Appealing School Place Offer

[Togetherismyfavouriteplace]

Hi,

I’m looking for opinions & advice on appealing a primary school place offer (basically we didn’t get our first choice school and want to appeal it).

For context - DD is currently enrolled at the pre school attached to the school we wanted. It is along the road we live on which is why we put her there but it wasn’t until applying for schools last year we realised we aren’t even in catchment and the school is over subscribed! Meaning our chance of getting in was always low.

When we found this out, I felt sick. Our DD is on the waiting list for ASD assessment and struggles massively with change. It took us months and months to settle her at the pre school ( screaming the school down just to get her to the classroom door) and only now 6 months later is she settled and happy. She has built up trust and familiarity with the school meaning she can now regulate better although does have her days!

fast forward to yesterday, school offer day. We didn’t get this school meaning she is potentially going to have to move to another school for Reception. I’ve cried a fair few times at the thought of going through this stress all over again. Only this time she now has the emotional attachment to her current school thrown into the mix and I’m concerned for her mental wellbeing and how she will cope with this.

i am putting in an appeal but the school is over subscribed and so I know the chance of getting a place when they are at max capacity is very very slim. But do I have any grounds for an appeal here?

I will be basing this off the fact she is suspected ASD and now going to have to move schools which for her is going to be extra difficult . But without an official diagnosis I don’t know if we have much of a leg to stand on? I have all doctor correspondence as supporting evidence.

I just feel so sad for her and have a lot of anxiety!

Any opinions or advice welcomed!!

You would be best trying to get an ehcp naming the current school. Might be tight for September though. You might get lucky via waiting list in the meantime.

What @LIZS said.

With ICS, it’s even more tricky and unless the admissions code hasn’t been followed, which doesn’t seem to be the case, your best bet is to apply for an EHCP. You don’t need a diagnosis, but you do need evidence of need.

How many places are there in Reception? If it's 30, 60, 90, etc the Infant Class Sizes rules make appeals almost pointless (and probably 15, 45 etc as well if goes into mixed year infant classes) unless you have reason to believe there's been an error.

Make sure you are on waiting list if it's not automatic in your area.

@Togetherismyfavouriteplace All schools have a responsibility to cater for ASD so, without an EHCP, your case is not a strong one.

Be prepared to talk up the new school and show her how happy you are for her to be going there. If you are feeling anxious about it then you may need to mask your feelings, or your daughter may pick up on it.

As others have said, if infant class size rules apply you are only likely to succeed if you can show that a mistake was made and your daughter should have been offered a place. Check that they have put her in the correct admissions category and that the home to school distance looks about right. If those things are correct, an appeal is unlikely to succeed. You can still try, and you never know what will happen. Sometimes evidence of a mistake emerges in the hearing, and occasionally an appeal panel will ignore the rules and admit a child even where no mistake has been made. But it would be a very long shot and you should be realistic about your chances.

If infant class size rules do not apply, you have a better chance. You can win if you can show that the disadvantage to your daughter from not being admitted outweighs any issues the school will face from having to cope with an additional pupil. However, simply having ASD is unlikely to be enough. You would need supporting letters from professionals saying that, in their opinion, your daughter needs to go to this school.

As @LIZS says, if your daughter qualifies for an EHCP, that would be a much more reliable route for getting her a place at the school you want.