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?

Thanks for all the great advice. Can I just check though- in appeal terms do I just need to be able to prove I am closer to the school than the last accepted in my category, or does this potentially change where the line is drawn? I am worried by how many others this affects too- as the children who got in are perhaps 0.5 a mile from us on the far side of an estate with loads of people who applied. So potentially there could be a lot of appeals who technically are closer than the two anomalous cases who got in. This is stressful enough but when they won't give you the information because it is clear they made a mistake it makes me feel like I am being miss marple. This is my first child and I'm expecting another just before school starts so there is now quite a lot riding on this. I just want to buy uniform and sew in name tapes before I have the baby!

I have an appeal on Wednesday about trying to get my child transferred from a year 2 class to another school, which is catholic. we have now converted and what him to go to a catholic primary school. At the moment he is in a county primary school, which is not religious. hIs younger brother has got a place at the school and been there for a month. they say that the year 2 can't have a place as admission for year 2 is 40 and they have already let 44 in, so are over subscribed. They have also said it will prejudice education of other children as lead to over crowding in classroom and other areas in school and that they have no funding for additional children, as funding only given in APril based on number of kids in school in OCtober, so over 12 months away before they receives anymore money.

The school has 26 & 18 kids in the year 2 classes, so appealing to get him into the class of 18. in reception and year 1 they have increased uptake to 60, so have class size of 30 in reception and in year 1 they are not full, as have class size of 25 and 26. So would this help the appeal as year 2 has a smaller class than other KS1 classes.

If the admission is 40 so they say the school is full. if year 1 and reception have 60 would you state this as your first reason. The school is catholic so does do over 2 hours of r.e a week and prayers 4 times a day while current school is not religious and doesn't pray. What other reasons could I site.

jellybean72 - No you don't need to say anything about PAN, etc. in your appeal statement but it won't get anyone's backs up if you do. You need to bring this up when questioning the school's/LA's representative in the hearing.

Hi Guys, can please give us 1st time parents some advice please?

We didn't get ANY of our 4 choices for our daughter (1st being the local Catholic school as she is a baptised catholic). Instead we have been offered a place in the local school which does not suit her.

We have a place secured for her in a local private school as she attends their nursery.

We have contacted the catholic school who 'run their own list' and are unable to tell us at present where she is on the list.

Our question is, if we send her to private school how do we ensure she is on the list for the catholic school?

We have a letter from Surrey CC advising us to either accept the place offered at the school which we did not choose or decline it and state what arrangements we have made.

If we decline the offered place and inform them she is going private, will her name be removed from the waiting lists of the 4 schools we did choose?

Thanks in Advance!

Hello,i really need some advice.We are Eastern Orthodox Christians,my dd is attending Catholic school(year2),but we didn't get place for a reception class for my ds at the same school. Bouth my children are baptised as Orthodox Christians.I have a right to appeal.Has anyone been in similar situation? or anyone could suggest me what should I do?

Hi Everyone,

I have two questions that I cannot find the answer to ... can anyone help?

1. In your appeal do you talk about the School you have been allocated and why it is bad or ONLY talk about the School you want and why it is good?

1. Do Panel members look collectively at all appeals for one School together? As a collective? Ie Your appeal might get in in another year but because there are better appeals than your this year (or maybe a SEN child) and the School you all want can only realistically absorb 1 or 2 children you might loose. Are you effectively in competition with your other appealers?

Thanks

Sunshine, is it an infant class size appeal ie are there already 30 children in the class?

doctrine

It is junior.

To tiggytape. Thanks for the reply,much appreciate.Yes,the priority is given to catholic baptised children even without a sibling in the school.It is rely upsetting.The last place was given to catholic baptised child with a distance of 1500 meters and we live just 300 meters away from school.That makes me really helpless as we are only in the 5th criterion and have no priority whatsoever.

monk123 this might be clutching at straws but is the Eastern Orthadox Church also known as the Orthadox Catholic Church? My local Catholic Schools in their admission criteria do not specify Roman Catholic in their entry criteria, although both clearly identify with the Roman Catholic Church. I imagine that this is because historically there are few Catholics who are not Roman Catholic where we live. They simply specify 'Catholic'. As there are also some circumstances under which communion may be taken at the other church you might be able to argue that technically you are Catholic, if the school does not specify Roman Catholic, and hence should have been considered in a higher category. This might be strengthened in appeal with some documentation from your Church demonstrating that you are in fact in a church which is know as Catholic, albeit Orthadox not Roman.

Hi, so sorry to but in but loads of advice and tips and wondered if anyone could help me, please read below:

I wondered if anyone out there has some hot tips for my appeal for my son to attend a church school starting in September 2014 into YEAR 3

Brief story:
He has been on their waiting list since 2011 and year 3 they have 4 more spaces become available. He slipped to 5th on the list so has missed out. His younger sister attends the school and so life is pretty hard with the school runs and I have a third child who will start school in Sept 2015 so not sure what school to choose!!!
BUT
The school that I am trying to get my son into has just made a space for one extra child in year 2 as from April 2014 (the child I believe is adopted and presume is one of the top 4 on the waiting list) so come September the school will be back to normal with numbers.

I receveived their refusal letter today for my son not making it to Year 3 and in the letter it stated reasons why they can't make space....like, noise, resources, staffing and the size of the class room. But I feel that they have managed to make space without it effecting the above issues.

Do you think I could appeal on this as I have read somewhere that appealing on just a sibling and waiting list issues would not be enough.

Please, I hope someone can help....I am desperate!!!

Thanks

Hoping for more helpful advice- after 4 days of badgering the lea to give me the information for my appeal (distance from school and category of last child admitted. Plus my distance from the school). The school is a foundation school and seems to have own admissions. Lea is now refusing to give me this information as they are saying that I will only get it as part of my appeal pack from the school- once I have appealed. All I want is the piece of information which makes it clear that the distance is further than my house- and hence a mistake has been made to know I am on firm ground. This seems a hideous catch 22 situation to be in. Is this right? And am I right in thinking that I still may not get a place for my child even if I am successful at appeal because it is a ICS appeal? I am not sure I could live with knowing an error on their part meant some other child was given a place which was rightfully my sons.

If it is an error then your DS could be admitted as an excepted child.

They will not know last distance admitted yet as not everyone will have accepted yet; they should know last distance offered but given there has been less than 10 working days yet between offers and today, they may still be within a reasonable timeframe, not sure what the time limits are.

If there's a mistake, technically you shouldn't have to appeal but I understand some LEAs have the appeal anyway for "face saving"

Btw, is it a "straight line" measurement or shortest walking route

It's a straight line measurement. The lea are being obstructive now. Am majorly pissed off.

Does anyone know if their being a foundation school means it makes any difference

I think the foundation schools arrange their own appeals but admission etc will know for sure.

They do have to give you the information a reasonable time before the appeal.