Hello lovely folk, all help appreciated. We moved at the end of March this year to an area where all the primary schools are full. The council have been no help and offered no school place so I have had my 5 year old year R son at home for 6 months trying to educate him whilst taking care of his two year old sister. During this time we have gone from no 2 on the waiting list for our catchment school to number 9. The Head told me it would probably be Juniors before he gets a place.
We have an appeal on Monday and any hints would be appreciated. We spoke to the admissions dept at the council today who gave us lots of information I am sure is wrong eg we think he may fit under fair access protocol as he has been unplaced and the council said FAP doesn't apply to secondary. They also said that he had not been out of school for 6 months as it counts per year so he has only been unplaced for one day (?!).
They also said that the council are setting up a room in a school four miles away till Xmas where all the year R and 1 children who are unplaced in the area can go, with no plans for after Xmas. I can't drive due to a visual problem and would struggle to get him there and feel reluctant to put a nervous 5 year old in a taxi. My son is also very able and was taught on his own for much of the time at his last school as his literacy especially was so far in advance of the other 90 children in the year so the thought of him being in a class with possibly mostly younger children concerns me. He used to come home weeping with boredom from the last school and I can't help feeling that stimulation might not be great in this interim holding classroom. The council official also told me they did not have him on their list as unplaced for some reason so had not got him on the list for this temporary classroom set up, I have no idea why they would not class him as unplaced as we have all the documentation in place to show we applied and are unplaced and an appeal date.
I am sorry to ramble. It had been an exhausting year and I really want to do right by my son and feel pretty hopeless about the appeal at the moment.
thank you to anyone who has stuck with this!
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Appeal on Monday for son with no school place at all for 6 months. Help pls!
badgermama · 02/09/2014 12:22
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Message withdrawn at poster's request.
Good luck today. And remember, you have been brilliant and, from what we can see on here, you are a great mother. Your DCs will do well whichever school they end up in with you behind them. I do hope you get the school you want.
Will chill some 
for later for you!
Good luck, Badger :)
Sometimes I wonder whether these people have any concept of the impact this all has on the child.
I had to deal with a stupid bureaucrat once, we had moved to a new area, applied, spoke to the headteacher who said there would be no problem, and then heard nothing back from the LA. Called them, they had lost my application including the only proof of address I had for the dcs. They asked for a new form and new proof. I scrabbled around looking for it, they then told me there was no way the dcs would be going to school in September as there was no time to sort it. At best they promised to call me the day they should have started school to let me know one way or the other.
I phoned the headteacher in tears, explained what had happened, and luckily she said, "I don't care what the LA say, as far as I'm concerned I'll be meeting you and the dcs at 8.50 on the first day of school to sort uniform and introduce them to their new friends."
Thank goodness for the sanity (she was rather wonderful and unorthodox).
I got a phone call two days after they had started to let me know it was fine for the dcs to start school 
I can't imagine dealing with such idiots for months on end.
I think I was partly very lucky to be dealing with a very well respected headteacher, who was nearing retirement and was more than happy to deal with the consequences of her actions.
I truly hope you get a good result and your ds is very happy in his new school.
My fingers are very firmly crossed for you.
But it sounds as though it would be almost impossible for the panel to not rule in your favour.
What a wonderful group of MNers who have helped and motivated you.
Another one with fingers and toes crossed for you. I am utterly appalled by how your council has behaved - trying to trick you into home ed and de-registering, giving you misleading information and intimidating letters is just sinister.
You are fighting superbly for your child and I am full of admiration for you and also to super MNers who have shared their expertise with you on this thread 
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