Appealing school place - tips for success?!

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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 thought that - but I was really surprised when I asked how many just said ‘no, that’s the lesson for the day.’ - I appreciate teachers can’t make individual lesson plans for each child but at the same time, I thought there’d be some provision for more advanced students. This was the only school that said they’d support her . I just remember being that kid and it was awful- from when I was about 8-9 my mum and dad took me to the local college for some of my classes but as you can imagine being a little kid sat with your parents wasn’t the best for my social life and I’d really like for her to have better (especially because it’s obviously she’s much smarter than I was at her age!)

Being "advanced" is irrelevant.

What would be relevant is establishing if any appeal would be under ICS rules (ie you cannot have more than 30 pupils per teacher in years R-2). So do they combine year groups during those years, and how? If admitting more than 25 to reception means that at any point in those years, there would be more than 30, then it is ICS rules.

An ICS appeal can only be won on the following grounds:
a) the admissions arrangements breach the Admissions Code (eg not giving priority to a group they must, or giving priority to a group they must not) AND if the arrangements had been compliant, your DC would have been offered a place (This is very rare, BTW)
b) There was a mistake in processing your application (eg home to school distance inaccurate) AND if the correct distance had been used, your DC would have been offered a place
c) the decision is so unreasonable perverse it cannot be allowed to stand (bar for this is very high - eg placing a DC who uses a chair for mobility in the only school for miles around that is not adequately accessible)

If it is not an ICS appeal, then there is the further possibility of a "balance of prejudice" case - ie demonstrating that the detriment (ie prejudice) to your DC from not attending is greater than the prejudice to the school and its other pupils by going over numbers.

So does the school have unusually small classrooms that mean they cannot fit more pupils in them? Or is there another reason why its PAN is 25?

What benefit would your DC get from this school that cannot be had elsewhere? General statements about being "advanced" won't be sufficient, as (even if you think it's polite fiction) all schools are held to be capable of differentiating for pupils of all abilities. So what does this school offer that others nearby does not? Can you evidence (beyond parental assertion) that this provision is disproportionately important to your DC?

This part of the case would be important if the panel finds that the school can indeed admit up to a PAN of 30, but if there are 7 appellants for 5 places, they cannot all be admitted, so it will be the 5 for whom there is the strongest "balance of prejudice" case that would get offers.

If your child is clever, she can always do extension work. And besides,she can't possibly know everything yet.
You can help her with depth of knowledge at home.

Also, "being advanced" is absolutely the smallest priority you should have for your child at school, she should be joining reception with the ability to play and play with others. The social skills are what she needs. . she needs to be able to sit and listen, ask appropriate questions, play fairly with a variety of peer aged children, be able to explore, be able to independently and cooperatively play. All with other 4/5 year olds
If she's been socialising with older children (6-9 as you mentioned) she might not actually do that well on that side of things.

Doesn't matter if she's reading at adult level, or knows number bonds to a million.

If she can't do the above, she'll struggle...

The majority of children at C of E schools, and their families, aren't Church goers. That would not be seen as a valid reason at an appeal. I would advise you to actually look at these schools before you dismiss them simply for being C of E. They are required, and assessed on, being inclusive of all children.

She goes to nursery two days a week and has lots of friends her own age - so that’s good - nursery have said she’s very happy and settled there. But I think there’s a bit of difference between being age appropriate for play and socialising and being able to sit and quietly be a self directed learner (tbf she can do this for about an hour or so but then wants my input , obviously a teacher might not be able to do this as readily in a larger classroom) I wouldn’t be as worried if she was older because then she could just sit and do her extension work quietly - but I remember just being given a calculus book at 8 or 9 and being told to just get on with it . As you can imagine , it was not a success 😂

hopefully the fact they were willing to stretch numbers previously means they have the capacity to do so this year ! Otherwise we’ll just have to figure out how I can homeschool! (I imagine this would mean me going into private practice which would be a whole other ethical minefield for me !)

The appeals board will not stretch numbers without good reason. And her "being advanced" is not good enough reason.

Why do you think this school will suit your daughter better than any other? Like a genuine need (rather than it being your personal preference).

The point remains that the social side of things is the most important part of Reception. Doesn't matter if you're kid is a genius, if she can't play/listen/join in then she will have issues.
She'll have SO MUCH to learn from the fact she'll be with 25 kids with varying needs and issues, I'm a noisy, new, sometimes chaotic environment. Kids are unpredictable.

Even the most studious child who can sit and focus for 45-60mins at home, might not be able to do that in a classroom setting. There's loads going on, it's louder, more people etc

It won't (and doesn't) matter how good she is at maths/reading. It really doesn't. You can stretch her academically if you must, at home.

I visited many! Those closest to us were the ‘worse’ for not being inclusive - eg one literally had ‘conversion’ on the curriculum and my face definitely wasn’t kept on properly- way too pregnant and hormonal for that! Another had all the children write their ‘worship style’ on big posters across the halls - she’ll be 4 , she’ll have limited capacity to understand the socio-political context of religion- how can she possibly be expected to determine how she worships a god she may not even believe in? And then to be made to publicly declare it?! It felt very shaming if she were to say she didn’t worship if all her friends names would be up there.

