Secondary School Admission Appeal (Grammar School)

[Eh1420]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation. My daughter has been successful in gaining a place to go to grammar school. However, we didn't get our first preference as the school was over subscribed. She therefore, got a place in our second preference. Unfortunately, the bus is a 50 minute walk from our house which is a safeguarding issue and could put her at a massive risk of danger. I feel she will definitely not reach her full potential at school as she will be absolutely exhausted, she will have less time to study and will have to leave really early. I feel this isn't a good option. Our first preference the bus is only a 6 minute walk away. I'm looking to see if anyone has been in a similar situation and advice on what people think out prospects of success are.

Thank you

Was there a reason you listed a school she could not get to? Is there not public transport or school bus and why is it a safeguarding risk? Logistics alone won't help your appeal.

Full explanation here.
school-admission-appeals

Transport isn't a reason to appeal either.

There are experts on here who will pick this up and explain. You could read through other ‘appeal’ threads on this board too.

There are a lot of people on here who can only dream of sending their kids to a grammar school. Are you sure you can't somehow make it work?

Why did you put down a school you can't get to? This is not a reason for appeal.

Expect to be asked why you named a school as a preference which is apparently effectively impossible to get to (why is the walk to the bus stop in itself a 'safeguarding issue', though? Plenty of pupils have as long as walk as that to get to school), although I might be kind and add a query as to whether it was the case that there was an established transport arrangement in place when you submitted your CAF, which in the meantime has been withdrawn?

Do you have any information yet wrt your DD's position on the waiting list for your first preference school, and how much movement there tends to be between now and September? In the meantime, what about the school(s) you listed below the one you have been allocated - are they any easier to get to? Or any other schools in the area that would be more accessible, which your DD would have a reasonable chance of being offered? Your LA's admissions team will be able to advise you about late change of preference / new later applications.

You won't win an appeal for those reasons. A journey of up to 75 minutes is considered reasonable. You would need to find things about your preferred school that your daughter would specifically benefit from. This might be hard if the 2 schools are similar. If you really feel the journey is too far then put her on waiting lists for non grammar schools too.

The nearest bus stop is nearly an hour away? Is there no way you can drop her nearer than this?
As others have said I don’t think this is going to make any difference to you getting her a place. Why did you put it on the list?

This will also be complicated by the admission criteria of the grammar school you applied to.

Is distance from the school a criteria and you live too far away? Have you checked the criteria to see if it has been correctly applied to your application? You would have grounds for appeal if there has been maladiministration.

Transport issues do not win appeals. You can win by showing there has been a mistake and your daughter should have been admitted to your first choice, or by showing that the disadvantage to her from not being admitted outweighs any problems the school will face if they have to cope with an additional pupil. An argument that your daughter will be too exhausted from travelling to reach her full potential will not carry any weight. As a previous poster says, a journey of up to 75 minutes each way is considered reasonable at this age.

So a 50 minute walk is 2 or 3 miles? Can you drive her to the bus?

If you want to appeal, you're going to have to think of all the reasons why your first choice is important. Transport isn't one of them.

A 50 min walk for a secondary aged child is not a safeguarding issue unless there is something that you aren't telling us?

It's a long walk twice a day especially carrying books PE kit etc but how is it a Safeguarding issue? Is it along rural roads without pavements? What is the rest of the journey like after she gets to the bus stop?

Have you investigated all routes? Such as an alternative bus route with a closer stop?

When you list schools on the CAF, it is your responsibility to ensure that all of those schools have a transport route that you are happy for your child to do. The council will assume you have done your research and are happy before you listed them.

We had several great options that I had to reject because it simply wasn't possible to get DD there for the morning start time by any transport route, so they never went on the CAF.

Could you move house to be nearer, or drive her to school? Or what other schools are closer that you could put on the waiting list?

I live in an area with grammar schools and absolutely understand the desire for DC to go to a grammar school if possible. However, It sounds as though you submitted the CAF without considering whether your DD could actually commute to the schools you put on the list. I’m afraid that choosing a school where “the bus is a 50 minute walk from our house which is a safeguarding issue and could put her at a massive risk of danger” was a decision you made by naming that school as your second preference. It is not grounds for appeal.

Hopefully your DD has a chance of a waiting list place at her preferred grammar. Meanwhile, you can try to find a better commuting solution (change work hours to drop her at the bus stop, cycle to bus stop, find a lift share?) and also consider getting her added to the waiting list for other schools within reasonable commute (that might not be grammar schools.) Best of luck.

So you chose a school that is dangerous for her to get to? Strange thing to do.....

But it's a grammar school...