Primary school appeal

[Lozcal01]

I have not been given my first choice for my child's primary school. I have asked for an appeals letter.
I currently work at the after school club at the preferred school. I work 8-9 morning and 2.45 to 6 afternoon. My child was given her second choice but because of the hours I work I will not be able to get child care to cover her. I had already given this information when picking her schools but they still went with my second choice. I am a single parents so I cannot get anyone else to pick her up.
What information would back me up when I go to the appeal hearing? I was thinking a letter from my manager saying my working hours and a copy of the second choices out of school clubs hours. Can anyone give me any information on the appeal process or on any information I need to take? Would speaking directly to the school make any difference?
Thank you

I'm really sorry to have to tell u this but if it's an infant class size speak then ur working arrangements or child care etc is not something they will consider. You physically have to prove a mistake was made ie they measured distance wrong or didn't allocate correctly etc. As there is a legal limit to the class size and there have to be very strong reasons as to y they break them. :(

I don't live near the school. :( but I cannot send her to any other school. There is no way I could physically get her to another school. Do you have any idea of what I could do?

I know only what I've read on here but getting her on the waiting list of your preferred school is probably the first thing to do. It's miserable, and I wish you the best of luck!

I was in the same boat last yr. I was allocated none of my three choices and was given the local special measures school. Although I was advised against it I turned the space down. I would suggest emailing your Lea and finding out which schools have spaces left and re apply on the second round. And have your name put on the waiting lists fir the school you want. By all means go thru with the appeal as there is nothing to loose and you may be blessed with a sympathetic panel. I was told that criticism of the school you were allocated is not received well and won't help you. Focus on facts like did they not include a foot path, or were you up until recently within catchment and they moved the boundaries. When you email the Lea ask y you were not given ur choice chances are it was over subscribed but on the off chance they say they didn't receive your proof of address or had an old address registered to you then that would be vital evidence.

I've sent the letter of asking her to be put on the waiting list today, I only got the letter this morning. I have also refused the other school as there is no way it would work other than quitting my job.. I am going to go into the school today to ask if there is anything they could do. I'm at wits end thinking about it. If she can't go then I dont know what I'm going to do..

What is a 'lea'

Local education authority :) it worked out well for me I got first choice on second round but refusing is a risky business. I felt that if I didn't get anywhere then I would home school is that an option? You could well get a call on first day of school saying you have a place ir you could be 67 on the list with no chance but nothing to loose right! Our Lea wouldn't say much over phone but they told us over email so definately check with them as if it's a distance thing and you know it's wrong then bingo u have proof :) I wish u luck op it's bloody stressful I know :(

I'm not an expert, but it's probably not a good idea to refuse the school you've been offered - you may end up with no school at all.

Unless the LEA have made a mistake (which seems they haven't) you are unlikely to win an appeal if you have been refused a place on the basis of the Reception class(es) being full (legal maximum of 30 children in each class).

I would put yourself on the waiting list, ask about how many other children are on it (what are your chances of getting in?) and start looking for childminders that will pick up from your 2nd choice school.

Could you get a childminder to pick up your DD from your breakfast club and take her to school, and from school to your afterschool club in the afternoon? It shouldn't cost you much.
I'm sorry but I doubt your job situation will affect your DDs appeal, and you may have shot yourself in the foot refusing the place.

Refusing the existing place allocated is not a great idea. Worst case scenario now is that she could eventually be allocated a school even further away. I had a friend in a similar situation to you who moved house closer to her work and preferred school which bumped her to the top of the waiting list.

Please don't refuse the second choice school! This does not magically increase your chances of getting your desired school and as mentioned may mean that you end up with no school at all. Unless you are prepared to home ed your daughter, the LEA may then offer you a space at whichever school has a space available at the end of the offers process. This is unlikely to be close to your work/home and may well not be a school that you would have chosen under normal circumstances.

To be harsh, your circumstances are no different to those of the parents for whom you are currently providing after-school care. Childcare arrangements or work hours difficulties are not normally taken into account in appeals hearings, parents are expected to arrange childcare to allow their children to get to/from school. What is happening with your daughter at the moment? Who looks after her currently mornings and evenings when you are working?

If you are on the waiting list, ask at the school how much movement there normally is and find out where you are on the list. Do you fit the admissions criteria for the school you wish her to attend/where you work? If you live miles away from the school or fail to meet the criteria in some other way, you may need to be realistic and accept that your dd will not get a place there. If, on the other hand, you could normally have expected her to get a place in any other year, you may find that she is at number 1/2 on the waiting list and may be given a place before September.

please dont cancel the offered school - that offer will go to someone else and when you lose your appeal (which sadly you are very likely to unless there's been an error) most of the good schools will be gone and you will be left with a school noone else probably wanted as it'll be a school which has places left - could be miles away.

Last year dds school turned away 7 out of catchment siblings, all appealed and all lost - childcare etc is not taken into account - lots of parents work.

