Please tell me anything I need to go to appeal

[lifeistooshort]

Applied for a reception class with a faith school we sould be in the B category (living in the parish, pracitsing, children baptsied etc) yet we didn't get a place.

I think that just because our daughter goes to our third choice (which we only chose because we moved mid year and it was the least of the evils) they automatically gave us our third choice.

How do I go about getting the information to form and appeal, any useful tips. links etc?

I would really appreciate any help I am so upset (as I am sure many others in similar situations)

you need to find out from the LEA why you didnt get in, if its to do with infant class size then you can still appeal but you have to show that they have made a mistake

What are the grounds for the appeal?

Unless they put you in the wrong category, I don't really see how you can appeal.
Did you get a school that was one of those you put on the list as a lower preference?

Unless they put you in the wrong category, I don't really see how you can appeal.
Did you get a school that was one of those you put on the list as a lower preference?

Thanks schoolnightmare that is really useful. Category A was children into care so surely there can't be 30 of those! I am trying to speak to the school but no joy so far. I am trying to check whether we were in the right category and we had filled all the relevant paperwork and the whole thing was signed by the parish priest (a requirement of the applicaiton process). Will check the distance thing too

Thanks Schoolnightmare I will check all that. Difficult to know what happens until I see the letter (they didn't give any reasons in the email) or until someone at the school gets back to me.

you seem pretty knowledgeable do you know if I need to accept the other place offered whilst I appeal (if possible to appeal?).

Assuming they applied the criteria correctly and I can't get into that school is there anything I can do so that DS can go to another RC school rather than the COE one?

Sorry one more question. We are in the process of buying a house which is closer to the school (we were renting as had to move in a hurry mid-year) would that be something that could be considered (although it is new-ish information?)

Plenty of good advice here already. You need to double-check everything about your application and the decision to refuse a place, to ensure that your application was considered correctly. Unless there was an error - wrong category, wrong measurement of distance to school etc - and this is an infant class size appeal you are very unlikely to win.

They won't have automatically given you a place at the school where (I think you are saying) your child attends nursery. Each school that you named will have considered your application against its oversubscription criteria and will have said yes/no according to those criteria. If you would have received more than one offer of a place, the LEA will have passed on the offer that came from your highest preference of those schools. Your applications for your first and second preference schools would not have been disregarded because your child attends nursery elsewhere.

Read all the other current threads about appeals for more advice and tips.

schoolnightmare thanks so much for all your help you are so lovely I could give you a hug. You are this little light in an awful awful day. I take it you became so knowleageable because you went through something similar?

Thank you also PanelChair I shall be swotting tonight!

lifeistooshort - be careful applying for RC schools further afield if you have any other siblings as most RC schools prioritise parish above none parish siblings - something i've learnt the hard way!

Yes, i'm going through similar. My twins are at a Church Of England nursery, but have been rejected without reason a place in reception class. Very upset.
I have requested the school provide an explanation, but not heard anything back.
Can I ask - how do the waiting lists work? Has anyone ever been contacted with an offer?

There are lots of primary school appeal threads at the moment, Twinsandbabymum. Read through them, as they cover all the points you're raising.

Schoolnightmare I was the same yesterday, crying so much I couldn't even spell my surname. Still for you! Here is me winging about my offer and you had none at all. I am utterly speechless that this can happen. Glad you do have a place now and I hope a more convenient one will come from the waiting lists. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me when you are going through such an upsetting situation yourself. The only silver lining is the half a stone!

Still none the wise today. The letter didn't say anything except we didn't rank high enough in the oversubscription criteria. Not heard from the school so need to chase again. I will fight as hard as I can because I know that if DS doesn't get there he won't be able to get in a RC school and as a result his brother probably won't either and it is all of the hopes and values (whether people agree with faith schools or not) that we were hoping they would gain that they would miss out on. For me it is not about getting into a better school (although I certainly wouldn't blame those who try to achieve a better result for their children). We genuinely are RC, we both went to RC schools, our mums taught in RC schools so for the alternative seems a bit unconceivable.

sunny you are right I came to realise that last night but it is scary to think that it is this one or nothing. The other RC school in the town was oversubscribed too and we were turned down too.

twinsandbaby not sure how waiting list work but in our letter they said we were automatically on the waiting list for the school we didn't get a place at. The priorities are the same as for the admission criteria I believe.

Just managed to speak to the school and we lost out on distance. We leave at the south edge of the town (one RC school north and we were told we wouldn't be considered as in the catchment for the over one ) and one for the south of the town.

Basically all the children in the south edge of the town where I leave didn't get a place at all which I guess is unfair as we have no alternative RC school we would be in the catchment off or which could take us on. The unfair thing is when we moved here we had about 3 weeks to find somewhere to leave and that is the only house we found. It just all seems so unlucky.

My son is 8th on the list so no chance at all to get in.

School nightmare. Yes we were in the correct category and I am not doubting the criterias were applied correctly. It is difficult to explain the geography but basically where we live is a whole new block that was built on the outskirts of the town. There is at least one mile between it and the nearest block (which is where the last child was leaving) which means that children in that block of houses have nearly no chance of a RC education whereas those living in the centre of town have a choice of both.

Re deferring school places, how does it work? DS is only 5 next June (2013)? It might help as there is a chance that by then our DD might have got into the school and then he would be a sibling.

We are speaking to the priest on Monday.

The thing is that is pointles to go on any other RC list as we wouldn't be taken in the one in the north of the town because we are in the Southern parish and the other ones are in villages at least 30 minutes drives away.i.e miles and miles.

With all of that we might end up with children in two different schools next year and one at nursery how on earth I will manage the drop offs/pick up when DH is on business I have no idea

Thanks Schoolnighmares, I will look into this too. I have to think on the impact on DS of starting reception somewhere and perhaps having to change mid-year. Perhaps deferring might be easier.

As I said yesterday thanks so much for your support and keep me posted on your situation. I shall be crossing my fingers that your paint dries very fast and that you are put out of your misery to your satisfaction.