Help Please, need ideas on appeal for a Reception Place

[SupaMom]

My child has been refused place at our local catholic school as they could not locate my application and I had to reapply which was then treated as a late application. I have health issues which I do not wish to discuss but would this be used as a reason for appeal? My faith has seen me hold on and I have deteriorated since the refusal of my application. I am a single mom and depend so much on my faith to bring up my children. Please advise as I need to submit the appeal on Monday. Thank you.

Thank you, might have to check the class numbers on Monday before submission.

The Advisory Centre for Education may be able to help you.

Do you have evidence (receipt? email?) that you applied on time? If the school or LEA lost your application and you would have qualified for a place if they had considered your application on time, they ought to give you the place without making you go to appeal.

What are the school's admissions criteria?

Are you confident you would have been in a high priority group and would have got a place, if yours had been treated as an in-time application?

Have you got written/email confirmation from the school/LEA that they lost your application?

Thanks guys for all the ideas. I think if my application had been treated as on time I would have gotten the place as I meet all the criteria. Does anyone have an idea of how I should structure my appeal. Thank you

The problem you will have is proving that they lost your form. If you have any evidence to show you submitted your form to the LA on time that would help. It would also help if other forms were lost as that would make it more believable. But I'm afraid if there is no evidence to support your statement that you submitted your form to the LA on time and they lost it the appeal panel is likely to decide that the LA/school is telling the truth. After all, as SchoolsNightmare says, the form may have got lost in the post which is not a mistake by the LA or the school.

The other big question is whether or not this is an infant class size case. If it is ICS then you should only win if a mistake has been made. If you can show they lost your form that would certainly count. On the other hand if it is not ICS you can win by showing that the disadvantage to your child through not being admitted outweighs the disadvantage to the school of coping with an extra pupil. Of course, if you can show that a mistake was made that would be a very strong case even if it is not an ICS appeal.