Admissions team say no place in yr3 but headteacher says other!

[penny23]

I have had a discussion with the headteacher of a primary school where I want my son to move to (he will be yr 3 in September). The head said he would have a place for another in Year 3 - although the PAN is 30 and they have 30 already in that year, he said that admissions team will therefore say the school is full. It maybe that I would have to appeal.

I rang the admission team today and they said the school yr 3 is full and that they would not allow school to go over the PAN whatever the head says.

Really confused re the situation re application/appeals and how the admissions team and head contradict each other.

Anyone else been in this situation?

I am in exactly the same situation. The head at my preferred school has always said dd could go there in september and make the year 3 class up to 31. (She has a sibling in the current year 5).

However, I have since learnt that is has absolutely nothing to do with her and we were also refused admission by the LA and have, 2 days ago, submitted our appeal. We are now waiting to here from them with regards a date of our appeal.

What I would say is that the fact that the head has said this, is a big point to put in your appeal as he really should not have done that and by doing so has contradicted part of the Appeal Code and this would help in any appeal you may decide to do. Well, I think this is true, and I am certainly relying on it to help us.

If you can get any of that in writing it might help you further, although our head has had a really shirty email from admissions telling her she has favoured our family and should absolutely not have done this.

The panel you present your case to at appeal are not allowed to by made up of anyone from the school or LA, they have to be totally independent from it all.

Good Luck, and wish me luck too!!!

The admissions team are right. The school is full to PAN and therefore an appeal is needed if you want to get in. The head should not have said what he did. However, as Poppyella says, you have now been given an expectation that your son will be admitted. That is good evidence for your appeal and will certainly help your case.