Help with junior school appeal? I know, I know...

[culturemulcher]

I'm struggling to write my appeal statement and wondered if anyone could offer some helpful advice.

I know there have been lots of threads on the subject (I'm square-eyed reading them all) but they all seem to be for appeals for very good reasons, whereas my appeal is for no better reason than that it's the school we'd prefer DD to go to.

It will be for an in-year, junior school move. We're moving house and LEA too. There is a place for DD and DS at the local catchment school. However, there's an arguably better school just down the road which has a place for DS but not for DD.

We've been advised by the school to appeal for a place for DD - but I'm at a loss as to what to put as grounds for the appeal, given that 'because it's a better school' apparently doesn't cut it

Any help appreciated - prh47bridge are you out there?

Hopeful bump.

You are right that "because it's a better school" is unlikely to be successful, although appeal panels know that is often the real reason for an appeal. You need to ask yourself why it is a better school for your daughter. What are the things it offers that are not available from the allocated school and that are particularly relevant to your daughter? Are there any after school clubs or other extra-curricular activities that would be good for her? For example, if your daughter is particularly sporty and this school offers lots of sporting activities that would be part of your case.

Thank you for posting prh4. That's what I suspected. My problem is that because we're moving quite far away, it's very difficult to get specific information about the school.

The moving process has taken a very long time, and whereas there was a place available for DD when we started our search, there isn't now. We looked round the school, asked the usual questions and liked it a lot - but there wasn't time for a very detailed chat about extra curricular activities, etc, much as we'd have liked to ask. It's too far away for us to visit again (although if we do get a place DD and DS will have a 'settling in' afternoon before they start.

With so little to go on (there's very little online about the school) I think I may be on a hiding to nothing - but I've decided that it may be a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'm submitting the form tomorrow and have focused on the fact that DS has a place, and that we'd like our DC to attend the same school for their mutual support as they settle in to a new school / new home, etc.

Aside from that, I'm a bit stumped!

You could add in that as they are moving a long way that they need to establish a cohort of friends and that will also be easier if brother and sister are going to the same school. You can't say local because it is not the most local school from what you have said. But you could say that it is your understanding from the school that many of their pupils do come from your neighbourhood and therefore why you want that school.
You would also normally be looking to say things like they have lots of clubs etc that children can attend. Could you not ask the school about this and get them to email you their prospectus, which may have some pertinent info in it. Most schools have the prospectus on line now.

Thanks Admission - their prospectus is online, but it gives very few details, but that's a great point about neighbourhood children as I've heard that children on our new road do go to that school. I wouldn't have thought to put that.

Call the school office at a quiet time and, given what you know about your daughter's interests/strengths, see if you can find out what support in class and extra-curricular there is for those interests/strengths. Explain to the office why you need this information and hopefully they will be able to think of something.