Exceptional medical need panel

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How often do they need to have panels to consider submissions?

My council has received an application but will not tell me when they will have their next panel.

My council hVe monthly except december and August. Previous council was twice or three times a year!

I've found out through my local families information service both times. They keep a list of dates for both submit info by and actual panel date.

There is no rule on this. However if they take too long and you miss out on a place as a result that could form the basis of an appeal.

We are appealing for reception due to start soon.

What is considered a reasonable time frame?

For the panel to meet? It is up to the appeal panel to decide what they think is reasonable. But them taking a long time will only help you at appeal if you have missed out on a place as a result. So you would need to show that:

• the exceptional medical needs panel has taken too long to consider your child
• your child does have exceptional medical needs that mean they need to attend this particular school
• a place has come up and been offered to someone else on the waiting list
• if your child had been assessed with exceptional medical needs the place would have been offered to you

Unless you can show all of that a complaint that they have taken too long to consider your child's case will not help you win your appeal.

Usually they are fine about parents asking when the panel will be and so on. If you are polite and keen and all the supporting paperwork is in place this might even be September with a bit of luck. You never know.

In my area its monthly. Do you have a contact for parent partnership, they should be able to help you. I hope you get some resolution soon, this must be a really difficult time.

Interesting replies.

I've replied asking for an indication of when the next panel would be. I wonder if they are delaying it as schools are due to start in September.

Would my limited mobility be taken into account as well? The school we have been allocated is around 1.5 miles away, which would mean 6 miles per day of walking, which I would struggle with. Is this something that would be taken into account? (I'm wondering whether to submit this as additional evidence)

No, they don't usually take parental disability into account.

Some Admissions Authorities will consider medical needs of the child's cohabitants as an exceptional social need.

Is that also a criterion for your preferred schools? If it's solely medical need, that will almost certainly related to the child only.

It is medical/social need in the criteria.