Appeal Outcome advice regarding catchment, please help!!

[OnTheVeryEDGE]

Hi

We received the outcome to our appeal for our daughter starting junior school year 3 in September. We were refused And awaiting the detailed reasons in a letter. I’ve found out today that Someone who lives well out of catchment has got in on appeal. I thought catchment would have more weight in this case? Anyway, I’ve driven myself mad all day and am just looking for any advice on this. Admissions office is closed due to Covid, so will have to wait for them to call me back tomorrow which is usually end of the day. Any advice welcome xxx

As it stands now, I think I am the ONLY person who applied for the school that lives within catchment who did not get in, either on the first round of admissions or via appeal. No one has got into that school outside of catchment in the last 5 years, possibly longer. I’m totally shocked at the outcome.

It depends if perhaps they are a looked-after or formerly looked-after child, or have additional needs that are best met by the school in question.

I am not sure if the school's criteria for admission still hold once you reach the appeal stage, but rather as I understand - the balance of prejudice - ie will the school's difficulty in accommodating the additional place outweigh the disadvantage to the child if they don't.

So it isn't competitive between children, iyswim, but on an individual/case by case basis

That sounds like terribly bad luck.

What were the grounds for your appeal?

FWIW OP DD didn't get into the school she attends through admissions or appeal but did from waiting list, quite quickly. Hold your nerve.

How do you know about the other person's circumstances? Did they tell you?

I’ll be honest I’d still be ringing and informing them of their address regardless in case they’ve lied

So many do

It seems so terribly unjust the system they follow. We’ve done everything by the book, And know multiple people who have not. Thank you so much for your replies though, it seems the goalposts change throughout the application and appeal process depending on the panels opinion. I simply cannot believe it and am totally gutted for my daughter 💔

Hi op, I’ve been through the appeals process twice and made myself very ill as I was so obsessed with it and am still affected 6 years on.

It’s a myth that you need “grounds” to appeal. You don’t. You just have the right to and then you use your arguments, evidence etc.

Sadly, the address of the child in question doesn’t matter. They appealed to the panel and for whatever reason, the panel have decided that the child not being admitted is basically more damaging than adding that extra child. I doubt they give their address any notice unless it forms part of their appeal case.

It’s a tough process. I don’t envy you at all and ours were for secondary. It must be hard going through it with a much younger child.

You need to contact the school and check that you’re still on the waiting list ( supposing that’s what you want ) and can remain on there even if your child starts another school.

Hugs to you

Its not that the goalposts change according to the panel's opinion OP - they are two separate and distinct processes.

That said, I'm sorry you weren't successful and I hope your position on the waiting list gives you some hope.

Zoflorabore - I have found the whole process extremely emotional. It’s a strange time as well because of Covid, I can’t just pick up the phone and speak to people, there’s been so much waiting for calls back etc.
I feel especially let down because I stupidly listened to the headteacher of the school who told me to APPEAL if I didn’t get in, actually encouraged me to as if I stood a damn good chance. My daughter has anxiety, which I am sure they hear all day everyday. School have intervened with emotional support to her because school drop offs got so bad every single day. Year 2, for the marginal time it lasted (bloody Covid) showed an improvement. They carefully placed her with the right teacher and her core friends/security blanket - all of whom are going on to the same junior school. My understanding is that this other family have applied on religious grounds (out of catchment on admissions policy so below me in terms of criteria). I live just over a mile from the school - this other family is more like 3 miles away.
Is there anywhere I can go now with this?

@myrtleWilson

Its not that the goalposts change according to the panel's opinion OP - they are two separate and distinct processes.

That said, I'm sorry you weren't successful and I hope your position on the waiting list gives you some hope.

I don’t understand how the catchment area can affect where you are in terms of getting in in the first place, but seemingly on appeal it has zero relevance. I’m struggling to understand the whole process to be honest - months of this hanging over my head has driven me slightly crazy I think!

Thank you so much for taking time to reply... I’ll see where we are on the waiting list tomorrow and hopefully that will prove positive 🤞

Sadly op there is very little you can do now legally. You are entitled to appeal once during each school year so technically you can appeal again from September but I would wait so you have evidence of your dd struggling.

It’s a horrible horrible process. I’ve ended up on antidepressants, my relationship took a huge hit and my nerves were shot to pieces. It’s cruel when your dd has had to apply to the junior school where all her friends are going.

Ours was different being secondary. Ds has Aspergers and anxiety and we had a ton of medical evidence and support, CAMHS even came to the appeal. I was convinced we had won. We didn’t. Ds started at another school and was badly bullied and was getting 4 buses a day, I ended up removing him and appealing again with the new information, convinced we had to win.
Again we lost.

Our story ended happily thank god.
I knew i had to find ds a school so agreed he could go to the one where some of his primary friends were, didn’t have the best reputation academically but pastorally was excellent and ended up being the most amazing school for him. He left last year with fantastic GCSE results including a couple of 9’s and was the star of the show at awards night.

I know this won’t help you but just wanted you to know that sometimes, things happen for a reason beyond our control.

Ring every single day if you must. Don’t let them forget you.

Have you got another school place lined up/offered? Is it somewhere you could happily send your daughter, even if it isn't as handy, or isn't where her pals will be? Is there anywhere else that you would consider?

(what helped me in same scenario with DD at secondary was to get her name on waiting lists for every school I thought could possibly work for her, I also changed my order of preference. in the end we got lucky)

It seems really stupid (and brutal) not to have school places for middle school linked to the infant school they attended.

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis

Have you got another school place lined up/offered? Is it somewhere you could happily send your daughter, even if it isn't as handy, or isn't where her pals will be? Is there anywhere else that you would consider?

(what helped me in same scenario with DD at secondary was to get her name on waiting lists for every school I thought could possibly work for her, I also changed my order of preference. in the end we got lucky)

It seems really stupid (and brutal) not to have school places for middle school linked to the infant school they attended.

Doesn’t it just - I don’t understand why there isn’t a feeder school policy, they are under the same management too!! She has been offered another school. Wasn’t our top choice but I’m coming around to the idea. I’ve found out in the last few days of an acquaintance who will be going so at least there’s something I can work with over the summer.

@Zoflorabore

Sadly op there is very little you can do now legally. You are entitled to appeal once during each school year so technically you can appeal again from September but I would wait so you have evidence of your dd struggling.

It’s a horrible horrible process. I’ve ended up on antidepressants, my relationship took a huge hit and my nerves were shot to pieces. It’s cruel when your dd has had to apply to the junior school where all her friends are going.

Ours was different being secondary. Ds has Aspergers and anxiety and we had a ton of medical evidence and support, CAMHS even came to the appeal. I was convinced we had won. We didn’t. Ds started at another school and was badly bullied and was getting 4 buses a day, I ended up removing him and appealing again with the new information, convinced we had to win.
Again we lost.

Our story ended happily thank god.
I knew i had to find ds a school so agreed he could go to the one where some of his primary friends were, didn’t have the best reputation academically but pastorally was excellent and ended up being the most amazing school for him. He left last year with fantastic GCSE results including a couple of 9’s and was the star of the show at awards night.

I know this won’t help you but just wanted you to know that sometimes, things happen for a reason beyond our control.

Ring every single day if you must. Don’t let them forget you.

Oh that really does sound an awfully traumatic experience for you. I’m so pleased to hear how things turned out in the end. I’ve been thinking that today, perhaps these hurdles have faced us for a reason and it’s time to try a new perspective.