Please help me with an Appeal - No school places

[Moleskine]

Hello,

I have a thread in AIBU but not sure how to link. I would really appreciate some advice on formulating an appeal for both my children who currently have no school place offers (Reception and Year 1).

We moved Boroughs a few months ago and were 4 weeks late submitting our Reception application. We applied for schools in our new Borough via the old Borough, and had our application transferred the day we moved.

We have a year 1 child and one coming up for Reception this September. We also have a Year 1 child who is still being driven back to school in our old Borough as there are no school places in our new Borough.

We initially put down 2 choices of school for our eldest child and were added to thier waiting lists. When nothing materialised we upped the list to 4 schools, and we are now on waiting lists for 9 schools. We have been told verbally there are no places in the whole borough, but this has not been confirmed in writing.

Our Reception child has been offered no school place at all. We put 4 schools on our original application (we had to use 2 choices for our old Borough just in case the house move fell through). We are now on the list for 8 schools but are told there are no places in the whole borough.

Our positions are 3rd, 60th, 77th ... and then the numbers just get higher.

For the past 3 years no additional places were offered between now and October at our 1st choice school, so being 3rd on the list is not a promising position despite being high up.

I have asked Admissions why they are not exercising Fair Access Protocol for my eldest child (now without a school place in our current Borough for 2.5 months). I haven't received a straight reply, other than when my youngest child gets allocated a space, the eldest will have sibling priority.

They have assured me in writing that my youngest will be offered a school place by the start of term in September.

Our first choice school informed me (verbally) that they offered 13 places after initial allocation last year, so after my visit and chat with the school I felt sure my child would get a place even as a late application. We live less than 50m from our 1st choice school so have a good chance on distance alone.

You can appeal to any school that you have applied for. Initially you just state your intention to appeal you don't need to give reasons. You then submit your case at a later date.

Thank you - do I appeal to the school itself or the LA?

Thanks for this. So I need to LA to send me forms which I then fill out and return?

My LA are not being very forthcoming with info on how I can proceed with the appeals.

The letter you received saying you hadn't got a place at any of your preferred schools should have included details about how to appeal. If it did not this was a breach of the Admissions Code.

Hi prh47bridge, as a late application we applied through our old borough. I have a letter from them saying we didn't get either of the 2 schools we out down in our old borough (as back up in case house fell through). They don't refer to the 4 schools in the new borough. I have had nothing in writing from our new borough - I have liaised with them regularly by phone and email, but they have not sent me any letters or written back with a refusal, just that we are on waiting lists.