Any tips for primary school appeals?

[smallmotherbigheart]

This is my first time doing this, and I want to do this right. My son didn't get into any of the preferred schools that we listed? Has anyone done an appeal before?

Not ICS as its moving up to year 3

None of those are grounds to win your case. You either need to show that a mistake has been made which has deprived your child of a place or argue that your child will be disadvantaged if not admitted to this school. You will not win just because the LA hasn't provided information you requested or because the school may be able to cope with a few additional pupils.

Thanks prh ... I think I know what we have to do ... Just clutching at straws amid blind panic !

Hi there we have an appeal date for next week for Reception that is a 2 stage appeal (does this mean its not ICS?) My daughter has attended the Nursery attached to the school for the last 2 years and was the only one that did not get a place in Reception (due to distance).

PAN is 55 (and they have never had more than this apply before as its a village school). Expected numbers for 2013 are Rec 55/Yr1 50/Yr2 42 = 147.

Class break down for 2013 is:
Reception 30
Reception/Y1 28
Yr1 30
Yr1/2 30
Yr 2 30
Which is a total of 148?? 1 more than the expected number of 147?

Details we have been sent state that the school operates two classes in Reception and 3 classes across the other mixed groups.

At the open evening last year for PreSchool the Headteacher voiced his concern over the amouth of children in Preschool but did say he was able to take up to 60 Children in Reception - on this basis we decided (rightly or wrongly as we knew that at least 5 children from preschool were going to be going to other schools, that we wouldnt have an issue getting her in)

Do we have a chance of getting her in its not ICS surely?

Thanks for any help

Your paperwork should say whetehr it's ICS or not. It looks like it might not be given there is 28 in the R/Y1 class, but there may be future prejudice depending on how many Y2s there are.

Stage 2 is standard procedure and is about you, rather than the general stuff about the school which is applicable to all the appelants which is the stage 1 case.

Thanks titchy.

Just looked and didnt realise it does tell you - definatley a 2 stage appeal. There are 42 children in Y2 and 50 in Y1?

Document also states that if the PAN was to allow more than 55, there would be a large implication for the following year's classes (does this mean 2014 intake to Reception or for Yr1 & 2?) By keeping the current arrangements, we can retain 5 children in Reception to spread numbers in Y1/2. (Year 1 & 2 only have a total of 92 children so potentially only 2 would need places in Reception so there would still be space - or am i reading this incorrectly?)

thank you

Hello,

Please could prh47bridge or someone else help me understand the breakdown of numbers I've been given for my upcoming appeal for a reception place? I'm confused as to whether or not it will be an ICS appeal.

Numbers are

Class 1 Reception 15/Year 1 8 = 23
Class 2 Year 1 7/Year 2 19 = 26
Class 3 Year 3 15/Year 4 15 = 30
Class 4 Year 5 17/Year 6 17 = 34

Initially I thought it was not an ICS appeal because if another child was admitted the numbers would not go above 30 until Year 3 when the ICS regs no longer apply. But now I am thinking it can still be an ICS appeal based on 'future prejudice'.. is that right? This is the school's statement:

'If the school is required to admit further children (there are 4 on the waiting list for the reception age group in September at the present time) it will result in problems/pressures for the school when the children move into Key stage 2. Therefore it is desirable to maintain the admission limit where places are available within a reasonable distance to the child's home address.'

Any help/advice about this would be much appreciated! Thanks.

It won't be ICS or future ICS prejudice as this doesn't apply to KS2. They also have two cohorts of 17 so you can ask if they expect their results to be lower as a result of being larger than 15.

Thanks very much, that's helpful.

The other figures are:

PAN agreed with governing body = 15
Maximum workplaces available = 120 (17)
Minimum workplaces available = 105 (15)
Net capacity based on PAN = 105
Capacity last assessed = October 2011

So I'm assuming that as the expected numbers for the four classes are 113 children I can argue that admitting another child will not take them near their maximum capacity and therefore won't prejudice any other children? Would that be the right line of argument?

Thanks again for your help.

Definitely not ICS. If they organised infants with a Reception class and then a combined Y1/Y2 class it would be but given the class organisation stated this is definitely not ICS.

Their net capacity is 105. The fact they've set that at the bottom of the calculated range helps you as it suggests they can actually get up to 120 children before becoming overcrowded. They are currently over net capacity but still below the maximum. I would point this out to the panel but going from that to saying admitting another child won't prejudice the school may be a step too far. That is for the panel to decide. I would stick with making sure the panel know they are below the maximum.

You also need positive arguments as to why your child needs to attend this school. It is rare for a case to be won by persuading the panel that admitting another child will not cause prejudice.

Just to clarify my last comment, what I mean is that it is rare for a panel to conclude that admitting another child will cause no prejudice to the school. If they do and you are the only appeal your child will be admitted. If they decide there will be some prejudice to the school, even if it won't be very much, you will need to show that your child will be prejudiced if they are not admitted to this school.

