Another one about admissions appeal

[pleasehelp01]

I've been following alot of the threads on here about admission appeals and was hoping those with knowledge in this field would be able to help me too!
Ok, we are appealing for our child's place for yr3 juniors. she attends the link infant school at the moment, as does her younger sibling.
She is currently no 1 on the waiting list, but likely to go down to 2nd place as another child in catchment with a sibling is about to go on the list. We are out of catchment, the reasons for refusal of a place...also that we applied late due to only moving to the area a month ago.
we are appealing on the basis that dd has settled very well at the link infants and has formed some close friendships. She is extremely shy and not very confident. For her to start from scratch at a different school from her friends will have a substantial impact on her social and emotional well being.
Also we are a military family, so dd has moved country, house and school and really doesn't need more upheaval when she's settled so well. Not to mention the fact that her dad will be deploying early next year.
Most people i've spoken to say we have a strong case. Any other opinions, advice is gratefully recieved!

Oh also, a couple of weeks ago the yr3 teacher visited my dd class to introduce herself to the children. My dd saw her name on the yr3 class list along with most of her friends. there will be 2 yr3 classes and there were 34 pupils on the list dd saw.

Ok,
Firstly you should have no hesitation in playing the forces card. Whilst the admission code does not say that forces personnel should be given places at appeal, there is a presumption that consideration should be given.
In our area we frequently get a TA major who attends appeals to push this aspect very hard (too hard in some respects) so I would ask whether there is somebody who does this in your locality. If not a letter confirming the facts and that they will be deploying from someone in authority would be a benefit. You also in your submission should indicate the number of times that your children have moved school and how much distress this causes.
The situation with the year 3 teacher visiting the class room is a bit peculiar. It is quite usual for the infants to visit the year 3 classroom in the juniors but immediately the class 3 teacher visits the year 2 class and you have the situation of your daughter not having a place, you are giving a suggestion that a place will be offered. This list has clearly given your daughter an impression that they are going to the junior school and you should also submit these facts to the panel, emphasing the point that your daughter has been given the clear impression that she is going to the junior school with her friends. Is there any way that this list can be substantiated, which would substantially improve your case? Does any friend have the list with two classes on it, with your daughters name on it?

Admission, thank you for the reply. Our welfare officer has offered to attend the appeal with us if they are allowed, i'm not sure how many people i can take. Would myself, my husband and the welfare officer be ok? I could also get a letter from my husbands superiors.
I have meeting with the head of the prefered school tomorrow (she is also head of the linked infants). I will ask her if i can have a copy of the list with my dd name on it. The school are being very supportive, although i know they are not supposed to openly do so. I thought it strange too that the yr3 teacher visited and I was under a false sense of security when dd said she saw her name on the list.
Can i quote the admissions code re being a military family?
Para 3.27 Families of UK service personnel, other crown servants and British council employees are subject to frequent movement within the UK and abroad, often at relatively short notice. Local authorities and admission authorities must:
a) ensure that the needs of the children of these families are taken into account.
Or am I clutching at straws? Does this fall under the Fair Access Protocol?
I have read so much information and made so many notes it's beignning to fry my brain! lol
On my appeal form do i put my whole case across or just bullet point and elaborate during the appeal? I don't want to leave any info out on the form and not get the chance to give the full situation if my nerves get the batter of me!

Apologies for spelling mistakes! i'm making notes as i'm typing!

