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.

@Crumpleton

But it may have been even closer for other pupils. You can't appeal on distance unless they miss measured the distance

Also-in my borough, first priority is given to SEN/looked after children so I am baffled that you've missed out, especially if you're in the catchment. This should be very appealable.

The SEN thing is like anything else if they haven't formally got the SEN / EHCP designation then they are treated the same as everyone else.

It's like trying to buy a house by saying you have a million pound deposit, but when they come to check, you haven't actually got a million pound deposit but expect to shortly. You won't be allowed to buy the house.

If it was allowed then non-scrupulous folk might try to use it as a way to bend the rules. It's unfortunate that the SEN designation / EHCP hasn't been put in place prior to the admissions process as this would have ensured they were near the top of the priority criteria.

I would definitely defer to start reception in 2024

I appealed for my son as I didn't get my first choice school. My view on it was if I didn't at least to try and appeal, I would never know! However I had the support of the school and sounds like you would too, I would definitely try. You may be surprised, we also won our appeal and got the place we wanted. Good Luck!!

We were coparenting and were refused the school that was halfway between us. Although we were both slightly outside the catchment area, they could have accepted on social grounds. I went to a solicitor who said that sometimes it just takes a letter - he did just that, asking for the minutes of the meeting where applications were decided. The day after they received it we got a call saying that he was now accepted from the waiting list.

Keep on the continuing interest as there is often a lot of movement. Don’t lose hope.

It will have helped you in that you'll have had higher priority than an otherwise identical child who lives further away, but as 4 year olds aren't evenly distributed around schools, you can still have situations where ones who are very close miss out on a place.

But the fact that you're so close is likely encouraging in terms of the waiting list. Agree with other posters, get on that. I do have one NT with no EHCP myself so I get the stress.

Just spoke to school briefly at drop off. Not sounding hopeful, said they are the most oversubscribed in the COUNTRY and the wait list is massive but she will book a meeting in with us asap. Don't stand a chance of getting a place, I really want to give up.

Don't give up. It doesn't matter how long the waiting list is- what matters is your position on it, which is likely to be high if you live close by. I'm also sceptical about the most oversubscribed in the whole country claim- I'm not sure how they'd know that!

Which rule did you apply under? When did application for ehcp go in?

She can't possibly know that.

In any case, people will move, go private, get their kids in somewhere else etc. So it's worth doing.

1. only if they’ve agreed to issue. And on that basis you don’t need to appeal. You just name the school on the plan.

Oh dear the amount of misleading information on this thread from people who have no idea how school admissions work …sigh.

Contacting your Councillor or MP won’t change a thing. Admissions are tightly controlled in law and are allocated using ‘fair and objective’ criteria to make sure everyone is treated the same. There are no back door ways to circumvent the system.

Op what you need to do is:

1. keep checking the waiting list as these do move considerably over the summer.
2. Chase the EHCP.
3. Make an appeal but as it’s likely to be an infant class size appeal - don’t get your hopes up.
4. Don’t do what a pp suggested and limit your grounds for appeal. If your distance is a factor then include it. Panels are limited by what they can consider but you can say whatever you want in your appeal.
5. Be positive for your child. Children might not like change but it’s inevitable as they’re all leaving nursery anyway. Your child - trust me - will eventually thrive and settle whatever school you get.

If they’ve not even applied yet it’s too late for a September start. The process takes 20 weeks.

That’s complete nonsense. She’s got no way of knowing that re most oversubscribed and quite frankly if they did know that why didn’t they tell you?!

Exactly, if you’re in position one for example you still have a very good chance!

Habe you looked at the previous years figures to see if it was similarly oversubscribed and what the distance cut off was? As if it’s been very similar every year you may face the exact same problem next year if you defer.

The EHCP isn’t a golden ticket to get a place either - only if it named this school as being the best fit your son. Bear in mind it may well suggest a different school altogether with specialist facilities.

For SEN rule to apply you have to apply under that rule and prove that only that school can meet need. For example if child was in wheelchair and it was the only accessible school in the area. What’s been outlined here wouldn’t qualify. And it doesn’t sound like they applied using this rule anyway.

But it’s not according to which school you are closest to, it’s a numbers game. If there are 30 children who live closer or have siblings in the school they will get offered a place first.

Hopefully you are not far down on the list and will still be offered a place.

What is the school where you have a place like? I do think you are catastrophising. It may be a good school for him.

Apologies if someone has asked this already, but has his current school said they can meet his needs?

I mean I suppose it is possible based on the number of applicants, who put it as first choice etc. But I’ve never heard of sone sort of league table either! And I’m surprised the figures are available so soon.

I’m also surprised the nursery never told you how over subscribed the school is if they’ve been so supportive thus far. I can’t imagine this is a one off phenomenon for them.

That is not correct. With an EHCP the LA must patently preference save for very few exceptions. If the parents select this school the LA would almost certainly have to name. All explained in section 38 of CAFA.

Whoops typo. Should say must name parental preference. They also cannot name a specialist provision. The right to mainstream is written in law.

@kierenthecommunity

I had a similar experience when eldest was allocated her first school.

Our local authority covered an area shaped like a Y with the school offered some 6 miles away at the top point and our house at the bottom linked by a dual carriageway, no pavements in between.
The schools I chose were nearest to me

I phoned the LEA who said there was no point in appealing. Having seen that if you are allocated a school not of your choice over 3 miles away then the LEA at the time had to provide you with a taxi for pick ups and drop offs

Within about an hour of asking for a taxi for DD’s commute to school I was called back and offered the nearest school I had chosen

Look at whether you are in the same local council as the school and the distance to your allocated school

But similarly there are mainstream schools with specialist provision in house, and sone of those are an excellent fit for a child with SEN, over their local school. In which case such a school MAY be named

Admittedly it’s moot though as we have no idea what the child’s needs are, but it doesn’t always follow you get the ECHP = school you favour.