I understand. I've taken all that on board and it's extremely helpful information.

Your knowledge of the various factors involved, and the questions and answers on this thread have helped me have a much better understanding of the process than I did previously.

Thanks to all, and good luck to everyone appealing.

Another question for the experts - I posted it in this thread a few pages ago but not sure if anyone saw it, so I'll copy it again. My friend is considering moving house now, so it may or may not be relevant, depending where she decides to move (it's for admissions next year, not this Sept).

"just looking up the schools in the city, including Park St, on behalf of a friend, and I'm slightly confused now. Most of them have in their admissions list a category of "children who were not admitted to their catchment primary because of oversubscription", and then following that, "children who live nearest the school". She is just in catchment for a popular school that might be oversubscribed from within catchment. She actually thinks she prefers a different school, also quite popular. So it sounds like it's better that she puts the catchment school first, hoping that she doesn't get into it, as then she'll have a better chance in the second choice school over people who just chose that school out of preference, because she'll be in a higher category from having missed out on catchment? Seems a risky game to play, although it wouldn't be the end of the world if she got into the catchment school - she's just less convinced of how wonderful it is than other people are. This is for next year though, so she's planning to look at this year's data to find out how on the border she is of likelihood of getting in to that one."

(sorry, it's more a question of admissions than appeals, bu hoping that if she gets the admissions part right she won't ultimately have any need to appeal!)

Hmmm that sounds like a way of making applicants prioritise schools in order to maximise their chances, which is against the admissions code, though I can see what the LEA is trying to do... Can she phone up and ask what criteria a child would come under if they didn't apply to their catchment school?

Can you clarify which LA we are talking about please. I've looked at Park Street school in Cambridge and can't find anything like that in their criteria.

yes that's the LA, but it applies not to Park St, I now see, but to many of the other schools that don't have church attendance as part of it (it's a PDF document that lists all the primary/secondary schools and their criteria). Categories 5 and 6 on many of these schools are the two we were wondering about - 5 being the one about not being able to gain admission to their catchment school, and 6 being the one about distance.

I did say that as far as I had always understood, she should just put the schools in the actual order of preference that she preferred, but then when I looked at the actual admissions criteria, I started to think that other reasoning might apply. It did seem to me like it was suggesting that order of preference would matter.

I'll suggest she ring up and ask and/or check the catchment areas more closely when this year's data is available, just to see if she is either very certain to come in to the catchment school or not, and/or how likely it is that people don't ever get in to the catchment if they put it as first choice and if that rule ever gets applied.

I see what you mean now. They seem to have that for all community schools. I would be tempted to refer that to the Schools Adjudicator for a ruling as to whether or not it is legal. It puts pressure on parents to name their catchment school as first choice as if they don't they will be lower priority for other schools. So in effect it reduces your chances of getting in to any school other than your catchment school since if you name it as first choice there is a good chance you will get a place there. I think this goes against the principles of the Admissions Code but that is a personal view and the Adjudicator may not agree. I don't know of any other LA that has tried something like this before.

Thanks, that seemed to be my interpretation too, and seems to put pressure on parents to name the catchment school, and/or to try to live in catchment of a v popular school that they don't want, in order to get in to a v popular school elsewhere in the city that they would be unlikely to qualify for on distance grounds.

I'll suggest she refer it onwards before she has to make a decision, if it looks like it's going to affect her (I'd be curious regardless, but I don't think she'll be sufficiently interested to refer it otherwise!).

dear one
iam applied for mutual transfer the other side BEO has accepted and given acknowledgment also, the problem with our BEO office there are not accepted the form, there asking marriage certificate but think is as per circular not required that certificate so finaly BEO office went for objection and said yesterday(26/06/2013) we send aplcn to DDPI office and DDPI we send same day to AD office and your mutual transfer we accepted by AD office just go and check, there saying like that, can know my mutual transfer possible or not ? thank you for understanding

Please explain the abbreviations you are using. At the moment I haven't a clue what you are talking about so am unable to offer any advice. Sorry.

Hello Everyone.
I thought that I should give you an update on my appeal since you some of you provided me with lots of valuable information.
I had the appeal scheduled for this Tuesday but last week Thursday we have received a phone call from the school informing us that they are opening up another form this year and my daughter automatically got in due to the fact that the appeal's process was in motion. We got a formal offer letter from LA this week and promptly replied.

Unexpected turn of events but I feel that we had very strong chances of winning the appeal anyway! Mixed feeling about not knowing how this would have ended up but elated she got it into our first choice school!
Thank you all for your help and support!

Well done eyvkas - but I really hope you weren't offered the place just because the appeal process was in motion - I hope you were offered the place as you were in the top 30 of the waiting list....

Hi Titchy
We were offered as priority for some unknown reason but we were top-ish of the waiting list, about 9th. With the new reception class opening, she would have got in from the list anyway.