Any advice on school appeals for secondary school

[secondarymum]

we are in Bromley borough and long story short ended up getting the 3rd choice for our daughter. I am still really hoping to get our first choice. Not to mention the school is much closer than the 3rd choice we ended up getting but also a much better school.

Looked on AdmissionsDay website and we actually fall into the catchment of their 2020 national offers in terms of distance.

We are going forward with the appeals process now so just wondering if anyone has any advice.

Hoping for Darrick Wood Secondary, and got Bishop Justus.

Also if you have any info on BJ as a school this would be really helpful too!

Thanks

The fact you would have got a place in a previous year is irrelevant.

Unless there was a mistake in the admissions process that cost your daughter a place, the only way to win an appeal is by showing that the disadvantage to your daughter from not attending this school outweighs any problems the school would face from having to cope with an additional pupil. You need to look for things that the appeal school offers that are missing from the allocated school and that are particularly relevant to your daughter. This could be subjects, extra-curricular activities, facilities or anything else.

Have you also made sure you are on the waiting list? Sometimes a surprising number of families change their plans/location/choice in the few months til
September.

You need a very strong reason to appeal, and not just that you are not impressed with the one you have been allocated. What can your DC only get by going to the one you want? You may just have to keep your fingers crossed for a wait list place. Have they said roughly where you are on the list?

The fact that she would have got a place in 2020 is irrelevant. If you're area is like mine there could be housing built or lots of siblings which affects the furthest distance offered.

Are you referring to an actual Priority Admissions Area or using catchment to mean where people accepted live? I live in an area with PAA and the Mp got involved when people on the fringes didn't get a place (unusual)

You need to set out your case for why DD will be disadvantaged by not attending that school. I put my eggs in a lot of baskets! Some examples:

School offered a language spoken by lots of family members who live in that country.

School specialised in an area that DS has a keen interest and ability in.

Extra curricular activities offered at the school that DS was already doing or had a particular interest in doing for a specific reason. E.g. cadets (family in the military)

Ethos of the school matching our values and DSs character exactly.

We also had a stack of evidence for the above and demonstrated that he had an outstanding attitude to learning, excellent attendance and ability to work independently (relevant as the schools case argued about the additional strain on teaching staff).

Evidence can be letters from head teacher / coaches / music teacher etc. Examples of work. School report. Anything that you feel backs up your case.

Good luck. You can do this.

But the OP possibly needs to accept that most appeals don't win, especially if it's an oversubscribed school.

I think most people accept this. But don't give up without a fight.

One thing though, I was very clear with DS that his allocated school was his school. That an appeal was a long shot. I spent so much effort bigging up his allocated school that I almost sold it to myself!

What are your grounds for appeal and what number are you in the list. I don’t know the area but ours were changing right up until first day of term.

They all do. And then after too, although more slowly.

One more question about appeals, if I may.

The Admissions Appeals Code (section 3.9) says that the panel "must take into account the appellant’s reasons for expressing a preference for the school, including what that school can offer the child that the allocated or other schools cannot".

Do "other schools" include private/independent schools? I.e. Does the appellant need to justify why the state school whose rejection the appellant is appealing is more suitable than an independent school or do independent schools not come into consideration when assessing prejudice? I'd have thought that independent schools are irrelevant, particularly given the financial implications, but I just wanted to confirm.

Thanks!

Yes irrelevant

Thanks very much. Is this made clear anywhere in the Admission Appeals Code (or elsewhere)?

No, but appeals are all about the state school system. Appeal panels cannot decide that parents should fork out thousands of pounds a term to get their child educated privately.

Got it, thanks!