PRIMARY ADMISSIONS APPEAL MAJOR HELP NEEDED ASAP PLEASE!!!

[rachelle82]

hi im hoping someone can help me. my oldest daughter moved from an english to welsh medium primary school last year. As we are not welsh speakers i had to arrange for her to go to a different school to catch up with the language. She is now in year 1 and coming on really well. Admissions forms were due in the october but whilst arranging the school move i brought up the question of my middle daughter who was due to start this september and was told by the admissions officer that i needed to apply then (that was the end of may). this was because they had been allowing three reception classes of 30 but that they were dropping down to two classes of 30. my oldest daughter moved with ease and i rang the council to check that they had received my youngest childs admission form. it was confirmed by the same gentleman that they had my form. allocations went out and i never heard nothing. went to the school and they said she was not on the list and it may be a council error. i contacted the council and left a phone message on the friday afternoon. No-one rang me back and by monday morning i had a letter stating that i had not responded to any correspondence from them and that i was now classed as a late application. i finally got hold of them and spoke to a woman who told me there were no places and could not appeal until i sent in another form. i asked to hand it to someone in person and was told there was no-one but i needed to drop it to the county hall in the internal mail box. my partner took the letter and two days later i rang to confirm the letter was recieved and again was told by the same gentleman that they had my letter and i just needed to wait for their response. after two and a half weeks of nothing i rang them and the same guy explained that they had no record of me whatsoever and that i needed to fill in a third form and email it though the council so i could get a receipt. i done this and rang again to be told that the form was lost again. by the end of the conversation they finally found me on the system. i was told to wait again to have a response. a week later and nothing so i rang again. the same guy again told me that my letters were in the post for the rejection and he would send me another updated list. as they still never arrived i was finally put though to someone who slipped up and told me that no letter were even sent out and that he would send them via email. i now have the appeal letter and rejection letter 10 weeks later. 6 children have already won appeals so between the 2 classes there are now 66 children. i have been to the head and she was very unhelpful only directing me to the school admissions department where i have had all of these problems. i am currently requesting my telephone bills as this is the only physical proof i have of speaking with the council as my foolish self believed that a council worker verbally telling twice me that they had my form was proof enough. short of going to the council and checking the system myself im unsure of what they expected me to do. i have the workers name as every time i ask for someonelse he tells me that he is the only person that deals with primary admissions. i fell so angry that they can get away with this and that i either have to get work and get two children to school an hour apart (i have to take the bus as i dont drive). he even told me as a further kick in the teeth that the form would have been put aside if it was early (despite the same guy telling me to send it) but that if all these errors wouldnt have occurred i would get a place as she has a sibling in the school and we are in the catchment area! please someone help i feel as though they are just going to take his word and that my childs education is going to suffer because of it.

I'm no expert but your post is unreadable. You might want to post again with some paragraphs to get replies.

I haven't read it all but I would say you need to take it higher than the admissions department, Children's services councillor, Education Department Head, local councillor or your MP.

yes, completely unreadable tbh. Impossible to follow it.

Of course it's not unreadable!

If you don't get any help from the admission bods on here I would be inclined to advise you to contact your MP, or follow hilly's post if you feel that's more appropriate

I can't help as not familiar with the Welsh system, sorry

It is not unintelligible but it is a bit muddled.

OP arranged an in-year admission for DD1, and when this was achieved she enquired about admission for DD2 (then 3). She was mistakenly advised to apply immediately, in May, even though applications would not be accepted until September. She duly completed and submitted a form.

The following spring, not having received an offer, she made multiple calls to the LA who gave conflicting and confusing advice. DD2 was not considered under the usual application round and as the school was oversubscribed she now cannot get a place.

OP, it's a real shame you communicated with the LA only by phone after your initial form. There have obviously been major cockups there (otherwise the school wouldn't have been forced to take an additional 10% on appeal!!) but you will have a real struggle proving that you did everything you could, and everything you were told to.

Go on the waiting list for DD1's school. When is DD2 actually 5? You don't have to send her anywhere until the term after her fifth birthday anyway, I think.

Also bumping so the very knowledgeable will see it.

Good luck.

Clearly a lot has gone wrong here. The problem, as MrsHathaway says, is proving it. You can appeal on the basis that the LA has given you poor advice but if they deny it you may struggle to convince an appeal panel. You should also make sure you are on the waiting list. If the school gives priority to siblings you should be at or near the head of the list.

Apologies first time here and was very tired and emotional when i wrote my post. Sorry if I never made sense but MrsHathaway has summed it up perfectly! Thank you so much to those that responded. I now have an appointment with my local MP on the weekend and I am going to try and contact someone higher up in the education department as advised.

I am currently 1st on the waiting list but they have already accepted six extra children on appeal. The head did explain that even though I am at the top of the list seven children would have to leave before my dd2 gets a place.

All my dealings with the LA were by telephone with the same gentleman so I have no written proof. I have wrote down his name and all of the dates and information I was given. And I do have my phone bills showing how many times I have rang the council, but that is all.

My dd2 does not turn 5 until next July but she is so excited to start school. The local Welsh medium nursery has heard what happened and have given me a temporary place, but the LA is now arguing that they will not fund it!

Apart from all of the errors I am appealing as i want my dd2 to go to a welsh medium school. I have been told that there are places in a local english school but even that is 45 mins away from where dd1 attends!