I have a school Appeal Meeting - Need Advice

[AmyLiz23]

Hi All,

UK Based.

Never had to appeal a school place but here we are.

So I have a date now for the 4th July to appeal the admissions decision to decline my daughter a place in year 9 due to over subscription.

I have applied for 8 school within the school district and ALL have declined her a place for the same reason. There is a few I have not applied for due to the travelling distances and the fact I will already have 2 other schools to complete on a daily basis as well as full time work.

We are moving to a new council district which is the whole reason for a new school place and the main reason for my application.

I do have a place already arrange and sorted for my middle child to start at a primary school in the area in September and a nursery place for my youngest arranged. It is my oldest I am struggling to placr.

Would this be enough to overturn the admissions appeal or do I need to get some more information??

Any advice is much appreciated for a very stressed out mum!

TIA

Which bit of UK?

How far are you moving? Presumably too far to continue at old school.

When do you actually move?

Do you know about the Fair Access Protocol?

Ideally at the appeal you would address why this particular school is a good fit for your DD e.g. lessons or clubs they offer that fit with her strengths or passions. Logistics alone is not necessarily enough to win. Secondary pupils are expected to travel alone and up to 75 mins travel.

What have the borough said about finding her a place? Are they suggesting you apply to other schools or are they waiting until you actually move. You should be entitled to a school place somewhere once you move. They may be hoping for movement over the summer.

Have you been offered a place for your dd anywhere? The LA is obliged to do so and may invoke FAP to create a space, if not necessarily at the school you want, and they may fund transport if over a prescribed distance. Logistics of school runs is irrelevant as secondary pupils can travel independently (unless there are additional needs preventing this, for example). You need to come up with reasons why this, and only this, school can meet your dd needs and interests without compromising other pupils’.

Hi, I'm moving from Kirklees to Rotherham, so she is unable to attend the school which she is currently attending, as it is 40mins drive away and speaking with her school she currently attends they have even said they wouldn't recommend or expect her to travel that far. So the upto 75mins travel as thrown me tbh, as this would affect her wellbeing both socially and physically she cannot fully engage with any new friendships she makes, as her peers would likely live too far away for her to see them outside of school. This isolation would hinder her ability to integrate into the local community at such a crucial stage in her development. Let alone the early starts and later days getting home will affect her ability to learn in the long run.

I have googled reasonable distances and it does state that a school place as to be within a reasonable distance.

I haven't contacted the borough as you've to apply through the admissions etc hence why I'm awaiting 3 appeal dates for 3 different schools which have all declined a place.

I am still waiting for 2 schools to come back to me with a decision but so far 6 schools have declined her a place.

The 3 schools I'm appealing for are within a reasonal distance for my daughter to attend by herself, they all offer subjects which she's interested in taking for G.C.S.Es. they are within a n area where any new friendships she makes she can still pursue outside of school and be involved in the community herself. Especially as we are moving to an area she doesn't know anyone.

when will you hear from the remaining schools? If they offered you a place your chances at appeal with the other schools would be significantly worse. The council have to ensure that your child gets an education somewhere- and I believe the travel time is a walking travel time for a secondary aged school- there is also a maximum distance.
To ‘win’ at appeal you’ll be very good reasoning why your child needs that specific school- you seem quite flexible as to which school your child goes to, and although this is actually a good thing, the schools will not see it as such and you’ll need to tailor each appeal to the specific school. If you have no offer of a school place because the year group across the city is oversubscribed, you can ask for a school place under the fair access protocol and the council will manage this process and remove the need for an appeal.

As has already been said, a journey of up to 75 minutes each way is viewed as reasonable for a secondary school pupil. However, if your daughter can't make the journey alone in that time, I would argue that it is unreasonable. You need to contact the LA. If you aren't getting anywhere with finding a place, they are required to find a place for your daughter. If they don't come up with a local school, they must provide free transport to take your daughter to and from school.

Looking at your appeal, you may have enough with the fact that all the local schools are full, and you need a place for your daughter, but the appeal panel may discount that if you haven't contacted the LA. It will help if you can identify specific things that the appeal school offers that are missing from your daughter's current school and are particularly relevant to her. For example, if she is musically talented and this school offers more extra-curricular musical activities, you should make that part of your case.

I wouldn't make a journey of 75mins to go to work, so how they can expect a child of 13 years (she only turns 13 in August) old to make a 75mins journey too and from school on public transport which in turn will probably be more than one bus and in an area she won't know as we're not from that area is pretty unreasonable tbh and I would 100% argue that fact.

I assume I should hear from the remaining 2 next week, but as it appears so far all are saying the year 9 groups are oversubscribed across the board.

I haven't contacted the LA yet, as I figured they'd not get involved until I've had the appeals, which one is the 4th July and the other day I haven't yet been given a date for them as yet I just know they'll be scheduled in for July sometime.

I thought the LA wouldn't get involved and carry out an FAP until after the appeals..

Travel time won’t be an argument- my autistic son is expected to do travel 60 min to and from school (walk, train, bus) so i doubt a neurotypical child would be expected to do less….
He had done so since he was 11!