Primary School Appeal Hearing

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Hi everyone,
Have just received my date for my appeal hearing -3rd July. All my stresses and worries are back as I only have a month to prepare for appeal - part 2 - the actual hearing! Does anyone have any experience of this - what happens, what questions to ask, how to prepare etc.... Any help hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Thanks tiggytape, have done all the letter wrotong etc thanks for your advice, really wanted to know what its like at an actual hearing? what questions can I ask the authority? How do I come across best - any little things to do to help my chances? thanks x

You can ask any questions you want to that are pertinent, within reason. Stage 1 of the appeal is all about what the school is saying about why they cannot admit the pupils that have appealed for a place at the school. So there you need to be concentrating on what the school have said and what may or may not have happened in the admission process.
The panel has two main questions to answer from stage 1. Firstly as far as they can tell do the admission arrangements meet the legal requirements and have they been properly implemented. Second question is whether the school have made a good enough case to say that the school is full and that they cannot admit all those that are appealing.
At the second stage it is your own personal circumstances that you will be relating to the panel and why you therefore should have a place at the school. If you suspect that there has been a mistake in the admission arrangements then you should bring that up in stage 1, but depending on what the issue is the Chair of the panel may well say leave it till stage 2, when you are on your own with the panel and school representatives.
You are best being yourself, the panel know that you will be anxious and will make allowances - the school presenting officer may also be as anxious as you if they have not done many appeals. Its best if you don't start crying but it happens quite frequently and again panels will be as sympathetic as possible. I always have man sized tissues available!
Don't try and force /badger the panel to make decisions in your favour, that will not go down well - bringing along a solicitor frequently means that they go along this route and it is not a good way to go.
I would always go in with a list of points you want to make so that you ensure that you tell the panel everything. Take your time and check that you have said everything you want to.
If it seems that it is going badly wrong during the appeal, make some notes about what is actually said by panel and school representative. There should be a clerk and / or administrator there taking notes of the appeal so, if you feel that there is a specific point that you need to make about conduct etc then ask the clerk to note it. The final point I would make is that the last word should be with you as the appellant and the the Chair should ask you if you have had the chance to say everything that they want to say. It goes without saying that you will remember something later on, but if you feel there is something else to say then do not agree with the Chair, say what you feel. If there is an issue then saying you have said everything is wrong especially if you then intend to go further by talking to the LGO. The first thing the LGO will do is request the notes made by the clerk and if they say the appellant confirmed they had said everything they want to say it puts you on the back foot straight away.

at our appeal last year (online application) the first thing we were all asked was if we had read this book (LeA man held up rather large book, cant remember what book it was now) we all said nope never seen that his reply was well as you are all here you ticked the little box to say you had read it!!!....threw most of us off guard i can tell ya..