secondary school appeal

[kirafun]

Hello
So I hope somebody may have thoughts on this...

My son is a keen swimmer and is in a swim club and represents his borough. We applied for this particular secondary school for two reasons: it offers subjects which he is interested in and it is right next door to a pool. The school is oversubscribed and we are appealing because it would be really helpful for him to be able to train in a pool which is literally next door to his school. As he gets older he will have to swim before and after school so cutting out any travel time is beneficial BUT is it reason enough?
Any advice on whether a facility close to your desired school is reason for appeal?
Thank you

It is a reason to appeal but in all honesty is not a strong case. You should appeal because you never know what the outcome will be but just be realistic about the chances of success.

@kirafun i think it's a great reason to appeal - and a strong one in my humble opinion. if u can show that particular school is the ONLY one that can give your child what he needs, then you have a strong case.

my friend is a panelist for schools appeals. she (and 2 others) decide on appeals. the panelists are the one who decide. the school and/or the council have no say - they have to do whatever is decided by them - like making an extra space for a child.

she told me about a case that they had to decide on. the child had a massive interest on cosmology or something bizaare. there was only one school where they gave this.

i appealed for my son on grounds of bullying - i had a letter from the headmaster as well. didn't win the appeal - but something really good came out of it anyway and we have a school we're really happy with. :)

all i can say is be concise and to the point in your appeal - BUT don't shy away from writing as much as is necessary.

be polite, happy and smiling on the day of appeal.

at the appeal u will have 3 panelist, a deputy head from the school and someone from the council.

give us a shout and let us know how you get on.

I agree with Admission. If the school offers extra-curricular swimming activities that would be a stronger case but simply having a swimming pool next to the school isn't that strong. An appeal panel is likely to take the view that reducing travelling time for an out of school activity is not a good enough reason. All that really says is that this school is more convenient and helps logistically. That is not an appeal winning case.

If it is the only school offering subjects in which he is interested that is much stronger than the swimming point. Even better if you can show he has a particular aptitude for these subjects. If he doesn't go to this school he will still be able to do his swimming, albeit it will be a little less convenient, but he may not be able to do these subjects. Concentrate on that. I wouldn't drop the swimming point completely - you may be lucky and get a panel that considers it significant. But I would usually expect the school's offering to be the more persuasive point.

at the appeal u will have 3 panelist, a deputy head from the school and someone from the council

Not necessarily. There will be the appeal panel (usually 3 of them but there can be more), the clerk and someone to present the admission authority's case. If it is a community school or a VC school there may not be anyone from the school at all - the council is the admission authority so they will provide someone to present their case. For other types of school the case will usually be presented by someone from the school but it doesn't have to be a deputy head.

Have just rejected an appeal where the appellant wanted a school next to a pool, because of the child's prowess at swimming.

As a panellist/chair, the grounds are quite weak. I have seen this argument on a few occasions and generally the appellants are still not making a strong case for that particular school.

While saying that I was on a panel a few years ago where the Head suddenly said they could admit another 5 or so children. One appellant was a sports prodigy and produced letters from the head of her sport and a well known coach which helped. Purely logistical reasons. She was one of the successful ones.