How do I find out the PAN and current number on a class roll?

[ScaredyCat71]

Help! We are debating whether to appeal for a reception place for our daughter at a local school. It is the school her sister and brother attend, but we have since moved out of catchment. I realise that there is a legal limit on the size of reception classes - so how do I find out how many are currently in reception (two classes) and what the PAN is?

Apologies if this answered elsewhere - I did search but couldn't find anything.

Our LA publish that information in the school applications brochure.

the la should tell you. if they dont you can make a request through the freedom of information act. but it could be on their website or elsewhere. I would ring and ask.

Every LA has a written document that is the admission guide for primary schools in the LA. That will tell you what the published admission number for the school is.

Possibly the easiest way of establishing the class structure is to look on the school website or ask at the school.

There is a legal limit in infant classes (reception, year 1 and year2) that only 30 pupils can be with one school teacher. It is not a limit on the size of the class, there can be 31 in the class but then there would have to be 2 qualified school teachers with the pupils, other than under some excepted circumstances.

Given that there are two classes the probability is that the school will have a PAN of 60 (two classes of 30) or a PAN of 45 (two classes of 22/23 in reception and then three classes of 30 across year 1/2). In both cases this would be an infant class size case when it comes to appeal and there are very strict and limiting rule about when you can gain a place under such circumstances, which would make the chance of success low.

With a PAN of 45 the infant class size rules are pertinent because of what is called future prejudice in years 1 /2 when the classes still need to be restricted to 30 pupils to one school teacher.

If your 2 older children attend you have a good chance of a place surely! Even if out of catchment area!

louby it depends what the criteria are for that school. It's quite often the case that catchment with siblings comes before catchment which comes before out of catchment with siblings. So if the catchment is small and there's lots of children then being out of catchment can be an issue.

If your 2 older children attend you have a good chance of a place surely

As MirandaWest says it depends on the admission criteria. Some schools put out of catchment siblings quite low down the list to discourage parents from moving into the area, getting their oldest in and then moving away, using sibling priority to get their younger children into the same school.

If the OP's child has already been refused admission the siblings already at the school should not make any difference at appeal in an infant class size case.

In our LEA the sibling rule doesn't apply if you move more than 2 miles from the school (unless you move closer to the school).

Thanks for your help everyone. Some food for thought. Keep your fingers crossed for me!