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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Waiting for appeal to be heard

19 replies

changeapart · 08/11/2016 23:31

Bit confused on how to go ahead with the situation. Applied place for year3 for my daughter. None of the schools have places. Got a form along with the letter where placed her on waiting list on my prefferred schools and also for appeal. Now confusion is meanwhile should she stay at home -out of education or do I need to send her to some school regardless of how undesireable it is on my preferances? Oh and she is 3rd on 1st preferred school and 4th on 2nd school waiting list.

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GiddyOnZackHunt · 08/11/2016 23:50

It's a guessing game really and depends on the child, the likely movement, the offered place etc.
Have they offered you any school place or are they saying they literally have 0 school places? The appeal should be pretty quick (less than half a term in our case) so if you have no school place or a really good case then home ed might work.

Original poster

changeapart · 09/11/2016 00:00

They mentioned that all the schools i applied for have no places but there are places in 2 schools. They are bit far for me to go as i dont drive so will have to change 2 buses plus bit walk to reach there and we have shifted from different city so everything is very new for us right now.

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Original poster

changeapart · 09/11/2016 00:06

And u say in ur case it took half a term..what did u do meanwhile with your child? I mean sent to another school? Private school? ...

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GiddyOnZackHunt · 09/11/2016 00:06

So there are places but they don't work for you. What grounds are you appealing on? If it is purely the journey then that may well not be enough. In which case you're relying on movement. Does your daughter settle well? Can you home ed? If we'd had to wait for a waiting list space at this point in Y3, we'd have got a place at the start of Y5

GiddyOnZackHunt · 09/11/2016 00:08

My dd was in another school but there were huge problems and we had really good grounds for appeal. She has SEN.

Original poster

changeapart · 09/11/2016 00:17

Its the catchment school i am appealing for and I have seen one of their y4 class and y6 class have more than 30 kids. I am targeting heyes lane as it is our catchment school but would be happy to get place for park road academy. The thing is I am pregnant and due in end march. We dont know anyone here nor any fmly here so was worried that if not nearby school her school attendance will affect during delivery time (me with pre eclampsia history- might have complicated delivery) as my husband commutes to leeds everyday and can drop her to breakfast club on his way to work. Dont know if my case stand any chance in appeal.

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Original poster

changeapart · 09/11/2016 00:20

Forgot to mention both heyes lane and park road academy are 10-12 mins walking distance for us

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GiddyOnZackHunt · 09/11/2016 00:24

You might be better to focus on the class sizes having a precedent of being over 30 rather than the travel issues & pregnancy. Not having local family or a pregnancy issue isn't grounds for an appeal really.
Good luck.

prh47bridge · 09/11/2016 08:00

I'm afraid that travel problems and pregnancy are very unlikely to be a winning case for appeal.

The good news is that appeals are easier to win for Y3 as classes can go over 30, although the appeal panel won't want to push the class too far over 30. If the school already has over 30 per class in some years that helps in some respects in that it shows they can cope with an additional child. On the other hand it may mean the school is full to beyond its capacity which won't help.

Has the LA offered a place at any school? If not that will help you at appeal. If they have but you have rejected it due to the transport issues it won't help you and may make it harder to win. Note that if the school allocated is more than 2 miles away by the shortest safe walking route the LA has to provide free transport for your daughter. Depending on where you are that may be anything from a free bus pass to a door to door taxi.

In order to win your appeal you need to show that the disadvantage to your daughter through not being admitted to this school outweighs the problems the school will face through having to cope with an additional pupil. You will need to show what this school offers that is particularly relevant to your daughter but is not offered by the allocated school (or the nearest schools with places if the LA has not offered you anything). So, for example, if your daughter is musically talented and the preferred school has more extra-curricular musical activities than the offered school that is something worth bringing up.

As a general rule transport and childcare issues do not win appeals. Your case needs to be about what is best for your daughter.

Original poster

changeapart · 09/11/2016 09:56

I see, will have to look into extra activities and policies into detail then.

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bojorojo · 09/11/2016 17:23

If your DD has SEND, does she have a "statement"? If so, can this be amended to state the school you want? If not, really concentrate on the education the school can provide that will meet her needs. Have you checked what their SEND provision is like? Will they be able to give her the education she requires? What are their staffing resources and expertise in the SEND she has? I would check all of this out and make sure I appealed on educational grounds.

prh47bridge · 09/11/2016 17:57

It is called an EHC plan rather than a statement these days. I don't see anything in the OP's posts to suggest her daughter has SEND. If she does then yes, getting an EHC plan naming the preferred school would ensure a place at that school.

Original poster

changeapart · 09/11/2016 18:31

No she does not have SEND. Got a form today to fill for the appeal with the reasons for appeal for those schools. Wondering, meanwhile should I send her to some school or is she better off not going to one as if appeal accepted she will have to go through one more change??😒

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prh47bridge · 09/11/2016 18:37

Purely from the point of view of trying to win your appeal I would send her to a school. Unfortunately some parents think they can force the appeal panel's hand by refusing to send their child to any other school. You don't want the appeal panel to think that is what you are doing.

Original poster

changeapart · 09/11/2016 22:41

Oh! I heard other way around that kids out of education have high chances of winning the appeal??! I got reply of places from council that all schools u applied for does not have places. But 2 other schools MAY have places. Anyways, made new application for place in one of those schools just looking at that it is better to go to some school for now for my daughter than not going anywhere.

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GiddyOnZackHunt · 09/11/2016 22:48

No prh is right. If you had been told you could not get a school place at ANY school in the Local Authority then you'd stand a good chance.

SerendipityPhenomenon · 11/11/2016 15:58

Have you investigated whether you are entitled to school transport for the schools that have places?

Original poster

changeapart · 13/11/2016 22:10

Not yet, never thought about it. Will check with admissio s department tomorrow. But one of the school is 1.7 miles only but to reach there needs two bus changes and walk. Lets see, will try to find out something in that direction tomorrow

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prh47bridge · 13/11/2016 22:48

What matters is the distance by the shortest safe walking route. If it is more than 2 miles you are entitled to free transport.

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