Hey ho, hey ho, it's off to appeal we go...

[DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep]

Looking for any help with putting together an appeal. We live semi rurally in the North West and applied to a rural school. It takes 15 per year and had 12 first choice children for 2015. School were confident we'd get in. Clearly, we haven't-on distance. We are 1.713 miles away. Last child in was 1.6194 miles away.

I know the 4 who got in that the school weren't expecting are considering whether to appeal for 2 and definitely appealing for their first choice for 1. One got in as a second choice who is happy and accepting the place.

We wanted a smaller rural school as my DD does really well at their free wed pm session for 1st choice children which they run all year just so they're well settled by September (and she is ) and doesn't at the busier preschool of our only local and school which has offered us a place. They take 35. Full, 4 appealing from the village to get in and the school is likely to take them (faith school and apparently the Head always gets them in). I don't want her there. She has mild dyspraxia, undiagnosed- I'm a paeds physio. The one we want is a non faith school, which we want.

Any other ideas or help for going to appeal?

People will need to know how they arrange their classes - the vital question is whether any classes up to y2 are 30 children. It sounds like maybe 15 in Reception and then 30 in a Y1/Y2 class?

Yes that's right penguins . They have 17 in the current reception though so will be doing some jiggling anyway. Set a precedent?!

(As in they took 2 on appeal last year)

What is the relevance of "first/second choice?" That plays no part in any one getting preference over anyone else.

Also, I'm not sure how, even in a faith school, the Head would be able to "get" any children in. Isn't the allocation of places all done at County level?

I am sure there are more experienced people on here but you didn't get in on distance so not sure how good your grounds of appealing are. If you had a diagnosis then that would change things-good luck!

So they have 17 in Reception currently (15 + 2 on appeal) and 30 in a mixed y1/y2?

That is what is called an ICS appeal. To win an appeal that will take class sizes over 30 anywhere in KS1 you basically need to show that a mistake was made that deprived you of a place.

On the evidence you have given, you were genuinely outside the last admitted distance. What do you think you are grounds of appeal?

It sounds like your best hope is that someone gets a place elsewhere and frees up a place for you. Find out where you are on the waiting list.

As others have said first/second choice is irrelevant to whether you get admitted (except that, if you get into your first choice, you will be offered that one and not your second, etc).

Taking 17 this year doesn't set a precedent if they got in on appeal as they are 'excepted' children. The Y1/Y2 class can have 32 next year without rejigging.

Yes, it's all done at County level, unless the school is an 'own admission authority' school I think. The County can override the head you see, so sometimes heads don't even bother to attend appeal hearings.

You need to stress how much better your first choice of school is for your child - in terms of her dyspraxia, her being 'settled' there etc etc rather than the negatives of the other school.

Best of luck. Hopefully you'll get in off the waiting list anyway....

Thanks everyone.

The only relevance of the first choice/ second choice is me hoping they'll appeal for a first choice and get in. Round here they seem to do well. 2 into the school.we want on appeal last year, 3 in on appeal to our local school where we have been offered a place 2 years ago. The Head attends and presents their case for a faith school so can word it very positively- or so I've heard. Yes. I am chasing hv for a paeds OT/O2 referral for dyspraxia to see if we can get some proper evidence. One of my 3 year old has far better motor skills than her, she can't hold a pen or climb a climbing frame easily. She is 4.5 now. I just don't know how low she will score as being a physio we've done lots of work with her and at work I saw a lot worse. Hmm.

OT/*PT (physio) referral I meant, sorry.

How do I find out where I am on the waiting list? I think I'd be first or maybe second. I hope so.

When you say dyspraxia, do you mean 'just' DCD, or are there other issues too?

You will have to consider to what extent your preferred school will be 'better' for dyspraxia/DCD than your allocated one.

e.g. Do they have a TA specially trained in exercises needed?

Both my DDs are bottom 1% for motor skills and diagnosed DCD, but DD1 (y11) has organisational & processing difficulties too and diagnosed dyspraxia. These have been much more a problem than the basic coordination issues.

My council said that waiting lists as such essentially don't exist until after reallocation day (8th May).

What they did tell us is how close we were to getting in - DS1 was the third refused child, so there are 2 children living nearer to our preferred school than us who also didn't get in. Which I guess puts us third in line at the minute.

The school accepting 2 on appeal last year might actually make it harder for you to get in rather than setting a precedent.

Our preferred school took 7 extra children at the appeal stage last year - but these weren't accepted because they won an appeal. The council contacted the school, said that 7 families were planning on appealing, and was the school willing and able to accept the extra children? The school had capacity as the previous year had been undersubscribed so agreed to take the extra children (they do mixed year classes throughout the school). So the children who were going to appeal got in without having to go through the appeal process.

The knock on effect of this is that now that this year is oversubscribed too, the infant school is completely full, so even if they wanted to take extra children, they legally can't. Appeals this year are only going to work if the council screwed up the applications.

So all a long winded way of saying that even if the 2 who got in last year on appeal didn't have valid grounds for an appeal, it's not as simple as setting a precedent.

TeenandTween I'm not sure. It's definitely a planning issue. As a baby she'd chase a yoghurt put around a high chair tray without it ever occurring to her to use her other hand; now, if I show her where to put hands and feet and talk her through it she can climb a climbing frame for example. She's forever losing things. So I think some dyspraxia, not sure if she'd just be DCD. Possibly.

Smaller school has someone with a dissertation in motor skill development in children, uses the 'move to read' programme and runs small fine and gross motor skills groups. The headteacher will meet with me to talk over the appeal and check it seems okay. She can't go to the appeal as it's a community school. The waiting list may be too long for her to get OT/PT assessment before the appeal but my ex colleague runs an OT private business so may see if she will do an assessment. Dread to think what she'll charge.

Yoghurt pot*