Primary application on medical and social grounds - advice?

[assis104s]

I'm looking into applying to primaries for my DS this Jan (yes I know it's a long way away) and I've just found out that the catchment area for our nearest school has shrunk so that we're now outside it. I'm really concerned as I have ME/ CFS and have severe problems with mobility. On a good day, I would be able to go to and from the nearest school, and this will be tiring enough but I know I would not be able to walk to take /collect him to the next nearest school which is about 15 mins away.

I spoke to admissions in the borough and they have said that they will take my illness into account and that I have to provide a letter and apply on medical and social grounds. However, they couldn't say whether I would stand a chance of being able to get into the nearest school or not - It was up to the documents I provided and up to the panel and school.

My question is how much value do medical/ social grounds have?

Is it worth just moving closer now rather than going through the application and appeal etc?

The admissions team don't seem to be able to help with any sort of transportation for my son if we have to go to a school further away. Do you have any suggestions?

Any thoughts/ advice would be fab. Many thanks in advance.

I think if you can move closer easily, I would.

Does the school put siblings as a higher criteria than distance? I think sibling prefence has the biggest impact on the variation of 'catchment areas' (usually no such thing as a set area) from year to year.

If the school has medical/social needs as one of its criteria and the wording allows parent's needs to be taken into account then that could make the difference between getting a place or not. It is up to the LA or school (depending on the type of school) to decide whether or not your needs qualify your son for this category.

Even if they don't have such a category you should provide all the information and supporting documentation you can. If you then fail to get a place at the nearest school you can use this to support an appeal on the grounds that the decision to refuse admission is unreasonable. I can't guarantee that such an appeal would succeed, though. That is up to the appeal panel.

Unfortunately the LA only has to supply free transport if the allocated school is more than 2 miles from your home by the shortest walking route.

You need to find out the order of admission criteria for that school, and if social/medical needs of parent comes above categories such as siblings then you probably stand a good chance, if they accept your evidence. Moving closer is of course a good idea, but still submit the evidence. It would help if any letters can back up the fact that you can often walk x meters, which will mean that you can take your child to y school, but you would be unable to walk further. If you can post the entry criteria in order it might help others advise you.

The information you supply has to be a factual letter from your consultant. It needs to confirm that you are suffering from ME/CFS and that this severely limits your ability to walk far.It would help if there was a recommendation of the distance you can walk. What it must not say is "mrs X tells me that" as that will definitely be objected.
I would suggest that you get this in as soon as possible so that the LA has plenty of time to confirm that you will be considered under the medical criteria.

I applied on this basis for DD's primary place. The docs I provided were: a supporting letter from my consultant outlining why it was important DD was allocated our first choice school; a letter from my HV, similar to consultant's; a letter from me explaining the social and emotional impact my health issues have on DD, and how attending our chosen school would help her, eg the fact that I had a support network of existing friends available at our first choice school who could take her to/from school if I was unable to.

I got a letter from our LEA in the February stating that they had accepted the medical & social criteria and she would be placed in that category for allocations - this basically guaranteed her a place, but I still didn't quite believe it until the letter came through in April!

I spoke to my consultant & specialist nurse well in advance of asking for the letter, and basically wrote to him asking him to support our application "due to

Oh, and for info, criteria in our area are looked after children, then social & medical, then siblings, then distance (faith schools are different though). From the research I did, that seems to be fairly standard.

Wow - great thanks for all of your advice.

unfortunately the criteria in our area is:

a) Looked after children
b) Children with a brother or sister
c) Children whom the Council accepts have an exceptional medical or social need for a place at the school.
There will have to be a clear link between the child?s exceptional need and the school in question. Parents/carers will need to submit a case supported by appropriate professional evidence from a doctor, social worker, or similar professional. That evidence will need to support the link between the need and the school. Contact the admissions team for further guidance.
d) Other children, with priority given to those living closest to the school measured ?as the crow flies?

There seem to be an amazing amount of siblings for that particular school ;-(
Within the particular wording it doesn't seem applicable that the parent can have a medical/ social problem, but when I called up previously, they said that it was applicable.

thoughts?

You should be able to find out how
Many children were admitted in each category in the last couple of years, at least you can in our LEA, and also the furthest distance admitted if they get down to the fourth category.

