School admissions

[pafrrak]

Hi we are moving into southport from overseas and have applied to the school admissions department to request a place for our daughters into the catchment school which is 100 meters away, as per Stockport council website. Our oldest daughter who is in yr 6 has been offered a place but our other daughter who is in yr 5 has been told she cannot have a place and has been offered a place 2.5 miles away. We have also been told she is not entitled to school transport as she is 9 and because she lives less than 3 miles away is not entitled to transport. Surely a child who is 9, who has never lived in the area and who is relocating should have priority to be placed local due to council policy and safety reasons. The school we are applying for has 2 classes with 31 pupils and 1 class with 30 pupils. I have asked why she cannot be allocated a place to the class with 30 pupils. The admissions and appeals dept have said it is not within their remit to allocate or change. The admissions dept have stated that by allocating her would have a negative effect on the class, however stated if she had special needs she would probably get accepted. Can anyone please advise or help.

What they are telling you is correct I'm afraid.

The class is full; they clearly have a limit of 30 per class, which is normal. The other class must have gone over as a result of an appeal, or a previous statement/EHCP naming the school, which means the child is an excepted child so doesn't count towards the maximum (which is what they are referring to when they talk about special needs).

The regulations for free transport are that the allocated school is 3 miles for children 8 and over.

You can of course go on the waiting list, which will be ordered in accordance to the admissions criteria, so you can go up and down it as others move into the area.

You can appeal for a place, which is always worth doing, but odds are against you. You need to prove to a panel that the detriment to your daughter of not attending is greater than the detriment to the school of taking another child. You could point to the fact that the other class already has 31 and obviously copes; that her sister is in the school and as a relocation she knows no-one else; and also point out anything specific that the school does which makes it suit her - does it offer a specific language that she is good at? offer a specific club to suit her talents?

Appeals are hard to win, but always worth a go.

Agree with PHolmes. Your best bet is to appeal for a place, though on the face of it you do not appear to have a strong case. Does the school 2.5 miles away have space for your year 6 child as the alternate is for both to go to that school?

Id send the Yr DC and appeal the other. Stockport school are over subscribed but travelling 2.5 miles in rush hour would take a very long time due to traffic.