Others seemed much more inclusive and I liked how they were quite pragmatic about the pros and cons of religion (I have no issue if she chooses to be religious and think there are definitely benefits to having a faith but I want it to be an informed decision and I don’t think a young child has the capacity or the life experience to make that decision) - unfortunately they were even further away and her odds of getting in where very slim.

What would be the basis for your appeal be?
If you are out of catchment and all their places are filled you will not win an appeal because reception classes are nit allowed to go over the legal limit . You will always win an appeal if thee has been some mismanagement by the LA or if your child has SEN, or if there are any other special circumstances.
But you can go on the waiting list for your preferred school and I know many children who have been offered a place that way. Often many things change between when you have to apply for a place and when the child actually starts.

Does your child play a musical instrument for example and the school you desire has an orchestra? At appeal focus on what that school has that meets the needs of your child.

all primary school appeals would say they meet the curriculum needs of a child. So what else does it have?

It's really not healthy to obsess that only one school is acceptable, if you're in the state system. Most schools are good, most teachers are good, your life and your child's life will not be ruined forever by a different school. Honestly, I've been there, black and white thinking when it comes to these things sends you actually mad.

This is fine for other years but for an ICS appeal you need to show the LA have made a mistake in allocating per their criteria and that you'd have got a place otherwise.

So my mum keeps telling me 😂 I’m trying to remind myself that just because my school experience was bloody awful, it doesn’t mean me that hers will be! (and tbf mine would have ruined my chances of university etc if my parents hadn’t been in the position to get me up to the college, extra opportunities outside of school etc - something I would struggle with as a solo parent . I was repeatedly told it didn’t matter how I did academically because I was going to be a dancer - while I did become a professional dancer for many years, I’m glad I also pursued a university degree which gave me a bit more of a stable option for my current age/situation - which I wouldn’t have done if I’d relied on my school )

i think it’s also the large amount of outdoor provision this school provides - I’m really interested by all the eco-psych research which shows how important it is for brain health and development and reduction of some SEN/EBDs - feels really important I protect that brain of hers!

Yes - I was told that around her dance/gymnastics . Apparently it’s for when she is older (if she’s still interested obviously ) although they will give her time off for exams and competitions (when I feel she’s old enough for that sort of pressure!)

but you can take her outside a plenty when she's not at school, she'll have lots of outdoor play.

You basically really want that school, which is fair enough. But you have zilch for an appeal if it comes to it.

What's the PAN? 25 is unusual it's usually multiples of 15/30.

I think it’s also the large amount of outdoor provision this school provides - I’m really interested by all the eco-psych research which shows how important it is for brain health and development and reduction of some SEN/EBDs

Lots of parents would like lots of outdoors provision. This argument won't be appeal winning unless you can show your DC has SEN or other condition and a professional opinion that outdoors provision is likely to ameliorate it (ie there is prejudice to her if she does not have it). It may be worth including, but you will need other reasons too.

If the PAN is 25, and they don't have mixed year classes anywhere in the infant school, it's not an ICS appeal, as the ICS limit is 30.
If it's not an ICS appeal, it's about balancing the prejudice to your daughter of not attending that specific school against the detriment caused to the children already allocated that school by going over PAN. So the school case would probably be about classroom size, TA availability, high levels of SEND or Pupil Premium or lack of space in the dining hall, playground, IT suite etc.
Yours might be about the importance to your family and your daughter of attending a secular school, and this being the only one within reasonable travelling distance or this school being the only one locally with a forest school type approach, which your daughter really benefitted from at nursery (with supporting letter from nursery) for example.

True, but if they're are multiple people appealing, things like distance, siblings at the school, and an actual need for that particular school will come above the OPs reasons, as they aren't exactly strong...

Oh, absolutely @Squeekey - if OPs was the only appeal, she'd be in with a reasonable chance, but probably not if there were multiple appeals.

I’ll give it my best shot and if it fails - we’ll home school. Not sure how - but we will!

sounds like from other posts that there’s a bit more hope than that so all I can do is hope for the best, do what I can and explore options for homeschooling as a result.

i think my concern around the outside bit is that other parents might not do that - and the
more time that teachers spend on behavioural issues, the less time they spend teaching - which obviously means worse outcomes overall (I think it’s important to have inclusive classrooms- just with the current funding situation I think most teachers understandably struggle to meet both aims )

Ooh - thank you for the suggestion re a nursery letter. I’ll definitely ask them - they have also noted how important it is that shes challenged and she’s always been moved up in rooms early

Thank you all for your responses - I’m aware it’s going to be a challenge but I need to know I’ve done my best for her. Knowing it’s a challenge will also give me time to figure out homeschooling if this doesn’t work out .

for now, I’ve got to have hope and at least do my best - even if it’s slim chances.

for future replies - can we please stick to any helpful suggestions rather than repeating the doom and gloom as there’s already been several pages and I’m fully aware of how shite the situation is so don’t need any more reminding !

Last year there was only one so who knows- I could be lucky! Got to cling on to some hope !

I can absolutely guarantee that not one person in the school will have any idea how she was conceived unless you tell them!

I cannot believe this happened - certainly not in this country!