appeal advice needed-not ICS

[floss99]

Hi all-what a great site for advice.Need some help please with appeal based on prejudice not ICS.I have the following info:

PAN 40
reception classrooms are 56 and 58m2
10 classrooms
reception=40 pupils
yr1 = 45
yr2=43
yr3=39
yr4=51
yr5=31
yr6=39
total=288

last year 6 appeals allowd,previous year 3 appeals allowed.I have put forward that we follow ethos,local school,after school clubs and interests etc,also older sibling went there-now in secondary school.We are classed as out of catchment-just.How do i use the above info in my appeal as am so confused about how to put into SIMPLE terms that i can understand myself!

Thanks and good luck to all the appellants xx

Concentrate on things that show your child will be disadvantaged if they don't go to this school. So, for example, an after school club that looks after children until the parents can collect them is unlikely to be relevant to an appeal. The club would be making your life easier rather than benefitting your child.

Similarly, why do you want a local school? If it is because it makes transport easier, that won't help you. If, on the other hand, you can show your child will be disadvantaged if they don't go to a local school that is another matter.

Try to find anything the appeal school has that is missing from the allocated school and which will be of particular benefit to your child.

In the hearing I would ask the authority's representative about the number of successful appeals in the last two years and how the school has coped. That helps to establish that the school can actually cope with more than 40 in each year.

The school will argue its full, PAN of 40 x 7 = 280 whereas school has 288 pupils. You need to show your reasons for wanting this school outweigh their case - you must focus on this specific school and I am afraid past relationships, logistics, etc will not be sufficient . Instead focus on what the school can offer that others do not nearby, eg specific dance classes, sign language teachers, small classrooms for the hard of hearing etc, mothers inability to walk further than the nearest school - all reasons that have succeeded in appeals I have sat on.

floss,
you need to establish exactly how the classes are set up across the school. With a PAN of 40 and 10 classes there are a number of alternatives but it is for the school to decide which way they are going to do it.
My best guess would be that there will be 2 reception classes with 20 in each, three classes across years 1 and 2 with 88 in (29in two and 30 in one), three classes across years 3/4 where there are 90 pupils (so classes of 30) and two classes across years 5/6 which with 70 makes two classes of 35.
If it is like this then the LA will argue strongly that increasing infant numbers means big classes in the juniors (35 in years 5/6). I would argue strongly that the 51 in year 4 is distorting the figures and ask exactly how they got to 51. I would be surprised that this was as decisions by appeal panels, much more likely to be an LA decision because of excess local numbers or a rightly royal mess up of the admission process. You can then ask the presenting officer why if they felt that 51 was OK then, why is exceeding 40 now a problem
You need to establish that the KS2 test results are at least OK and you can then also state that increased numbers is not harming the education of children. If you then couple that with the numbers in years 1 and 2 which are probably from admission appeals, then it is fair to argue that there would be no reason not to admit at least 3 or maybe even 5 over PAN. The room sizes in the reception classes are also capable of being used for 30 pupils, so no issues there.
You need to bring all these up at stage 1 of the proceedings and you need to phrase these points as questions to the presenting officer - you are not allowed to make a statement in stage 1. What you are trying to do is establish in the minds of the appeal panel a view that the PAN of 40 can be breached and that then with a good set of reasons for the school in stage 2 , you will be one of the successful candidates.

Thanks for all your advice,it's certainly a lot clearer now.I have spoken to a parent who has attended the induction for this school.One class is Reception children only and the other class is a mix of reception and year 1 children.I have emailed the school and they are not sure yet as to how the classes are going to be divided etc.Once again, thanks for all your help.

well they will have to be sure by the time it comes to the appeal, because the appeal panel will certainly want to know exactly how this is going to work.

What they are proposing with one full class of reception and one with a mixture of reception and year 1, would suggest to me that they are thinking that they will get more than the 40 in the year group, which has got to be good news for you. I suspect that whilst they are unlikely to admit that they are thinking in terms of 45 per year group rather than the 40PAN they have.

Thankyou admission for your feedback.I now have the information as to how the classes will be organised and it is just as you said in your earlier reply.There will be 2 reception classes with 20 in each etc.I feel well informed with all the advice that has been given on this site.Once again..A HUGE THANKYOU