How to win a secondary placement appeal?

[abs5674]

With no other reason other than dd is desperate not to go to a mixed school & this is the only girls only around.

realistically, you're unlikely to win on this basis alone.

One of the main ways you can win an appeal is by proving the school hasn't followed their admissions criteria. Have a look at it and figure out where you would come, it usually goes something like this;

1. Looked after children
2. Children with an EHCP which names this school
3. Children with siblings at this school who'll still be here when they'd enter
4. all other children, working from those who live the shorted walking distance to the school to those who live furthest away.

Then look at the people who you know got in, and the figures published showing the distance of the nearest person who didn't get a place.
You're in with a good chance if you can prove that this hasn't been followed (you may want to check children with siblings in year 13/year 11, who won't be there when they enter, who might have been mistakenly put in this category, or if you live reasonably close, check the distance they've measured your shortest walking route as, on public footpaths etc, and compare to others who got in and live a similar distance - particularly if you'd be close to the nearest child not admitted distance, check for public footpaths that cross parks or provide shortcuts).

chatGBT response

Then look at the people who you know got in, and the figures published showing the distance of the nearest person who didn't get a place.
You're in with a good chance if you can prove that this hasn't been followed (you may want to check children with siblings in year 13/year 11, who won't be there when they enter, who might have been mistakenly put in this category, or if you live reasonably close, check the distance they've measured your shortest walking route as, on public footpaths etc, and compare to others who got in and live a similar distance - particularly if you'd be close to the nearest child not admitted

How do you even find this sort of information?! I couldn't find furthest admission from any school in out town last year when I was applying.

Is there a particular reason she doesn’t want mixed, past issues etc?

There are two ways to win an appeal. One is to show that a mistake has been made that cost your daughter a place. That is the strongest type of case. The other is to show that your daughter will be disadvantaged if she doesn't go to this school and that this outweighs any issues the school will face from having to cope with an additional pupil. Simply wanting a girls only school is unlikely to be enough unless the school's case to refuse admission is very weak. If you can show reasons why she needs a girls only school, that would strengthen the case. It would also help if you can identify other things this school offers that the allocated school does not that are particularly relevant to your daughter. This could be subjects, extra curricular activities, etc.

The distance that the first child refused a place for each school lives is published by the council where we are.

Otherwise it's a matter of who you know I'm afraid, if you know your daughter has a friend who has been given a place, but would have to walk past your house to get to school, that's probably a good place to start. Or if she's got friends who've got sisters who are 17/18 who've been given a place, then it's worth asking about. They can't take the places away from these other children once they've been awarded, so their parents have nothing to loose by sharing info with you.

The fact that the older sibling may have left school when their younger sibling is admitted does not necessarily stop the younger sibling getting priority. That depends on the school's admission criteria.

The main thing people should check is that their child has been put in the correct admissions category and, if distance is used as a tie breaker, that the home to school distance looks correct. If those two things are right, it is unlikely that a mistake has been made.

@456pickupsticks Thank you so much for this!

Do you know who i can access the data re siblings?

If you think you're in with a chance then appeal.

Another suggestion would be to put her on the waiting list immediately.

A few always drop out and even if she has to start at the other school keep her name on the list and there is a good chance that she will get an in year entry.

what is the reason she doesnt want to go to a mixed school? if there is some incident that you have evidence of in her past then you could use that to appeal

@Miindfulness Thanks theres is nowhere to sign up though?

Nowhere to sign up for what?

it's not the kind of data you can access unfortunately, as I don't think it's published, it's about who and what you actually know.

As @prh47bridge has said, do check the school admission criteria before you use this idea, as some schools may just say 'a sibling at the school', some may say 'a sibling who would be attending the school at the same time' some may say 'a sibling who is attending the school at the time of the application etc'.
Check you've been put in the correct category, and check your home-school distance is correct (try a few different routes in case you find an unexpected public footpath), as her @prh47bridge instructions.

If the criteria is 'sibling who'll still be at school':
Say you know Bessy in your daughters year has a sister, Jenny, who's in year 13 at the minute, and you know this as her mum has talked at the school gates about how much the girls are growing up, with Bessy moving up to high school and Jenny going off to uni next year. That's something where you could speak to their mum directly and say 'I heard Bessy got into the Girls school, can I ask where you live? My daughter didn't get in, and I'd have thought you lived further away than us' If she lets you know that actually they do live further away, you can check that the school has got your door to door walking distance correct. Go out and measure it yourself, plot it on a map, point out any public footpaths or shortcuts they might have missed. If they've incorrectly applied their admission criteria they have to let you in, and if you can tell them exactly where it's much better for you (eg "Your admissions criteria states that preference is given to girls who have a sibling attending the school who will still be attending at the time of admission, I believe you have mistakenly put a child in this category, Bessy, as her sister is Jenny, currently in year 13, so Jenny will have left before Bessy were to join. This means Bessy should have been in the no siblings, based on distance category, she lives 2.10miles from the school, door to door, my daughter lives a 1.8 mile walking distance from the school, as per this map with the walking route highlighted. Therefore, you have applied the attendance criteria wrongly and my daughter should have been granted a place before Bessy). As mentioned, they can't withdraw Bessys offer of a place, so her mum would loose nothing by sharing this info.

Check how your LA measure distance before you start measuring walking distances though. I believe there are still some that use walking distance but most use straight line distance.

As prh47bridge has said. You either have to prove the school made an error in applying the admission criteria or that your child will suffer more from not getting a place at the school than the school and existing pupils would, if they take your child.
If there is a particular reason she needs a single sex school that may be considered, travel to her allocated school too complicated placing her at a disadvantage etc. If the school offers something in particular that would meet her particular need that other schools don't.
Slagging off the allocated school would not go down well
Checking out previous year group sizes and current intake may help you argue, the school have coped before with higher numbers, so could do so again. This is easier to find out if appealing for a year above Yr 7.
When applying for school places, you need to put at least one on the list that they are likely to be offered as it is their nearest or risk being allocated a random one that has spaces.
Did you put others on the list that are mixed? They could argue doing so, indicated you were okay about being offered a mixed school.
Worth contacting the school and ask to go on the continued interest list, as some will turn down their places, e.g if pass entrance exam or get offered place at a private school.

putting mixed schools on the application form would not go against OP as the advice is always to put at least one school where you will almost certainly get in, usually your closest school, to avoid being allocated eg a mixed school 5 miles away vs one 1 mile away.

@abs5674 Some LAs list every admission criteria for each school and now many admitted against each criteria. My LA does so investigate their web site.

@abs5674 So this is what you might find.

Another suggestion would be to put her on the waiting list immediately.

A few always drop out and even if she has to start at the other school keep her name on the list and there is a good chance that she will get an in year entry.

This is good advice. My friend did this for her daughter. She was 12th on the list and got a place for September of year 7.