School Appeal - PLEASE HELP!!!!

[xxslkxx]

Hi everyone,

Need some advice re school appeal. Am appealing in class size legislation appeal - know this is very hard to do - however think I have compeling points. If anyone can offer advice/more points etc would be extremely grateful! Have until Friday to lodge the appeal so anything before then would be brilliant!
This is a list of my points:

1. Son suffers from stutter/dyfuency. Stutterlaw.org states this could be seen as learning difficulty but havent got statement. Is under care of speech therapist, and consult with nursery teacher who is SENCO. Have letters from nursery and therapist saying it is vital my son stays with his preschool friends - most of whom have been given place at school I want.
2. Distance error - a child who is stated as 0.17m from school has been given place. We are stated as 0.26. However checks on google maps/mapquest/aa/rac (to name a few) dont agree with these distances. They show other child as further than quoted (but still closer than us). Have I got a point by proving their calculation is wrong, and as such, if one distance is wrong, who is to say others havent been calculated incorrectly?
3. Partner is off work with vestibular disorder - cant help with school run etc. As such I will be making (over 2hours a day public transport journey - see below) by myself with 4 month old baby. Need to be close to partner incase his attacks are bad as he is bed ridden some days,
4. Distance - school over 2 hours public transport a day. Too long - my son has asthma also - school offered in middle of industrial estate on main road - fumes will exacerbate his condition. Also on income support because of partners illness so cant afford costs.
5. Social reasons - any friends he may make are hour travel away, wont be able to go to after school clubs, I cant be on PTA etc....due to excess travel, and fact in winter half my journeys will be in darkess, through a crime-ridden estate with two small children - can I use this?
6. Ofsted points - ofsted actually says that school i dont want "misses chances to improve childrens language" - something that will greatly detriment my son through his speech issues, Also school is full of Eastern European children and traveller children - I dont have problem with this but HUGE problem for my sons speech as he needs to be around english speaking people to help him.
7. School I want currently has 2 appeals allowed, over last few years usually has 31 children and still results are high - can I use this to highlight fact ONE additional child wont detriment school? They also had additional huts buit years ago to accomodate additional intake class - can I ask why this aren't being utilised now?
8. Son was bullied because of stutter - school I want has good anti bullying policy - school I was offered has been rated 3 in ofsted? Any grounds?

Thanks in advance!

I'm really sorry that I haven't any useful advice regarding the appeal apart from to make sure that your speech therapist writes everything down for you so that you have medical facts in writing to show. I thought I was going to have to appeal for my ds to get into secondary school but we were lucky and a place became available, but i had letters from anyone I could think of.
My ds stammers too, although I thank my lucky stars every single day that we managed to get him onto a fabulous speech course that I can honestly say has changed his life. Your ds is too young for this yet, but I've got everything crossed for you that he grows out of his stammer, many children do. I was prepared to use his stammer as my first course of action in the appeal, as we too knew that it was vital for him to go not a smaller school with people he knew.....why can these people not use a bit of common sense and actually look at what's best for the child?
Sorry, this hasn't really been much use to you, but it breaks my heart to think of your ds being bullied over something he doesn't want and didn't ask to have.....sending huge hugs to both of you xxx

Thankyou ladymariner.... Helps to have support in unexpected forms. Have just enlisted solicitor to go over my letter and help with appeal... Fingers crossed x good luck to your ds for his stammer x

Don't use a solicitor - mostly they're ignorant on admissions issues and tend to antagonise rather than help. There are experts here who will help, or try ACE.

Do be wary of any solicitor who tells you that you have a strong case and are likely to win - for the reasons we've explained you don't and aren't, and any solicitor who tells you differently is obviously not conversant with the ICS rules.

I understand how strongly you feel about this, but you need to be thinking of a contingency plan in case (as is very likely) your appeal fails.

I know - I am literally grasping at any last straws. I know you all say I wont win and I fully understand and sadly agree, but have a little glimmer of hope as the appeal allowed before WAS on parents illness grounds, so if they were allowed maybe I have a shot too, in addition to all my other points. Solicitor is just to check I havent missed anything, and to help me with how to question and approach panel. Have now accepted previously declined place as back up also, and very promising waiting list I hope. Thanks everyone x