As you say, the wording suggests that the parent's problems don't count. I would still submit a letter from your consultant and any other supporting evidence you have. Some LAs would take the view that your problems mean that your child does have an exceptional need. Even if yours does not, it gives you ammunition to argue that they have been unreasonable if you need to appeal.

This wording is fairly common, but many LAs will accept that it applies to both pupil and parents, they just don't advertise the fact. The 2012 admission code which will be relevant for a 2013 application and it is completely silent on whether it includes parents, it simply says that if there is such a criteria, then it must set out the arrangements.
I would get the information into the LA ASAP and ask them to confirm whether they will accept this when it is around the parent not the child. You need this done well in advance of the cut-off date for on-time applications as the decision made will influence potentially what your preferences should be.
Certainly if they reject it and then you went to appeal, there would be an interesting discussion about what the wording really means and whether the LA as the admission authority have been reasonable in not allowing such a medical condition to be even considered.
Please make sure that you do everything in writing, confirm by email the substance of any phone conversation. I can't tell you how many appeals I have done when the parent says one thing and the admission authority says something different because it was all done over the phone.

Our experience was that a parent's medical condition wasn't a consideration for appeal in an infant place.... only the child's medical condition.

It seems that "logistics" of getting children to school (or several schools if siblings not offered place at same school) is not of concern to the LEA. :(

Thanks for all of your advice. @ Admission, yes - point taken about leaving a paper trail. I've emailed both the LA and the school. I can imagine that would be even more harrowing to suddenly find that out at the end that the rules of the game weren't quite what you thought they were. TBH I didn't even think that they would exclude parents, but I've asked them specifically that question becuase it appears from this thread that that section is open to interpretation.

Jenny - thanks for sharing your experience ;-( - your LA wasn't Camden was it? How did you manage in the end?

RueDeWakening - thanks for your advice re documentation. Depending on the reply I get I might have to pick your brains on wording.

Fingers crossed I get a reply now ;-)

I got a reply from our LEA which says:

"I can only comment and the social/medical criterion for XXXX community schools. If you are applying for a voluntary aided schools you will need to pose your questions to the school itself.

For XXXXX community schools the social/medical criterion can extend to a parent, the case made by the parent and the supporting professional evidence will need to demonstrate how the parent?s medial or social need impacts on the child?s admission to a particular school.

For XXXXX community school?s the social/medical criterion is the next priority after applicants who have a sibling attending the school.

Professional evidence submitted should not be more than 6 months older than the date applying. Letters from your health visitor, consultant or GP would be acceptable."

Which is great - at least they officially taake it into account. I guess we now have to provide strong enough evidence to show that it will effect my health and the wellbeing of my son.

RueDeWakening or anyone else who has applied before, are there any reasons which you thought were imperative to have on your letter?

So far I have:

1. I can get to the school on a good day but no further
2. On the days my elderly mother lives nearby who can take him to school but are infirm themselves and are unable to travel much further
3. we have a close group of friends whose children go to that school who would be able to help us when I am unable to take him to and from school
4. in order for me to get better, i must not over exert myself
5. other local schools not close to public transport and I am unable to drive

Any more thoughts would be fab!!!
thanks all.

I would work out the walking distance to this school, and the details of the walk / journey to the next nearest school and other schools you would be likely to get a place in.

Then get letters from your consultant and GP, or OT or physio or other health professional, which clearly state that the school in question is within reach for you and that alternative schools are not possible. They need to be detailed - the consultant and other health professional needs to say 'IMO assis104 can manage the walk to XXX school, but YYY and ZZZ at 1.5km are too far distant, and it is my belief that in order to be ab le to get her child to school he needs to attend XXX school'. Very specific and detailed, and NOT (as admission says ) 'assis104 has told me that...'.

Are you sure the catchment has shrunk? Catchment details normally cover the distance offered in the 'first round' - not the subsequent re-jigs of waiting lists etc, when the catchment normally spreads.

Unfortunately a popular school which places siblings higher than social and medical needs will be a strong magnet for temporary renters, who then all qualify fro sibling places having moved away again.

Will PM you :)

Many thanks!