Class size appeal

[maroon35]

Hi,
My first post in a long while! My DD has been refused a place at all 3 of the schools we applied for on the basis of infant class size. She has been offered a place at the catchment school but I wouldn?t have put this as a 4th or 5th choice even if the forms let you do so due to its location and lack of onsite wraparound care (I work full time over 20 miles away).

I rang the LEA who told me DD is 4th, 2nd and 1st on the waiting list for our preferred schools. I have refused the place offered and stated my intention to appeal all 3 schools (was abroad at time).

How do I go about appealing on class size given the limited grounds? How do I know if a mistake is made as I am not privy to the details and rankings of all the other children?s choices and placements?

I live on a small close of 10 houses and there are children attending all 3 of schools I picked, yet this year a place is not available at any of them. This suggests that there is a general issue with school places. It?s irrational to me that the council have allowed 2 new estates to be built (one in the past 10 year?s one in the past 3 since we have been living here) but has not increased school places. It is also irrational to me that the LEA doesn?t expend popular schools. I?m not sure the appeal panel would think the same way.

Can I put DD on the waiting list for other schools we did not originally apply for as they better suit our needs?

Any/thoughts advice welcome as I?m tearing my hair out?

I think the mistake usually refers to a mistake with your child's admission - was DD placed in the right admissions category, for example. I think you can be on the waiting list of schools you didn't apply for, and you can certainly appeal for schools you didn't apply for first time around.

Probably the best thing would be to ask the LA if there are any places at any of the schools you would find acceptable, but stay on the waiting lists for the ones you really want. You can do this even if you accept a place elsewhere (which would be a good idea so that you have a Plan B you can live with, if you see what I mean).

I'm sure there'll be someone along who's better qualified to answer your questions, but I didn't want to leave your post unanswered :)

Looking at this from a different angle - if the school nearest your home is only unattractive due to lack of on site care, can you explore alternative care (childminder etc) options? If your preferred schools are influenced by your work location bear in mind that that may change over your DC's primary years.

Remember also that childcare arrangements do not usually count as valid reasons for appeal, frustrating though that is. You'd have to find something a bit more than that, I think.

The honest truth is that appeal panels cannot take into consideration any of the issues you raise to do with the level of school places even though they obviously have an efefct on you personally.
A mistake has to be around where you have been placed on the admission criteria order or the fact that you were excluded for some reason. Obviously if your application for the school was not included that would be a significant mistake, which may have precluded you getting a place.
Given that you are 4th, 1st and 2nd on the waiting lists for three schools any mistake is going to be around distance to the schools or that you put in the wrong admission category. So for the latter if you have a sibling and you were not put in that category.
How you find out is always the difficult bit. Obviously if the distance measurement to the school seems wrong then that is a reasonable hint that there may be an issue. Which category you were in should also be clear from the information that you get on the admission letter.
i think the other thing to say is that mistakes are not that often.

Maroon5 - l have a similar issue in that l believe another child has been mistakingly been offered a place (which they have not taken up) but that as i was number 31 on the list so would have had their place if a mistake had not been made. I too obviously want access to some data so that l can verify whether this mistake is valid.

l have agreed with my LA after a bit of discussion that the appeals form does not state a mistake being made in relation to my child and l can appeal on the grounds of another pupil's mistake.

I also clarified that the data will be made available to me once I appeal but not before. Seems crazy to me as if there is no mistake l wouldn't appeal in the first place, just seems like extra work for everyone which might not be necessary.

However l am awaiting the outcome of the reallocation of not taken up places this week, and thankfully school have agreed to wait for decision on appeal until after these have been made. Goodluck

maroon35 - You can appeal on the basis of any mistake in the admissions process which has denied your child a place. It doesn't have to be a mistake in processing your application. It can be any mistake in the process. However, the LA clearly can't let you have all the application forms so you are unlikely to spot a mistake relating to another child. The main things to check are that your child has been placed in the correct admissions category and that the distance seems correct. If those things are correct you are unlikely to be able to show that a mistake has been made. And I agree with Admission that your arguments about provision of places will carry no weight with the panel. That is outside their remit.

CheeseMeisterGeneral - I think your LA is trying to balance its Data Protection Act responsibilities against its responsibilities regarding admissions. It would be a clear breach of the Data Protection Act if they allowed parents access to other parents' data to allow them to go on a fishing expedition in an attempt to prove a mistake has been made, even if the parent thinks they have reason to believe the LA has got it wrong. Once you have lodged the appeal the LA is required to answer any reasonable questions you ask to help you prepare your appeal. However, they still have to be careful not to breach the DPA in the process.

And by the way the school really didn't have any choice over waiting for your appeal. The deadline they give is purely for administrative convenience. They cannot refuse your appeal just because you submit it after the deadline.