First place refused - appealing. pls help.

[MrsH2010]

Hi mamas. So, we applied for three places all out of catchment. our first choice is the only one form entry with seven separate classes sustained throughout the school as it's on an old middle school ground they also still believe they have a lot of room to grow they have never been oversubscribed before, and last year were asked to up their 30 intake to 40 so have one YR class and one 1/2 YR & 1/2 Y1 class. They had hoped this would not be an anomaly year but the start of a new wave through the school to grow.

So we applied on the basis that my two eldest are 18 months apart so will end up in the same class In the smaller schools where YR & Y1 are combined, then Y2/Y3, Y4/Y5/Y6 - so it would be the whole way through their school careers.

A friend on my street also applied - no older siblings, but equally no younger ones either and they got in. However they put only one choice feeling that it pushed the fact and would make them have to give that school. . By road we are closer, as the crow flies I believe they are by about .02 miles or something crazy. We put three choices and got second.
However, a third friend also applied, who is closer than both of us by road and crow and was refused... so I am lost on that front to be honest.
I am cross because originally we were told if you don't put three choices your forms will be returned as incomplete and you will be considered a late application. So we put three, and yet theirs with just one was entirely accepted - and they got their one and only choice. Coincidence??

Sice the application rounds closed the school on our 2nd choice that he was offered has been ofsted checked (Feb 2015) and rated inadequate across all areas. Change of head, change of staff etc happened weeks before the report.

In case this helps I will add it in - I have 3 children. 4.5/3/1 aand all of then are confident big characters and have been put on stretch measures at preschool since 2 as their language/speech/ability hAs been ahead. I feel like a larger school with languages/sport on offer will help stretch them and sustain their ability and desire for learning more than a small class and school. I grew up overseas so have other languages that I try to teach the kids but that is not kept up anywhere else. They would do better being small fish in a big pond if that makes sense...

We moved into this county a year ago, and have had to change preschool twice in that time. I feel like I would like them settled from 5-11 and not swap to middle school at 7 as so many round here do.

We are top of the waiting list held at the school -but I am now confused as others have mentioned it's the LA that hold the lists...?

So... do we accept the second choice place so as not to lose it. And Appeal. Plus chase the waiting list With the LA.

Questions I have to ask:

• distance to school of the last pupil admitted and whether by foot or by crow
• net capacity of school
• previous intake numbers of past 3 years
• what number are we on LA waiting list
• what grounds was he refused on

Accept the place you have been offered - there's no harm in doing this and at least it means you will have a place in September.

It's coincidence that your friend who only put one school down got a place - each place is allocated on whether you fit the criteria.

Have you checked the admissions criteria for your first choice? Distance is often several points down so the friend who got a place may have got in on a different criteria. Your other friend who lives closer could appeal if they think the distance has been measured incorrectly though.

You need to know the numbers of pupils in each infant class - if the class your child will be in will have less than 30 children while in the infants you have a much better chance of appealing.

No I am pretty confident they are in exactly the same criteria.
Neither is a cared for child. Neither has a statement of special needs. Neither lives in catchment. Neither has siblings at the school noow, or and neither will have by September or has had previously. Neither attended the attached preschool.
So it seems it's down to the mileage as the crow flies which they just pip us on...

It is a C of E school - mine is baptised CofE and hers isn't. Presumably doesn't count for anything either...??

Did you apply for a faith place? Was baptism specified in the definition of the relevant entrance category?

If they wrongly placed you in an 'others' category, when you applied for a faith place, then you would have grounds to appeal if that error cost your DC a place that they would phase been offered if they had done it properly.

I put in my application that he is baptised CofE and that we wanted him to attend a CofE school. However they make no mention of CofE/bbaptism/faith in their criteria for admissions. Normal? So pre sadly no case to argue there.

You don't know what basis your neighbour got a place on. She could have applied under the social or exceptional reason category and she isn't necessarily going to discuss those reasons with you.

Both you and your friends were given utterly inaccurate information. Did this information come from someone who works in admissions? If so put in a formal complaint. If they don't why did you take what they said as fact?

This is how it works. You put your preferences down. The system allocates places to those who state a preference FIRST. it does not matter if you only put one school down or three. It works out which of your preferences you qualify for. If it is more than one it will allocate the highest preference and disregard the rest.

If it is none you go back into the pot and AFTER all the preferences have been sorted it looks at the left over places and allocates.

The fact that they put one school down and got it IS co incidence.

You should accept the place - they are not obliged to offer another.

You should go in the waiting list for your first choice AND appeal if you are reasonably sure a mistake was made. If you are closer than your neighbour and are sure they have no other factors in play, then it is possible a mistake was made.

If they don't have a faith category and you all got in on distance then presumably the people who live closest got in.

If your friend's distance was done incorrectly she may get a place on appeal if she lost out.

True she could have. But I helped her do her application so I would be surprised if she then submitted extra information after the fact. But could have happened you are right. For arguments sake I will say she didn't, that we are the same in every way bar distance. I will ask what distance the last child accepted was at, and what we are at, and ask for the information so can measure myself for ours to double check.

Am I right in thinking that as people accept or decline places any spots that come up will go to whomever is deemed next on their list (ppresumably by distance) despite some of those maybe having accepted elsewhere by that point? Is that right, or by accepting elsewhere do they get removed from the lost unless they specifically ask to remain on it for that school??

You can accept a place and stay on the waiting list for another school. This is what is recommended.

Waiting lists work on the same basis as the admissions.

If you are near the top then you may find you get a place by September.