Inadequate school place offered

[Bicyclethief]

Hi

I would be very grateful for some advice. We recently moved to a new area and had to apply for a reception place for my ds who is due to start reception this September. I asked my previous local authority to transfer our application to the new (we had applied within the timescales and had a place for him in that borough). We have now received an offer for a school which was not on our list and is according to ofstead, inadequate.

Has anyone got any experience with appealing under these circumstances? I really want to appeal but I'm unclear as to what grounds I can do so. Am I really required to accept a inadequate school for my child?

I'm in a bit of a panic at the moment(just literally got the news) and can't figure out what to do!

Many thanks in advance!

I don't think "inadequate" is an ofsted rating...

You'd need to read their report to find out why it has a lower rating, and may find it's something that won't affect you.

You need to get on the waiting list for the schools you want. Have you done that?

You can't appeal against a school, only appeal for a school. As your child would be going into reception infant class size rules would apply so if it's full, it's full.

Did you give up your old place? Could you use it if not too far away?

Also, did you apply for a specific school/school in the new borough? Usually that's what you would do but if nothing available then whatever there are spaces is next. Unfortunately the school nobody wants (because it's inadequate) will be more likely to have spaces.

"Inadequate" isn't an OFSTED rating.

What specifically is wrong with the school?

Have a look at the threads on Primary Education, there are some really helpful people on there.
I'm not an expert but I can't see any grounds for appeal from what you have said here

Am I really required to accept a inadequate school for my child?

No, you can home ed. Inadequate rating is not a basis for an appeal.

You have to educate him but you can choose whether that is through the state school offer, private school or home schooling is up to you. Ultimately though some children have to go to the less good schools until they improve and the LEA have discharged their responsibility. I would accept the place (unless you have an alternative plan) and put his name on as many waiting lists as possible.

If you applied at the correct time, why have you only just now been given a place? Was your application considered late due to the move?

A school not having a good ofsted rating isn't sufficient for an appeal. The LEA have to have made a mistake essentially for an infant class size appeal or the criteria are illegal.

Which london borough is it and which term does your child turn 5yo? Just had a thought.

Thank you all.

We moved recently to the new borough so we had to apply late. It looks like the only other option is to put his name down on waiting lists. How do I do this?

Waltham Forest. He turns 5 in January.

Inadequate is an OFSTED rating, it is often accompanied by a school being in special measures. You need to read the report - why was it given that rating?

For a myriad of reasons including inadequate leadership and teaching and student poor behaviour. This is just for starters.

If you applied late then everyone else gets allocated first. It sounds like all places were full. If your dc doesn't turn 5 until January they don't need to be in school until easter next year. You need to find out how waiting lists work in your area. Some seem to be run centrally and others by the school.

If I delay till after he is 5 I assume the local authority still have an obligation to provide him a place by April? I guess the worst case scenario is that he still gets the same school and I would have delayed his schooling for no reason.

Have you looked round the school yourself?
You could have been allocated this school last year and been happy as it wasn't in special measures. Even though the school would have been performing at the same level IYSWIM.
Special measures means the schools getting a lot of support and a lot of funding thrown at it, go and have a look and see what you think.

Inadequate is an Ofsted rating.

The only realistic grounds for appeal are:

1. The admissions policy was not followed.
2. The decision not to admit the child was so stupid that no rational person would have made it.

You should have automatically been put on waiting lists for any schools which you put on your application form. I would call the LA and the schools just to make sure.

Right now I'm having an emotional response to this. I can't believe that I my bright (I know every parent says this, but he is) will be going to an inadequate school. I feel inadequate about it

There are no huge amounts of money thrown at Inadequate schools these days. They have to prepare an improvement plan and you can ask if the Head will share the headlines with you so you can see what improvements they are intending to make. You can ask how it is going.

Sometimes a school can turn around fairly quickly if new management knows what they are doing. I fear for schools that yoyo between being good and poor over a number of years. If this is just a huge blip I would have some confidence in improvement being made and maintained.

I would also look very closely at what the report says about early years provision. Also, how old is the report? If it is very recent you can expect some turmoil but if it is six months old then there should be green shoots!

Lastly, delaying may be an option but I think the school may be able to offer the place to someone else if your child is not on roll. That can result in you being offered another school you don't want even further away. I would see what the waiting lists look like and phone the schools to find out in the first instance for info. Go to the allocated school and, if you don't like it, take up a place elsewhere if you get one.

If you are set against the school, your best bet is to accept the place but delay his start, and get yourself into the waiting lists of all the schools you would accept.

Don't turn the place down. If you do then the LEA have no obligation to make efforts to find you another place. If you found yourself school less in April you could then find yourself somewhere even worse a number of miles away.

Private school until a place comes up?

OP
I'm going to be really nosey, but your interest in school quality etc makes me think you have some privilege? (This could be totally misjudged) please think about these things:
How much time do you spend with DC playing and learning, will he be stimulated a lot outside school, do you or the people who will be with him have time to work through his homework and talk to him about what he's been learning?
What is the level of education in your home? Do you read papers? Talk about current affairs? Do you go on holiday or read about other cultures?
Could you afford books to help your DC with sats? Would he mix with other children in extra curricular activity? If so he's likely to do well in any education setting.

A lot of schools in special measures have a lot of children in them who don't have many/any of the privileges that I've listed. Furthermore the attitudes to education that the children in these schools are surrounded by are often different.

Just a thought.

Tiggytape, in relation to appealing in general grounds. Would arguments along the lines of living close to the school, extended family and minimising change for my son along with reasons why the school meets my son's interest stand up?

Bear in mind that people move a lot in London so places do come up - it's a question of being at the top of the waiting list when they do. Is inadequate school your closest? Visit all your local schools within fifteen minutes walk, decide which of them you'd be content to live with, and get on the waiting list for all of those.