Appealing school place - tips for success?!

[IMBCRound2]

I’m hoping I’m worrying unnecessarily and my child will get the space at the only school I’d consider sending her to- but I’ll find out about two weeks after my due date for my second! I don’t want to be writing the appeal when I’m newly postpartum (and that’s assuming baby isn’t late!)

Has anyone been through the process and can provide some hints and tips for a successful appeal?

How was the actual panel? I’m hoping they might let me do it virtually if I’ve just had a baby but equally keep having sleepless nights picturing myself trying to string a coherent sentence together with a newborn strapped to me and wearing postpartum nappy in a room full of people!

I can’t help but there is a user, PHBridge or similar who always has lots of advice. Sorry, can’t remember the name but if you search the school threads, they’re usually on there.

I assume this is for primary? Why do you think you won't get it? They can't go above pan in infants unless there are really exceptional circumstances (someone with an ehcp or a child who has been in the care system) so I think it will be extremely difficult for you to get in on an appeal. You might just have to go on the waiting list for the school.
Also they might do all appeals as zoom appeals now but I think it's unlikely they will make an exception for you if they don't, regardless of the new baby.

Did you only list one preference?

What year are they going into (assuming reception)?

How many school places did you put down?

What's the entrance criteria (catchment, distance etc)? Have you checked the furthest distance admitted in prior years?

Whatever school you're offered you must accept, even if you're appealing for another school. By declining a place the LA isn't obligated to find you an alternative school so your option would then be to home school or find an undersubscribed school.

It was a long time ago, 10+ years for my neice. They were claiming school oversubscribed so couldn't take any more as it would impact tge education of the other children. I think there were 3 of us appealing. I had all the data from previous years, including number of children with EHCP. The numbers were same/less if they took the 3 appeals. I asked for evidence that the education of kids in that year for last 4? Years had been negatively affected.
We all got a place - but it was onky my data and questioning that got that, other parents didn't have a clue.

Why is your partner not doing this appeal as you've just given birth?

The panel will look at the admissions criteria and stick to it basically.

Unless there's significant need, you won't get in no matter how nice and lovely you are and how much you want that particular school.

You have to be realistic.

Is this for Reception? Very hard to win an appeal for KS1

At reception if the class is full, maximum 30, then you would only win if an error was made in processing the application and that error wrongly denied you a place.

If it is for Reception, and there is a 30 in class, you have to prove a procedural mistake has been made (NB... its not necessarily 30 in a year..... it could be 20, or 45, or 15, it depends how they arrange classes across year groups)

If its not a class size issue, you have to show that the benefit to the child outweighs the negative impact to others.

If this is for reception you'll only win an appeal if they've applied the admissions criteria wrong, i.e. miscalculated distance or not taken into account something that puts you in a higher category (i.e. church attendance for a religious school). SEN is not usually considered unless you have an EHCP.

So we’re a bit out of catchment- technically their catchment is two very very small villages so they have said it’s highly unlikely they will fill via that measure but there is a closer village which possibly might fill spaces .

the head was quite encouraging when we visited and I said we’d be applying so I’m hoping im worrying for nothing but id rather be prepared - if i need to go before panel then at least practice what im going to say now, etc rather than in labour!

No, I was advised not to - but i put down two more but I wouldn’t actually send her to them.

The head will have no control over admissions so ignore whether they were encouraging or not.

You'll need to answer the rest of the questions before anyone can tell you if you have an appeal case. If it's for KS1 and they've applied the criteria correctly then realistically you don't.

I can hopefully do the last part of it so that’s what I’ll work on (I think it’ll be under the able child provision?)

yes they said they try to keep it to 25 but last year they had one appeal so they stretched to 26 so that’s a hopeful sign? Unless I’m clutching at straws.

the original plan was to home school but im a solo parent - looks like im going to have to figure out how to make it work!

The PAN is published so that you can see if they “try” to keep it to 25 or if this is the actual limit that they are not allowed to go above.

Solo parent - Im sure my mum would have my newborn for me while I went in but I’m not sure I’d be totally focused if I worried about feeds etc.

(and part of the reason I became a solo parent is that there is no way I’d trust anyone enough for that - probably drag myself in active labour before I let that happen 😂)

so religion is part of our reason - or rather lack thereof. It’s the only non-religious school in our area and she’s agnostic. She’s also donor conceived to a solo mum (not interested in debates on this) and CoE is NOT a fan and I worry it could be damaging sending her into a space where her right to exist is questioned.

Thank you for all your help!

1. reception
2. i put down three but this is the only one id send her to
3. she meets them all apparently - there is a catchment but it’s TINY . There is a closer village but it has a number of schools so there aren’t always many applications. Distance wise we aren’t particularly close in terms of number of miles but there’s only one village which is closer …

yes - I’d homeschool if she doesn’t get in - or push for a very VERY generous flexi school arrangement. The other schools don’t cater to more advanced students and have said she’d be expected to just sit and do the work alongside everyone else - even though it’s what she’s been doing since she’s two- and she’ll be bored out of her mind. unfortunately when she’s not challenged during the day, she won’t sleep at night so I’ll have to do something because I want her to be happy (and I want to sleep!). For context she’s in with the 6-9 year olds for most of her hobbies so she’s used to being able to do things at her ability rather than her age if that makes sense ?

Oooh this is helpful- where do you find this please?

the head said they went to 26 last year on an appeal (and they only had one appeal apparently ) - so I guess there is some wiggle room?

Realistically, those reasons are going to have zero relevance to an appeal. Sorry.

Ps: my children go to a CofE school. There are kids of other faiths and none, there are different family set ups. I doubt anyone would know or care how your daughter was conceived.

Schools are very used to dealing with children of varying abilities, it is highly unlikely that she is going to be so 'advanced' that they can't cope...and you wouldn't know without trying.

And while most schools are CoE by name due to England technically being a 'Christian country', the religious element is non-existent. They're certainly not going to be going into donor conception and how everyone was conceived. My kids have never had anything along those lines, RE has always just been looking at all different religions and beliefs. A true Catholic school may live the beliefs more, but not CofE.

Wha makes you think she's "more advanced"?

You won’t win a PAN appeal based on ‘my child is bright and we think this school will meet her needs more’. Not a chance.

Primary school appeals for reception are either won on technicalities, such as the council not calculating the distance from your house to school correctly. Or in very, very rare cases on exceptional circumstances. Somebody I know appealed to get her child (who was in the process of having both a serious medical and possible neurodevelopmental condition assessed, but the EHCP hadn’t been formalised yet) into the school he went to pre school in. Any other year they would have got in but there was a weird sibling bulge that year. Nurses had been working with the school/the SENCO and they understood his needs. It made sense for him to stay at the same school. It’s that level of exceptional to win.