My son was not given our first choice Catholic school as there were too many siblings and nearer children to the school. We were given a secular infant school. We meet all of the criteria, baptized Catholics, attending mass at the parish church about .2 of a mile away and are .5 from the school. The priest told us back when we applied there would be no problem getting a place. My son was the 1st child not accepted, with the last accepted child living only 15 feet closer!! I am American and have lived here a while, but don't quite understand this school placement thing. I am inclined to appeal based on the fact a few different factors and I'm asking for opinions on them as people who have seen these kinds of appeals before.
- That my son will be emotionally and spiritually damaged if he is not given access to a Catholic education. This includes everything from being denied the sacraments, mass and prayer during school time to receiving spiritual guidance from his pastor. That this would infact infringe on his religious liberties.
- That the school did not prioritize those children who are members of the parish attached to the school. There are children living closer tot he school that attend other Catholic churches that were given priority. (although not mentioned in the admissions criteria)
- That there was a question about what age children were baptized on the application form, but there was no priority given to those baptized in infancy to those who were baptized in, say, the past 6 months for school admission purposes. (Catholic priests are NOT allowed to deny baptism, btw!)
- That there is NO faith based alternative available to us. The Catholic schools are all oversubscribed and the next closest school told applicants living this far "not to bother". There is not even a C of E school, leaving only a secular education available.
Any other ideas? Just looking to hear what someone who's been through this process thinks or can point me to any resources that would help form the appeal.
Thank you!