What are our chances in a secondary school appeal on medical grounds

[AlexIM]

Hi everyone,
I said I will start a topic here to see if at least I can get some piece of mind.
My daughter got a place at a secondary school that is too far from our address.
What happened is: we were forced to move but our new address was not taken into consideration into the first round even if we were in the catchment area and therefore we got a place at an undersubscribed school which is 17 min and 30 bus stops from our home.
We are appealing as our first option was 10 min walk however due to the forced move obviously we were put after on the waiting list.
Now my daughter is 56pounds and 133cm and 10yr and 8 months, she is under GP and paediatric dietician for faltering growth and poor weight gain with nutritional supplements daily.
We have a supporting letter from GP and paediatric dietician advising she should attend closest school to home as she has anxiety and requires a long time to eat and longer commute will affect this.
What are our chances of winning ?
This is not about preferences or friendship is just we need her to go to the closest school.

Any advice is welcome
Thank you

I don't understand the significant disadvantage in a 17 min journey as opposed to a 10 min one? Are those the correct timings?

I don't see how a 17 minute journey will affect her weight gain? I would imagine medical grounds and distance to house would be more for situations where parents are expected to come to school to help quickly in a medical emergency?

I think if there is any common sense in the system, you will win the appeal, and I hope you do.

It’s not just the difference between a 10 minute walk and a 17 minute bus journey. In 5 years of schooling there will be bus failures/timetable disruption, after school commitments that necessitate a later finish, ill health requiring a journey in the middle of the day…30 bus stops away is very different from 10 minutes walk, especially for a child with health problems and a family that already has enough stress to cope with. This is exactly the sort of situation the appeals process should be for.

@JeopardyLeopardy it is 17 min walk and 30 bus stops which means 55 min

@JeopardyLeopardy it is 17 min walk and 30 bus stops which means 55 min

@Overbooked it is 17 min and 30 bus stops which totals to 55 min

@sprigatito it is actually 17 min walk and 30 bus stops which equals to 55 min total

She takes a lot of time to eat and has gag reflex
She wears clothes 7 years and I gave to feed her as well

We just need an allocated place to the closest school to use to minimise fatigue , anxiety and further weight loss.
This is what the dietician and GP advised.
We are not trying to get a place just because we prefer the school but we were just wondering what would our chances be considering the evidence we have.

Ah that makes more sense! I hope you get it sorted OP!

If the close school is over subscribed what can they do?

@catipuss I am not saying the school is in the wrong as I understand they follow policies and procedures.
I was just wondering about our chances considering the evidence we can provide.

Ah okay, thanks for clarifying, that's a big difference in commute. Is she on the waiting list in the right category now you're in the catchment?

I’m glad you clarified as I was also thinking 10min vs 17min is fine.
But 50min but a child with health issues is indeed not ideal! Are there other schools with a shorter commute that you could also appeal to? Just in case it doesn’t work with the one 10min away.

@JeopardyLeopardy she is number 7 however the chances of getting a place before September are slim even though they advice historically there were places offered.

@Myskyscolour unfortunately all others imply more walking distance than using the bus.
We were advised by paediatric dietician and GP a close proximity school as not to get her from her routine and schedule.
Its hard because we're already facing things like "you dont belong in year 6 , you should be in year 3 or 4" "you're so tiny" and whilst we are encouraging with her and supporting she still feels taken down by this sometimes.