On waiting lists, should I still appeal?

[wibb]

Hi there, just joined! :D

We live 320 metres from our top choice school and the child furthest away from the school they gave a place to was 331m. This doesn't seem right to me and I called the school and found out he's literally number one on the waiting list which is GREAT!!!! :D :D but should I still decline the place at the other school and appeal?

I have checked the distance I have from house to school is correct and it is definitely 331, is that unlawful of the LEA?

I live in a very oversubscribed area (as you can tell) but am within 800m to 3 different schools. My son was offered a place at a school 2 miles away. I don't have access to transport and also can't use public transport for various reasons so a school has to be reasonable walking distance.

Whose measurement are you using? And check where the school is measuring the distance from - it'll be in their admission criteria.

Did the council tell you that they measure your address as 320? It varies from school to school how they measure (as in is to the front school gate or to the centre of the school site etc) so using a Google maps type measurement won't necessary tally up with the 'official' one.

What they said ^^

And it's usually very unwise to decline the place offered. You can appeal (if you feel you have grounds) for the other school but still accept the offered place.

You need to find out what admission category you were placed in: sibling link, distance etc
It maybe that the child further from the school than you was actually in a higher priority admission category and not admitted solely on distance.
If you were placed in the incorrect category you may well be able to appeal but this would probably be an ICS (class size) appeal which are notoriously hard to win
I'm sure someone with more knowledge than me will be along very soon

DO you have a school that is nearer to you than your number 1 choice? It could be that you are in category 6 and the person who was offered a place at 331m in category 5 so even though they live further away from you they are in a higher priority category.

Don't decline the offered place. Accept it - this won't affect your position on a waiting list or your appeal.

The school admissions use a more accurate measurement than you are likely to be able to use. Are you using Google Maps? It measures distance fairly roughly -usually from the edge of your postcode. So it is possible that, if your house is at the end of the street, Google maps will be showing a shorter distance.

The tool the school uses will measure from a specific spot (at our school this is the office gate) to the edge of the drive/front path. If resident in a block of flats then pupils on lower floors are deemed closer than pupils on higher floors.

However mistakes are made so you need to ask how they measure and what they use to measure.

For instance, if it is by safe walking route, and they haven't included a pathway even though the council had put in lighting before the applications deadline (before it was unlit and therefore deemed safe).

*deemed unsafe

But surely if the child who was further away got in because they were adopted for instance, then they would be in a different category to the On distance category?

But surely if the child who was further away got in because they were adopted for instance, then they would be in a different category to the On distance category

Yes, but if you ask the distance for the child furthest away from the school you aren't asking about categories. You are asking for the distance regardless of category. That may be the last child admitted on distance or it may be the LAC child who went in the highest admission category and for whom distance was not a consideration. What the OP really needs is the distance for the last child admitted.

Ah I assumed she had asked for distance of last child admitted