Secondary school appeal

[CaJaGGMoo]

Hi all, new here after reading many threads. I have an appeal date for my DS at secondary school for first choice.
I’m curious for honest opinions or if I’m just barking up the wrong tree and really don’t stand a chance so
please break it to me gently.
We are appealing on medical grounds due to the current allocated school only to be accessed by school transport for DS, we have a paediatrician letter of support due to ongoing migraines and this being school transport noise and environment would exuberate migraines. The school we are appealing for DS would be transported by parents via car due to work locations etc.
would this be enough to be considered?

Not an expert.
Seems a bit flimsy to me. Could be argued that if you will drive then you could drive to allocated school too by tweaking drop off times/working hours. Or student could wear noise cancelling headphones.

Are there other reasons? Eg clubs offered, subjects offered?

(Is transport the real reason?)

Transport to school is not a great reason tbh. Does travelling on a bus cause migraines but in a car does not - have I understood correctly? Might the panel then say, well drive him to the allocated school then? Is that really an impossibility?

Yy is the transport the actual reason? Was there no school in walking distance? (appreciate there may not be).

Are there any other reasons such as clubs, specific subjects etc?

Does the paed letter state that in their opinion he can only attend the preferred school due to the transport proposed. Is there a medical needs category he meets the criteria for? Most kids are expected to travel independently so transport is not a consideration. Are there any other schools within walking distance you would consider should this fail?

No Schools are within walking distance, paediatriction letter states this is most suitable school due to transport needs.
Allocated school is 16 mile round trip opposite direction.
Grandparents live within locality of appealed school as attendance is below 60% due to increased time off school with migraine episodes so would be on hand to collect

School transport such as a bus has a noise and environment trigger (smell) for DS migraines

I can't see this working but I'm not an expert.

The issue doesn't really seem to be around transport, or the medical issue itself. What you're saying is if you were given your preferred school you'd be driving him there in the car and the only reason you can't drive him to the allocated school is logistics with work etc. So actually the problem is the school you've been given doesn't fit into the right location to accomodation your jobs and therefore you're unable to take him to and from school?

If the medical issue is solely around not being able to take the bus to school then doesn't that open up any school within taxi distance, not just the one you're appealing for?

Grandparents living nearby won't make a difference.

Totally understand everyone’s logic and reasoning which is why it’s great to get opinions.
This is actually the closest school to home but we are not in catchment for any schools due to rural location

That won't be a good enough reason.
Do they even have a medical grounds category? They could argue that a taxi could be used to the allocated school, so exactly the same as sitting in a car. Where grandparents live won't be relevant. I presume the allocated school has been deemed to be a reasonable distance otherwise they would be exploring transport options? Would the local authority possibly assist with transport other than on the school bus (especially as you're saying ds can travel in a car) it's worth asking.
Other than that, you'll need to find more points to appeal on.

Whether there is a medical grounds category is irrelevant. Unless parents are arguing that a mistake has been made, the admission criteria are not relevant for appeals.

In my view this is stronger than simply talking about difficulties getting the child to and from school, but it is still pretty weak. It might be enough if the case to refuse admission is weak, but I think you need to strengthen your case if you can. It will help if you can identify things that the appeal school provides that are not available at the allocated school and are particularly relevant to your son. This could be subjects, extracurricular activities, etc. If you can add one or two such things to your case, that will help.