I emailed the school requesting a letter withdrawing the offer to my 2dc but they replied that the offer wasn't formal so there's nothing to withdraw.
Well done. That means you have evidence that an offer was made, especially if they refer to what happened as an offer. That will stand you in good stead for your appeals for your older children. You have two arguments for those children:
- An offer was made but was withdrawn contrary to the Admissions Code. The Code does not recognise "informal offers". Once an offer was made there are limited grounds under which it can be withdrawn. Damaging your chances of a successful appeal for your child to join Reception are not valid grounds.
- Since an offer was made, formal or informal, the school clearly had places available for your older children at the time you applied. That means those places had to be offered to you by law.
Your younger child may be more of a problem. If there are 30 children in any of the infants classes your appeal would be an infant class size case. That means there are only limited grounds on which you can win. In essence you have to show that the school has made a mistake that cost your child a place or acted unreasonably. As this is an in year admission it is very unlikely that any mistake was made and there is nothing in your post to indicate they acted unreasonably in regards to your youngest. What happened with your older children is not strictly relevant although it may make the panel more inclined to give you the benefit of any doubt.
If it is not an infant class size case you have a better chance of success. In that case you need to show that your child will be disadvantaged by not getting a place at this school. Note that things like child care and transport issues are unlikely to win an appeal because they are problems for you, not your child. Similarly, contrary to what the school appears to think, having older children at the same school is unlikely to be enough to win your appeal unless you can show that your youngest has a much greater need than other children to be at the same school as older siblings. You can bring all this up but you need to concentrate on the things this school can offer your child that are particularly relevant to him/her.
The one fly in the ointment is that, although the school clearly hasn't followed the correct process, it isn't clear to me that you have either. That isn't fatal to your appeals but it could cause problems. Could you set out the exact sequence of events please:
- when did you apply
- did you apply direct to the school or to the LA
- did you apply to any other schools
- have you been offered any other schools
and so on.
Note that I have assumed you are in England. The systems in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are slightly different.
If you would like to PM me the name of the school and the LA involved that may help me to give you more specific advice.