Primary school admissions/appeal

[Islamabadlady22]

My children attend a primary school of mainly Asian children. We are an Asian family. I would like to move my children to another school because I want them to be educated in a much broader community of children from a wider religious and cultural background. All good local schools are full so places will be difficult to find. If I appeal, can I use my wish for a much broader community as a basis to gain a place in another school?

Thank you for any advice.

No!

No that can't be accepted as a reason. The same reason given by someone from a caucasian family with a place in a mainly-asian school would almost certainly be taken as thinly-veiled racism. Whilst I am certainly not accusing you of that, it is obvious that if a reason is acceptable from one person it has to be acceptable from any, so clearly it can't be acceptable.

If you are appealing for a place elsewhere it should be about needs rather than preferences - though needs can be about a need to have a particular talent nurtured and supported.

You can stay on the waiting lists for other schools and hope for the best, you can improve your chances by moving into an area with a wider spectrum of diverse cultures.

If the appeal is an infant class size appeal it is highly unlikely to succeed whatever arguments you put forward. However, if it is for Y3 or later you have a better chance. Remember that you are appealing for the school you want, not against the school you've got. You therefore need to look at what the school you want offers that is missing from the current school and that will be of particular benefit to your children. Exposure to greater cultural and religious diversity is unlikely to persuade the panel and could put their backs up so I would stay away from that and look for other things.

Thank you for your help. We live in a small Asian community and my children attend a school of 60 children, 95% are Muslim. I wanted my children to mix with children from all cultures rather than just our own and to have different role models to my own community. My daughters especially suffer from community expectation, or lack of, around gender bias and aspirations.
However I can see that I may have to appeal for places at the larger schools around their general offer and broader provision.

Thank you again.