Junior School Appeals

[Pebbles27]

Hi, we moved to a new area just over a year now, and applied for primary school places for both of our sons. We were able to get a space for our youngest son who started in year R ,however we did not get a space for our eldest son for an in year admission to year 2. We placed on the waiting and list for year two and had no luck. As the school is infant and junior school, we have to apply for a space in the junior school year 3 and just found out that he was not given a space. We live approximately four minute WALK form the school and he has a sibling now at the school. We cannot understand why we again not given a space, and we just wanted to know if anyone has been in a similiar situation and can offer us any advice as we are going for an appeal.

Pebbles,
I suspect the answer may well be on the actual admission criteria for the junior school. It could well be that they give priority to pupils in the partner infant school. So if the infant class 30 in it and the junior class has 30, then all the pupils in the infant school will get a place at the school, no matter how close you live to the junior school.
Another alternative is whether or not the application was deemed to be on time. However the letter informing you that you have not been offered a place should have given you information about why you did not get allocated a place.
If you PM with the name of the infant and junior schools and the LA I will look up the admission criteria and see what the situation is.

Thanks Guys, Really helpfull advice. We were told by the head Teacher that students in y2 are given priority to move to junior school y3. So I think our only option is to appeal, he is currently attending a school 30mins drive away, so he is currently spending all week at his granparents. So we need to get him in the same school as his brother . As this is affecting him socially and he feels like his not part of the family. We also struggling to get him into activities out of school because after leaving work , we find it difficult managing time to get him to activities and we can't rely on his grandparents as they have other commitments. So like I said earlier we will have to appeal

Make sure with the admission office that you are on the waiting list and also what position you are on the waiting list. If you are high up on the list then this probably correct that you dd not get a place but if you are way down the waiting list then you need to find out more. If you have a sibling already in the school and live near the school then I would expect you to be very close to the top of the waiting list.
You then need to appeal and as tiggy tape says you need to be concentrating on reasons why this school. Obviously first on the list is that you live close by and have a sibling at the school but this is not actually a strong reason for admission. Much stronger is that current school is 30 minutes away, that they therefore are having to live with grandparents and he is being affected socially by not having any interaction during the week with sibling,friends and parents. Also need to major on what the local school can offer that he currently cannot access in the way of clubs etc.

Could it be that it is one of those schools where the sibling link works 'down' the age range but not 'up' - so the fact that the sibling in the desired school is younger than the child needing admittance may mean that no sibling priority is given?

Also a sibling in the infants may give no priority for admission to the junior section, whereas an older sibling already in the junior section would IYSWIM?

So your placement on the waiting list would dependent on distance only, with [after looked after children and children with statements)] children who had been in the attached infant school, followed by those not in the infant school but with siblings in the junior, then all others (including you) in order of distance?