Late Grammar School offer: over the moon but stressed/flummoxed

[PermaShattered]

What a 3 days we've had - any insightful comments welcome. In short:

1. Our daughter was offered 3rd choice (her 11+ score was about 30 down on passmark);
2. 3rd school is outstanding but we appealed to 2nd choice school as was our preference;
3. Last Friday took calls from our local Ed admissions authority saying why appealed when have offer from grammar school?
4. Said we hadn't. She made further calls to other relevant admissions authority and came back and told us we definitely have an offer and it would be in post next day (Saturday just gone);
5. It duly arrived, and we posted our acceptance same day (they should have got it today) - verbal acceptance of place given by phone on Friday;
6. On Friday the Authority also withdrew both our place at 3rd choice school and our appeal to 2nd choice school;
7. Today i take a call from a friend whose daughter got substantially higher score than my DD - and she is 188 on waiting list;
8. I call our admissions auth to check they received our acceptance (they said still in posttray but will be dealt with this afternoon);
9. I query whether there could possibly an error and i'm told categorically 'no'. And if there was, we have a written offer, accepted it and they can't take it off our daughter;

10. Finally, my other DS is that grammar school.

I'm perplexed. What could be a possible explanation?

I've just read the whole thread too. I wish you & your DD the best of luck & hope your appeal is successful.

Thought I'd lost this thread! Obviously things have moved on since I last posted, but looks like you'll hear next week. Good luck to your DD, hope you get good news.

Good luck, Perma! I keep checking this thread, and hoping for a just outcome for you (i.e. that your girl gets the place at grammar school, as she was promised). Will keep checking xx

Fingers crossed for you!

Good Luck :)

I keep refreshing your thread perma, keeping fingers crossed

Me too...it's turning into an obsession!

The first thing I do when I log on is check this thread...

Still keeping evetything crossed for you x

I hope you get good news soon.

Good luck Perma! I hope they don't string this out any longer.

Lurking in the background, Perma.

No news? They are stringing it out- hope you are ok Perma x

Another lurker with fingers tightly crossed for you and your DD!

Hi all, bad news: appeal unsuccessful. I'm just a little outraged as i don't think they've applied the law properly nor the Appeals Code for that matter. Despite new buildings etc the panel accepted the Head's case that school couldn't take any more........

They also said that accepting my DD with her score would be incapatible with the School's admission policy; and that the prejudice to the school outweighs the prejudice to my daughter.

But I'm so glad the wait and the uncertainty is over. I'll refer it to the LGO equivalent for Academies; and put in a formal complaint to the LGO about the two local authorities' errors.

I also have the unenviable task of breaking the news to my DD who is going to be devastated. Again. She has been praying so hard for good news.

Finally for those of you who will be pleased the appeal wasn't successful (you know who you are) please be sensitive. Ie no nasty comments!

Thanks to the majority of you for your support and holding my hand through this xxxx

Sorry to hear that - hope your dd is OK.

I'm gutted for you and your DD - is there any way there can be a positive outcome from this? Would it be worth seeing what the LGO have to say?

Putting on my philosophical hat, there is always a reason for these things happening as they do.....

I'm so sorry perma, what happens next? Do you have to go on waiting lists?

Perma - a few people didn't think that you had grounds for appeal. That is not the same as saying that these people were wishing that your appeal would fail and that they are 'pleased' at the outcome. I myself have two kids so there is no way I would wish bad things onto someone else's DCs.

I hope that your DD is going to be ok.

lunar1 she'll go to the 3rd choice school. It's a good school and she'll do well but she will be devastated later when i break the news :(

Habba I'm not sure - but stand to be corrected! - that anyone didn't think we had grounds for appeal. A lot said they thought it was unfair if our appeal would win and they're entitled to think so. I can cope with people saying they are glad the appeal has failed because it would be unfair on others! But one or two have been nasty and insensitive. They are the ones that was pointed at.

I'm relieved it's over. And i have it all in perspective despite the disappointment. She will still have a good education. And she's not been seriously injured outside her primary school at 8.50 this morning :(

Sorry to hear your news.

Where are the MN experts? I'm sure they will have some advice about this...

Oh Perma I'm really sorry to hear that. I wish I had something positive to contribute or sensible to say, but I will be thinking of you and your DD this afternoon. I think you should be proud of yourself though - you have fought for your DD and shown her that you are on her side. I hope you get a chance to do something nice as a family over the weekend and can start to get some perspective on the whole thing.

We definitely need an expert on here to clarify what the position is.

Telling you that the prejudice to the school outweighs the prejudice to your daughter seems to be treating the appeal as though you were querying the mark your daughter scored, and ducking the fact that between them they have broken the law. I hope you do pursue the complaint as far as possible, just to make them realise that they can't mess people around like they have done.

Do you still have an appeal in for your second choice? None of this would have happened if you hadn't been appealing for that originally.