Our youngest didn't get into the same school as his 16 month older brother - can't split myself in two! - appeal?

[OhForFrigSake]

Ok, so my eldest son goes to a lovely village school jus outside of our catchment. We applied for his place and were surprised he got in last year.

This year his younger brother didn't get in - he has been allocated a school within our PAA.

The problem is, I cannot split myself in two to drop them both off at the same time. The eldest has just gone 5 and youngest not 4 yet - they're still young - I can't leave them waiting around the school to go in/ come out and wait without me there.

I've estimated that if I drop the youngest one off first at 9am (which makes sense as it's the closest school), I'll then need to get the eldest into the car, and 2 miles through the village (very congested - especially as we'll be late and parents will be leaving the site by that time). By the time we get there the eldest will be between 20 minutes to half an hour late to school. We'll then have to do this in reverse on a night and I'm guessing the teacher or TA in my youngest's school won't wait on for 30 minutes while I'm late to get him every single day!

The school drop off/ pick up will become a logistical nightmare with no choice but for us to be late for each school once a day - furthermore I work for myself and the idea of different inset days/ school plays/ school events is already making me want to cry.

Should I appeal on the grounds that the original allocation was 'a decision so outrageous in its defiance of logic that no sensible person who applied his mind to the question could have arrived at it?' (Wording taken from the appeal guidelines). Do you think I have a chance of success at appeal?

I assume that the reason he didn't get in is over subscription. Our admission criteria is:

1. looked after children and children with special educational needs
2. children in the PAA with siblings in the school
3. children in the PAA
4. children outside the PAA with siblings in the school
5. children outside the PAA

Our neighbours on the next street got their out of catchment sibling in the same school so I guess they were the last child to get in and we were the cut off

It was very stressful I fully expected to win our appeal. In the end my dh managaged to change his work hours to facilitate the morning drop off. It now means that my dd who has autism has to leave school 15 minutes early every day which is unsettling to her as the other school won't let me pick up dd3 late.
I hope you can sort out with other mums for your ds1 until hopefully a place becomes available.

I would fully expect you to win that appeal - it's shocking to me that you didn't.

I guess my best bet is that we get in via the waiting list. We're currently second so keeping everything crossed.

What a nightmare for you. I am so utterly greatful that in our area siblings are always put together. First comes special needs, then siblings, then catchment .

I wonder who is first on the waiting list and where they live, if someone 30yards down the road got a place.

I would appeal if I were you - you have nothing to lose. We appealed (successfully) to get ds1 into the school 3 minutes from our door (for which we were not in catchment) - and in our experience, the appeals process weeds out some people who aren't willing to keep on leaping the various hurdles.

I wondered that too Jane but presumably the catchment is drawn as a circle around the school so could be the equivalent distance away but at the otherside of the school IYSWIM?

I'm in exactly the same position op. Except my dd goes into y5 in September so is very well settled in her school. When I applied for her, none of the local schools were oversubscribed. Only 16 children applied for the 30 places.

In the meantime OFSTED have rated dd's school well above any other local school and people have moved their children there in droves. They've thrown up three massive developments in this tiny village, house prices have doubled and the school had 75 applications for 30 places last year.

I physically can't be in two places at once. I can't stop crying. There's no point appealing.

All I can do is move dd out of her school where she's been for 5 years and stick her in the failing school that ds has been allocated or homeschool ds which means giving up work.

I know people will say it's my fault and I guess it is. But 5 years ago, we picked the school which was right for dd. And it was right for her. She thrived, is thriving. And I will likely have to move her.

We're 2nd on the waiting list too. There won't be any movement.

It all feels so hopeless.

Is there an independent school not too far away that a parent or two at your elder son's school might have applied to? They might be looking to release their state school place?

It's so wrong isn't it? How can they justify new housing without considering schools doctors transport etc?

I know rules changed to stop the few who rent for places and move out - and it's just stuffed everyone else really!!

Maybe they need - sibling who reside in the same address the DC1 was accepted at???

Sorry to hijack, I haven't even received an email about my DS getting a place in a school, what do I do now??

Moving your five year old will not disrupt his education, fgs, it's barely begun... And they provide a breakfast club; it really isn't anybody's fault that you don't want to pay for it.

Oh I really feel for all of you that are in this position.

Op, I would take up all the offers of help from neighbours with school runs and hope he gets in off the waiting list asap. Our breakfast club is only £1 a day, I have to send my three a few times a week, so the price is great for us. Enquire about yours, hopefully it will reassure you. Good luck.

Is it to the front door of the school that it is measured to as this can make a difference

Show of hands - can you not pay for wraparound care / find a childminder / etc for 2 years rather than move your Year 5 daughter?

Thanks for the helpful comments - oh by the way Flogging Molly, I've already said we'd have to pay for breakfast/after school club if needed and there's no need to be so bloody scathing on a website designed to support parents when I've come asking for help.This isn't AIBU you know so you don't need to be such a dick fgs.

If all the local children go to ds1 's school would a friend be able to help you with either drop off or pick up or both?

Showofhands - can your Y5 daughter not walk towards the other school at the end of the day and meet you on the way? How close are the schools - you mention earlier about them being at the other end of the road. Could she not wait for you outside school? And wait around for school to open for a few minutes in the morning? If she's Yr5, she should be old enough to do all that.

I've not rtft but I just wanted to let you know we had our reception class upped to 31 this year after a mum (on our advice) appealed. Her eldest was going in to Y2 and her littlest was going into YR, littlest got given a space miles away. She appealed and her littlest is with us and was from the start of reception.

I think they do look at this with a more common sense approach on appeal sometimes

Yes, some of the mum's at DS1's school have said they'll help so I imagine we'll manage even though it's not ideal.

I will try and appeal (only because I've been advised to elsewhere including by the school and there's nothing to lose), we'll also keep our fingers crossed that being 2nd on the waiting list may pay off.

Fingers crossed there will be some drop outs or people that move before school starts.

I will be in a similar position at the end of this year, my oldest goes to a school 20+ miles away from where we live and it announced this year that it is the most over subscribed school in the county, great, but not great as I'm hoping my younger dc will get in for sept 2017, no idea on the admissions criteria although had presumed having a sibling already there would hold some priority.
I'm hoping that even if he doesn't get in that he will be near the top of the waiting list and there will be a lot of drop outs in the first term, this past sept just in the first few months at least. 6 children dropped out.

So stressful isn't it!

I would just sign up the older child for breakfast and after school club, thus giving yourself an extra half hour each side.

sadly as someone had already pointed out above, you accepted this situation when you accepted the out of catchment place for your older child

do you have any friends who will pick up your older son and walk him back to their house for half hour while you get to him?

It could well be that the person top of the waiting list missed the usual admissions round and is actually even nearer.

Good luck, OP.

There is no before or after school provision here sadly and due to this, childminders have waiting lists years long.

DD's school is 2 miles from DS's allocated school. Down a busy dual carriageway. There is no solution bar homeschooling DS or moving DD.

We never planned on a 2nd dc. We sent what was our only child to an undersubscribed school which was best for her. 5 years later, both our situation and the schooling situation have changed.