Refused a reception place at our nearest school, which is in another county.

[chimpysmum]

We live in a rural area. My son has been refused a place at the school nearest to our home (1.5 miles), which is in a neighbouring county. The letter says the school is oversubscribed. We didn't list any other preferences as we want our son to go to the nearest school, which is in a neighbouring village which we consider our community. The school place he has been allocated is just over 5 miles away (in our county) in a village we've never been to and have no connection with.

We think the refusal is because we live just over the county boundary and that they therefore consider us to be outside their designated area. We'd like to appeal, but have received no information about how to do this - we don't know which county's procedure to follow. Each county states in their guidelines that they will send full information on the appeals process with the notification, but neither of them has done so.

We want to know how a LEA can justify refusal when they have in their own guidelines requirements for reasonable distance of no more than 2 miles for under 8s? The refusal has placed our son in exactly that position. Also, in the previous year's intake there were quite a few children from places further away than us (also in our county, not the school's).

Because of the geography of our area, I'm convinced there must be children who've been accepted into the school because they are in the same county, even though they live further away than we do.

Also, will our son automatically be on a waiting list? Or do we have to do something to get him on it? Finally, is it worth asking the school if they'd consider applying to expand their class size to include our son?

Thanks 3duracellbunnies and PanelChair! Much thinking to do now...

I would agree in an ideal world children don't seem to like being kept down, for that reason I would probably not leave in nursery (if I had the option to home ed). However if you are keen to move him closer when a space comes up, and you are close to top of list/ in process of appealing then I would consider waiting a while so he doesn't have to settle in one place and then move, which for a very young child might be more unsettling. If you are far down the list it might be better to embrace the whole 20 mile a day commute sooner.

I think that when the january starters appeared en masse they were seen as younger as they had just come from nursery, whereas the sept starters had left a whole 5 months earlier! One child starting mid term (which is probably what will happen as few people defer) is not seen as such an uncool thing! That is why I think the back story is important, if he has come straight from nursery he might be seen as younger than if he has been off on adventures. Hopefully you will get a place sooner anyway and it will be theoretical.

MrsMicawber - I have no personal knowledge of school buses as our LEA doesn't provide them, because we're an urban area with an extensive public transport network but as I understand it, school buses have an (Vetted) escort on board, as well as the (Vetted) driver. It's not the same as expecting a four year old to get himself to school on the Number 103 bus. What is your LEA offering you?

Have you asked, or do you mean that they haven't volunteered any help?

I just checked what our LEA says about help with transport costs. It says that pupils will normally be given a bus pass - travel cards (which could be used on trains or underground) are issued only on medical grounds or if the journey can't be done by bus.