The admission appeal code does not actually specify a maximum number of people who can attend for one appealant, though normally the expectation is 2 parents. The rules allow a solicitor as well so I can see no reason to not have 3 present but I would make it clear in your submission that there will be the welfare officer present as well - if that means that husband is in uniform then that just helps a little bit to ring the right bells! Any additional info like letters is always valuable.
You should certainly quote para 3.27 just to make sure that the panel have to take due notice.
I would be careful about asking for the list directly of the head. I would try and find out more from friends before the meeting if possible. Then I would ask the head to just explain how the class will be organised as you have heard it will be two classes. Actually just an admission that there will be two classes shoud then be enough of an opportunity to ask why they are having 2 classes when there are only 30 pupils. Not sure how the head is going to answer that without admitting that they expect more than 30 in the year group. I would have expected by now that the school will have sent a letter out to parents if they were splitting the class, so to me that is the obvious way to ask for the list without it being obvious you want to know that your daughter's name is on there.
It is up to you how you wish to present the case. Many people do use bullet points for the different threads of the appeal and then elaborate at the hearing. It would be sensible to include all your different arguements in the bullet points so you remember them.

When i spoke to the head she admitted that if we won the appeal there would be 35 in dd class. I don't really know anyone well enough in dd class to ask them about the list, i'm usually in the reception playground collecting my youngest, so haven't had chance to mix with dd friends parents yet.
I suppose i could ask the head in a round about way for more info on class size etc if we won and bring up the list with her name on in passing. But then it still wouldn't be substantiated. I'm thinking that this list was before all offers were made and had one been declined my dd would have got a place. If this is the case, then the original list will probably be in the bin!

I am currently appealing for my son to go to a particular school in year 2. My Husband is also in the forces and i sent off my sons application form off months and months ago with our posting order saying where we were moving too. I called the council in june to find out what was going on with the application and i was told that they couldnt secure a place for my son as they hadnt got an address. Its so annoying isnt it! Im going to speak to the welfare officer where we are moving too and see if he/she will come with me to the appeal. I wouldve thought we had a good case seeing as though councils have to accept the posting order as a proof of where we are going, they didnt follow this process. If they had then my son may have been given the school i put down. I hope you get it all sorted and i hope they accept your appeal. Im definitely saying about the whole military thing as i think its very important. My Husband will most probably get deployed and i think its very important for the kids to be at a school where other kids are going through the same experience.

i realy wish you well in your appeal, we just lost ours but be warned that if it is a class size appeal the only way these are won is if the admissions authority have made a mistake, we had a really strong case due to both my daughter and my husbands disabilities but it seemed no matter what we said we could not win as no mistakes were made...but go armed with everything you have got. when we went to the appeal some people had 3 or 4 others attending with them so i cant see why you can not take a 3rd person with you...all the very best x

lynsey,
The admission people have got this wrong. You should quote paragraph 3.27 at them, which says that LA must accept a Unit postal address or if appropriate a "quartering area" address for applications for service personnel in the absence of a new home postal address. The "quartering area" address is the address of the closest house in the nearest quartering area, if that makes sense - the nearest house to the school which is a services residence.

As the LA have not used this address it is highly likely that you have been disadvantaged in the intervening time, given that many schools with significant number of service children in them have a highish turn over of pupils.

lynsey, they definately messed up with your application, so push that military side of your case. I'm using paragraph 3.27 as part my appeal. They should've allocated you a place based on unit address.
josie, sorry you didn't win your appeal and thank you for your support!
I have another question for those who have filled in an appeal form...i have a draft of my statement ready to put onto the form. I was emailed the appeal forms so have them saved in my email. How do I type onto the form so I can print it off rather than write it by hand? I don't want to have the first page hand written and the rest printed, also would prefer not to hand write the whole thing so it looks neat and tidy. I have tried a few things but it won't let me type on the form. Any help appreciated.

Hi I wonder if anyone can help. Our family is currently living overseas - my husband is a crown servant and we will be returning to our home in Scotland next year in time for the new academic year. We are in the process of putting in a placing request for our daughter at the local primary school in our home town and I wondered if anyone knows if the admissions code which outlines provision for the children of crown servants and those in the armed forces also applies in Scotland or if there is alternative guidance for Scotland. Any info or advice from other crown servants returning to scotland would be really appreciated.

There is alternative guidance for admissions in Scotland and I am afraid I do not know enough to offer any sensible advice other than contacting the Local Authority concerned and asking for advice.