school admissions

[khadija2187]

Hi guys, my first time posting on here and i really need some advice as i am
so stressed. My daughter has not recieved a place at any of the 3 preferences that i put down and has been offerd a place at another school which i didnt even put down. My question is, do i go straight to an appeal or do i go on the school waiting list and hope that she gets a place? after reading online i feel really disheartned tht we would win an appeal based on a reception place. Also i was meant to be informed of the decision by post on friday as other parents from the school received the decision so I'm not sure what to do as i havent received anything like the other parents? tia x

How do you know which school she's been offered if you haven't received notification??

i checked online, i logged into the account i made when i originally made the admission.

You can go on the waiting lists and appeal at the same time.

But appeals are hard to win for reception.

As TimeOfGlass says you do both. Your daughter is probably already on the waiting lists for your preferred schools. You can appeal as well although it will be very difficult to win if it is an infant class size case (most appeals for Reception fall into this category) as you would have to show that a mistake has been made that has cost your daughter a place.

If your letter doesn't turn up in the next couple of days you should contact the council and tell them it has gone missing.

Contact the LA at some point today and ask where you are on the waiting list for your preferences. Did you put schools down that you were sure you would have a chance of a place at? Don't dismiss your allocated school either. I know several people in your position who within 6 months loved their allocated schools.

I think most people jump to the "should I appeal" mindset very quickly.

Wait a few days for your letter, phone the contact to check the details of the last offered place to make sure there was no error (ie. furtherest place was 1.2miles, but you live 0.8 miles under that same category). Then look at your options - it is soooo stressful, but you need to try and give yourself some headspace to think.

Perhaps visit the school that you have been offered... you might find it ticks boxes you didn't know about.

Most likely you will need to accept this place and go on waiting lists for preferred schools. You may think an error has been made and try to appeal.

But please realise an appeal is a very stressful process, and you won't win unless they have made an error - saying you put preference A, B and C and got school D won't come close to winning an appeal. Many deserving cases, that you would think would win, don't win...

You need to accept the place you have been offered, this does not damage the prospects for success of any effort you put in to get a better offer. Rejecting the place you have been offered is never a good idea unless homeschooling or paying for private are realistic options for you.

Find out where you are on the waiting lists for your preferred schools. In most areas there will be some movement on waiting lists as some of the families who got assigned other schools may be dithering about whether to choose private, or required to move areas for work, or on the waiting lists of more distant schools which they eventually get into due to similar reasons.

Visit the school you have been offered. It may be OK. Oftsed reports and local reputation can be very inaccurate representations of what a school is really like.

Thank you for ur replies ladies, i just wanted to ask 1 more thing.i havw worked out the distance from the schools i put down as my preference and it is actually closer to me than the school that has been offered to me..could this be a grounds for appeal

No because presumably there were too many meeting higher priority criteria or living closer to enable them to offer a space to your dd. The allocated school was probably nearest with space. Find out which category for each school you were and the furthest child admitted in that category. Unless a mistake was made denying your dd a place you are very unlikely to succeed.

No, your preferred schools being closer than the offered school is not a ground for appeal. Unfortunately children not getting into their closest school(s) isn't uncommon, especially in densely populated areas.

That is not a grounds for appeal at all. It's irrelevant if all your preferences had more children that qualified than you for a place. I suggest reading up again on how it all works