Where are you on the schools admission criteria? The school has to follow the criteria - even if they wanted to give you a place, they cant unless you are eligible otherwise all the others of higher priority (who didnt get in) than you would have grounds to appeal.

I would also add that if it's a good school then perhaps finding a way to get her there and back is probably the best option . There is nothing to loose by going on waiting lists and appealing and having no school won't bump u up the list because as far as the Lea goes they did their job- they gave you one. The only reason I refused was cos there was no way my dd was going there. And no school was better than going to the school she was given as I felt teaching standards had been so poor that home schooling from scratch would
be easier than trying to correct bad habits and mistakes from some
body else. Another thing to bare in mind that if an allocated school is over a certain distance away u may be entitled to help with transport .

Given your working hours is homeschooling a possibility and then take DD to the before and after school club with you? That way she would be building up a friendship group even though out of school. You could keep her on the waiting list for your preferred school throughout Year R. I would guess the waiting list will get shorter once school actually starts so you might be higher on the waiting list.

When is her birthday? You might be able to keep her out of school for a term or two and keep her at nursery / pre school (with 15 funded hours) if she's after Christmas.

It is a shame that you have refused the other school. The LA is under no obligation to come up with another offer for you. If they do it is likely to be at a school further away from home that may be even less practical for you than the one you have been offered. The fact you have refused the offered school will not move you up the waiting list for your preferred school. And if you go to appeal saying that you refused the other school because this is the only school you will consider for your daughter you could put the panel's backs up meaning you are less likely to get the benefit of any doubt. I would seriously recommend seeing if the LA will allow you to change your mind and accept the offered place. You can always reject it later.

I am afraid that your child care and transport difficulties will not help you win an appeal. Parents are expected to cope.

The big question with any Reception appeal is whether or not infant class size rules apply. If the school has any classes with 30 children and a single teacher in Reception, Y1 or Y2 (or would have if it was full) this would be an infant class size appeal. That means you would need to show that a mistake has been made in order to win your appeal. I am afraid I can't see anything in the information you have posted so far that would indicate a mistake.

If it is not infant class size it will be easier to win an appeal but your case would need to be about the disadvantage to your daughter if she does not attend your preferred school. Does the preferred school offer any activities that the offered school does not which would be particularly beneficial for your daughter, for example?

Speaking directly to the school will not make any difference. They cannot bend the rules to offer you a place and they are not allowed to support your appeal.

Just before I sent the letter I decided it would be best to accept the second choice. It is hard because my work hours cover all the child care in the area. I have spoken to the childminders if the school and they work the same hours as does the after school club. I have placed her on the waiting list. I am now hoping that instead of getting her into the school my circumstances will put her higher up on the waiting list. And hopefully I will get a sympathetic panel in the hearing. It may come to the point where I have to quite my job in order to get her to school as I see no conceivable way of getting her there. My mother currently looks after her when I'm at work, she quit her job to help with child are, but wants to start work again so I will be on my own cone September.. I'll wait for the appeal and see what they say and hopefully I'll get somewhere. Thank you all for the help

I'm afraid your circumstances absolutely will not put her higher up the waiting list, so yes you will have to rethink your job. May you could become a childmonder your self instead?

Or even a childminder

waiting lists are kept strictly in admission criteria order so your circumstances are irrelevant im afraid

I'm glad you have accepted the second choice. That puts you in a better position.

As others have said, your circumstances won't get you higher up the waiting list. Priority must be decided using only the admission criteria.

Even a sympathetic appeal panel would struggle to find a way to award your daughter a place on the information you have posted, I'm afraid. The panel simply cannot award you a place on the basis of transport or child care difficulties, nor can they give you any preference because you work at the school. It is still worth appealing as you don't know what will come out during the hearing but you need to be realistic about your chances of success.

had same situation last year, my husband has physical disability, and cant walk far any distance, so has to use wheel chair esp in the morning prior to medication kicking in, i work early shifts so he would have to take her to school, we ended up with a school 4 miles away, and were told roughly that its our duty to make sure she gets to school no matter what our personal circumstances are!! it may be worth contacting the LEA to ask about transport if the school if 2 miles + away, not sure if they would be able to bring her to your school or if they would have to drop her at home buts its worth checking out

I'd reiterate everything that prh47bridge has said.

Parents' employment status doesn't form part of the admissions criteria and can't be taken into account. Even under the revised admissions code, the circustances in which schools can give places to the children of staff are very limited indeed. LEAs (and appeal panels) expect parents to use childminders/breakfast and after school clubs/childcare swaps with friends or whatever to get their children to school on time.

With your experience in the after school club, unless the new school is dire, I would also be looking into possibilities of moving to her new school (which is presumably nearer to where you live), lunctime supervisors, TA etc. You might even be able to work up to full time school hours, which would presumably pay more than your current post. Or persuade them that you could be employed to set up after school club for them?