Primary schools won’t take my DD

[Misschiff]

I’m getting seriously fed up. We moved back to my home village in January this year due to needing support from family, and since December last year I’ve been attempting to enrol my daughter in the primary school behind our house. It’s just gone to appeal with the church and been rejected.

The school states that they have too many children in the class with special educational needs and it would be a strain on the teacher and the pupils to add another pupil to the class. My DD is 7 and epileptic (controlled with medication).

I have tried 3 other schools in our local area (we have no transport and we are rural) and they have also refused her. I’m pulling my hair out.

Admissions are holding meetings constantly to discuss what their plan is with my daughter, Children’s services are on my case because she’s not in a school and all the while I’m home educating her in accordance with the national curriculum for key stage 2 and I’ve completed SATS papers with her. I also have a toddler and a baby.

Nothing I do is good enough. I’m pulling my hair our trying to get her into a school and nothing’s working.

They won’t take her because they don’t have space or because she has epilepsy? Surely they can’t discriminate on the basis of that. IS it a private school?

That sounds awful- I’m shocked it’s allowed to happen. No advice but a lot of sympathy!

I would post in one of the primary education boards. There are some posters who are very knowledgeable about admissions rules and may be able to help you...

Have you not been allocated any school place at all, even one you consider unsuitable?

If you are in England should have been offered a place at the nearest school with places. If that is more than 2 miles then you should be offered free school transport. Have these things happened?

I think you shouldn't say you are home educating it takes the pressure off the local authority. I think you should keep reminding them your child is receiving no education due to her disability and they need to start providing education. You can put childrens services in direct contact with admissions.

I really feel for you - the advice above was something a head teacher who turned us away from their school gave us.

It’s not a private school it’s a school in the village where my family have lived for 800 years. Unfortunately they seem to abide by their own rules as they’re a voluntary aided CofE school.

I’ve tried the unsuitable schools out of the area more than two miles away and they’re all saying no as well.

I applied for a place again for my daughter in May at the school behind our house, and failing that again in September and still no luck. Unfortunately they managed to accept my friends child again so clearly they had space in the class, the space that was supposed to be for my daughter.

I’m regularly informed of when children have left by friends. I’m struggling to fight this and it’s not fair on her. I applied to the school even before we moved house hoping she would be accepted, I never thought there would be a chance they could say no because she has epilepsy. It is wrong, it shouldn’t happen, but it does.

I’ve tried a special needs school and she’s not disabled enough. I can’t win.

its shocking isn't it. We've had about a good 6 schools with spaces tell us 'no' - people quote the admissions code and don't believe but I find more and more people that have had to battle, and fight to get a school space.

I’ve also emailed other schools within a 6 mile radius and so far no replies from them.

DD has a health care plan with a school nurse which clearly states what to do and that she only has a seizure once or twice a month now.

@grasspigeons it’s absolutely horrendous. Admissions say they are now “formally approaching the school”. I don’t think that will do much, as I took them to an appeal hearing with the Church of England and that failed!

It won’t be because she has epilepsy- it will be down to numbers. Unfortunately you are in a situation like many are where there are not enough school places. If there was a place your child would have it- the fact your friends daughter got in may be because their appeal was better (siblings, church goers or something else you don’t know). There will be a school somewhere but are you sure you’ve gone far enough. The council have to offer you a school- what have they offered? Xx

I presume she has no EHC plan? Is the year group already over PAN?

@WoWsers16 o wish that was the case, but unfortunately we’ve been informed of schools with places and we’ve applied and they’ve still said no. The last school didn’t even give admissions a reason why. My friends child didn’t appeal, they were allowed into the school without applying for a place. Admissions are investigating.

We have no offers

I would suggest speaking to a lawyer. You may be able to launch a judicial review. However the school does have to consider her well being in this as well. If she is having regular seizures and they are already struggling to meet the needs of other pupils it may be unreasonable for them to give her a place. It’s actually quite common for children to go without a school place. I have friends who live in a town with a very high proportion of new builds. They haven’t been able to get their kids into a state school despite trying for over a year. They’re all full apparently.

@holidayshopping No EHC she doesn’t need one, and from all of the schools we’ve applied to only 1 was full. It’s frustrating beyond belief.

If it's a C of E primary school, your friend (or others) may be higher up the pecking order than you are (e.g. looked after children, already have a sibling there, church go-ers etc). You don't have a "right" to a place there, they have to abide by their admissions policy.

Have you been offered a place at all? I feel for you but school places are so over subscribed in most places now, it's not as simple as moving and getting in at the local school.

The council MUST offer you a school place. Stop telling them you’re home educating. Tell them your child receives no schooling and you demand that they offer a school place.

Are you on a waiting list for all of the acceptable schools? What position are you?

My friend has a child with a developmental delay of around twelve months, the school I work at turned her dc down even though there were spaces, the governors said they didn't have the resources to cope and also cited 'the balance' of needs.

She ended up taking it to the LA but then backed down as she didn't want her dc somewhere that didn't want them .

@Racecardriver I completely understand where there are cases of overpopulation and not enough school places for each child, however we’re in villages 10 miles from any nearest town. There are more than 8 schools within a 5 mile radius and we’ve never had a problem with overpopulation. My DD is upset we can’t find a school for her. If I could win the lottery I’d send her to our local private school 😢

the bit of guidance is 'supporting children with medical conditions at schools'
It sets out the statutory duties that governors are supposed to make arrangements for children with medical conditions and its not supposed to impact on admissions.
it is trickier if all the schools are full but the ones with spaces really do have a duty to make this work.

@namechangedtoday15 unfortunately they haven’t abided by their admissions policy and admissions are not happy with them. They stated on the phone to me “they may be a voluntary aided school but they can’t do what they want!” We attend church, as have our family here for 800 years.

We have no offers! It’s ridiculous. I’m tempted to start my own “school” 🤣

@ghostsandghoulies my DD is first for every schools waiting list, they just keep saying no.

Your LA have to offer you a place at the nearest school that has places. If it is more than 2 miles away they have to provide free transport for the child, but it may just be a bus pass for the child. They should not reject her on the grounds of epilepsy.
Have you contacted the Ombudsman (or the EFA if it is an academy)?