CRISIS help - ds2 not got into school - appeals/staying at preschool/home-ed?

[octopussyintummy]

DS1 goes to school in next vilage - there is a school in our village but there were 38 in his class when we started and it was unacceptable so we moved him - now ds2 hasn't got a place at the other school. 38 applications and 26 places allocated. 8 people still want places. Have filled in form to appeal and have put his name on waiting list - I am assuming 4 places are kept for people moving and some people will turn their place down.

I am not going to put him into our village school and then move him - can't be in two places at once.

Anyone any idea how appeal works - surely having a sibling gives us a good chance? The council is South Gloucesterhsire.

Do you keep your child at pre-school until a place comes up?

Would you supplement this with home education so he doesn't fall behind? If so - where do you get the resources? I have stuff from ds1 reception so know kind of stuff should be doing. I am a qualified teacher so shouldn't be too difficult

Have found on their websire that having a sibling should be a good reason to appeal - but I suppose it depends on how many other people are in th esame position and if they live closer arararagggghhhhhhhhhh

Have a look at this thread . Tbh it sounds as if you may have a chance at appeal on the basis that the admission policy is unreasonable in that it doesn't acknowledge the practical difficulties in having siblings at different schools. I haven't heard of this policy of keeping 4 places back just in case (it operates round here for preschools, but not primary schools). Did you apple by the appropriate date etc?

Thanks - will go have a look. It says the admission level is 26 but they can take up to 30 by law so assumed they were saving some places - as it didn't say limit.

Does anyone know whether have to go to a meeting or something to make my appeal to the panel or do they just read the form which says have borther at school and make a decision based on that?

As far as I know, the limit of 30 for Rec, Yr1 and Yr 2 is the limit set by the government. However, each LEA also sets a Pupil admission number (PAN)for each school which takes into consideration the physical size of classrooms etc. The PAN at my last school was 45 which meant that we always had a class and a half which therefore meant we had mixed aged classes.

If the school says their admission number is 26, then that is the number that the council says they can have in each class (unless you appeal successfully).

Sorry, forgot to say that friends of mine have just gone through the appeal process (and won!) and they had to go to a meeting at the County Hall to present their case.

I am just going to cross my fingers and toes and pray! DS3 due in six weeks so really not what I need!

Octopussy - DO appeal, and make sure that yo0u are on the waiting list.

Places will go first to appeal winners and you can bet your bottom dolar that others who didn't get in will appeal.

The letter you had saying you haven't got a place should tell you what the appeal procedure is, and the deadline for submitting your appeal. We had to notify that we would be appealing by a certain date, and then get the appeal in a couple of weeks later.

There is a document by the DfES that tells you the grounds for a ppeal, and what criteria an appeal can be made on. I do think that you need to say that you have a child at the school (who went there because the one in your village was full) and that you cannot manage the drop-offs and pick ups from 2 schools.

We had to send our appeal leter in, and were then invited to present our case to the appeal panel (an LEA rep and 2 community reps, I think) which in this case was help in the school.

After the appeal, if you don't win, you still need to make sure your name is actively on the waiting list.

Good luck.

I don't know much about the appeal process, but there was something about it on Radio 4 today, Woman's Hour I think. I just caught half of it.

One woman on it did say that an appeal had never been won without the parents being present, and that for every appeal reason you must have evidence. Also that you must only talk about the school you want to get your child into, and never say anything about the other schools which are available.

Sorry, not much info, but hope it helps.

Thanks

Have spoken to LEA today - there are only 26 places and 8 people waiting - the final list will be drawn up when everyone has responded by 15th March - then spaces will be allocated on the same basis as before - then our appeal will be heard before a panel - who then make a decision. Even if we move to that village it doesn't mean we get a place automatically - if the class is full we would still need to wait for a place to come up. There is no waiting list as such in order - they will reveiew the applications pending as and when any places come up.

There are other families with children at the school and they don't have a place for their youngest.

The preschool he has been attending in the other village won't take him from September - which caused a complete meltdown but luckily his other playgroup in our village will take him until April 2008.

We are going to look at another school tomorrow and the house is being valued!