are dealing with and what will happen if you dont get a space .

Also ask the school admissions team how long the waiting list is for your preferred school - could he stay in nursery for another term / or even another year - (he could defer his school place?) - until a place comes up?

If he is born after April I would highly recommend deffering any child who will struggle in the slightest with mainstream expectations (being brutal this is a lot of kids as school is relentless once you are past year 1)

I should have deferred my own autistic child - they will always benefit from being the oldest as they will find some things harder.

This is a good explanation.

Also echo others comments about waiting list and deferring entry.

You’re not BU to be upset, it’s a stressful time.

I can’t really give much more advice than already given - accept the offered school and then make plans. Get on the preferred school waiting list. Then find out your position on it. If you’re something like 15th you may have to resign yourself to choice two and arrange to visit them to discuss your LOs needs.

Have you looked at the admission criteria in previous years? It should be on the council website. It gives you the cut off distances for previous years which will give you an indication if its realistic whether you may be in with a chance.

The distance is as the crow flies so it may not actually be your nearest school even though in terms of getting there it may be.

You could try appealing but you’ve already been given advice about being realistic. Unless there’s been some sort of mistake there’s not much wriggle room in KS1 class sizes.

Applying to defer him as a summer born is so good advice if he has additional needs. Do you feel he’s ready for school? Parents delay summer born children for all sorts of reasons.

Are you in catchment OP? Seems odd but our primary the catchment edge borders the south boundary of the school then stretches about a mile north. Often those living just south of the school will still get a place as the ones at the edge of the northern boundary get a different school. But being a few streets away doesn't automatically mean you are in catchment.

Definitely get on the waiting list for preferred school today. I've just had places through for my kids school but will be cancelling them next month as am moving, loads of people will be doing the same over the coming months so there's always places come up💐

Im so sorry you're going through this. Definitely appeal and fight it. Try not to sit and cry (although I know that is hard not to do when going through this) use that energy and frustration to put your case together and fight fight fight.

We don't have children in need of extra support but I do know the stress of school admissions cocking it up. We have had major disappointment this morning too as yet again for the second time one of our children didn't get placed in any of our choices and the council have offered a crap school. I am going to have to do two school runs everyday in opposite directions by the looks of things as the schools we will apply for on a secondary late application are in a different are which might scupper my plans to go back to work this year. We are definitely not accepting the rubbish they have offered.

Good luck to you and I really hope you can get some support to help with appeal. I think there are some companies which help with the appeals process and help you put things together although I couldn't recommend any but might be worth a look.

Reception teacher here - there are always significant changes to our lists. People apply and then decide to go private/ move / defer. Get on that waiting list ASAP 🙂.

You need to appeal based on the admissions criteria for the school.

You can use SEN as your grounds for appeal but not inconvenience of distance. You need to be confident that you missed out on a place that was yours based on the admissions criteria of the school

Also, there will be lots of movement on the lists yet so get your name down on the waiting list for your preferred choice as you've more chance of getting a place through that than through appeal if you don't meet the admissions criteria?

Get your SEN team on board with regards to the appeal too.

Just because it is the closest, doesn't mean it's in your catchment - my friend couldn't apply to the school one road over because she was 2 houses out of the catchment line! It's insane.

The admissions team should be able to provide the criteria for all the places awarded and how many got down to distance and then the furthest distance away from the school that was awarded. If they don't provide it then you can request it through a FOI request.

Many authorities provide this as part of the service, maybe they are supposed to.

i.e.

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/schools-childcare/oversubscribed-schools

Anyway you will see for example which categories of children aren't getting in their 1st choice school. If children with siblings already in the school aren't getting in then you probably have little chance on distance alone, so either you have to hit one of the higher criteria or you have to join the waiting list.

The notion that somebody reviews all the applications and decides based on a review of the child is ridiculous. Firstly, the local authority no way have resources for such an exercise, secondly it will come down to opinion and then that would be challenged - it would never end. The LA systems will just say "you live 1.3 miles away, they live 1.1 miles away" they take priority in the pecking order over you. That's it.

First thing OP - go onto the Primary Ed board and start this as a thread there - there are a couple of posters who know the admissions code inside out who are incredibly helpful when it comes to technicalities and planning appeals and the like.

Second - it's very likely you were incredibly near the cut off boundary - and it might well be that, when places shake down and people accept or move away as house moves complete or whatever else - a place comes up. We've just been in this situation with DD1 for secondary places - accepted our second choice and then got our first choice offered a couple of weeks later. You need to make sure you're on the waiting list for your first choice school and the process for that varies - so ring the admissions department at the LEA and ask them (make a cuppa - the wait will be awful on the phone today).

Thirdly - you need the back up plan - if that's looking into deferring and spending longer in nursery or accepting the offered place. Would he be able to cope with staying in the nursery if his current cohort of peers had moved up into the main school? I didn't defer DD2 (similar circumstances) because I didn't think she would and felt that for her, extended time with a younger social group would not have been beneficial but kids are all different.

Primary forum will be very helpful OP - people on here are being kind (you're bound to get the twats riding in later) but there are posters in there who really really know their school admissions stuff.

What number is he on the waiting list? We were refused a place at our junior school, the feeder school from the infants. We weren't expecting this but it was a high birth year. I was distraught and planned an appeal but my child doesn't have SEN or anything. He was number 4 on the waiting list and was offered a place before the appeal. I think at least 6 people on the waiting list got a place this way.

Only certain areas of the country have catchments, and in England you can always apply for any school you want to, regardless of whether it is your catchment school or not. You may not get a place if you are out of catchment and those in catchment get priority, but there is nothing to stop you applying.

Best of luck with getting a place at your first choice school OP. Today is not the end of the journey by any means- as others have said there is likely to be movement on waiting lists, and there are plenty of very knowledgeable posters on here who can help you. Please accept the school you have been offered for now though so that your son has somewhere to go in September as a back up- that won't make you any less likely to get the school you want.

Sorry don't have time to rtft so apologies if this has already been mentioned but your health visitor can also write a letter in support of your application, laying out the reasons why the school is the best fit for your child. I would contact them to ask for this

Being out of catchment doesn't prevent you from applying.

Contact Sunshine Support – Sunshine Support (sunshine-support.org)* *@cdoth It's run by parents/carers of ND children, providing information and support to other parents/carers. Their wealth of knowledge is incredible.

This is the closest school to us so the distance thing makes no sense either. It all seems so unfair

Assuming it's the school in your catchment area I'd fight it on this alone.

PP have given great advice but it's really worth finding your local councillor, asking to have a phone chat with them and see if they can use back channels to try and get some movement on a place. I really hope you get it sorted for him, such a stressful time 💐