Primary school admission national offer day, how to appeal?

[practicallyperfectmummy]

Hello,

So we didn’t get any of our 3 school choices 😩 allocated a school nearest with space. Actually not even the nearest to us outside of our top 3 but further over. Does anyone have any advise or insight to the appeal process place? Or going onto a waiting list for a school that we would like? Any help Much appreciated

Generally you need to accept your offered school, ring the LEA and ask to appeal/ go on waiting lists then follow up with email. Find out if there is any other nearby school with places which you prefer to your offered school. For appeals you basically need to find an error so find out if any friends further away from schools/ lower faith priority were offered places.

Appeals for infant classes are only successful if the case can demonstrate there was a procedural error in the process. You may automatically be placed on the waiting list for each school but you should ask to be put on them to make sure.

I'm in a similar position though it seems to vary regionally as to what happens next?

Your appeal would need to be based on your application being processed incorrectly, I think.

Did you put your catchment school down?

You can go in waiting lists for other schools straight away.

Many areas will automatically put you on lists for schools higher up the form for which you did not qualify in the first round. But you need to check, and you can ask to be out on more waiting lists as well.

It is your right to appeal.

But appeals where infant class size (ICS) rules apply can only be won in three ways:

a) admissions error which meant your child did not get an offer they would have received if they had administered the system properly (so for example, have they overlooked sibling? Or measured distance to your house wrongly?

b) the criteria are unlawful, by not giving priority to a group they must, or giving it to a group they must not. (This does not mean schools have to use all possibles of the optional permmissible categories).

c) the decision is so unreasonable it is legally perverse (barrier for this very high, eg child protection issues).

That they offered you the nearest school with a space is entirely correct. It's not a synonym for nearest or next nearest. Is it one you viewed, or do you know anyone with a DC there? Finding out more about it might be a useful thing to do.

Thank you all helpful advice, our first was slightly out of catchment. Also C of E, but surprised to not get any of our choices at all. My oldest son so new to the process it's stressful!

Just to add to the good advice already given...

You should automatically be on the waiting lists for your preferred schools but it is worth checking. You can go on the waiting list for other schools but the local authority may limit the number of waiting lists you can be on.

Regarding appeals, it is not necessarily the case that it will be infant class size. It depends on how big the classes are in Reception, Y1 and Y2. If they have 30 per class (or would if they were full) it will be infant class size and, as others have said, you are only likely to win if you can show that a mistake has been made and your son should have got a place. However, if they run smaller classes an appeal will be easier to win. Most Reception appeals are infant class size but not all.

Did you submit church-going evidence? If so, check it was actually read/applied.
Other than that I suspect that waiting list will be the only way to go. But my impression is that busy areas with very full, very close together schools i.e. urban areas also have a lot of people moving house.

I was told that I can only be on the waiting list of my 3 preference or I will have to make a re-application to be put on a different waiting list by dropping one of my preferences.

Also how long can you remain on a waiting list? Do you have to renew it every so often to tell them of your intention.

Also how long can you remain on a waiting list? Do you have to renew it every so often to tell them of your intention.

Waiting lists must be maintained (in oversubscription criteria order) at least until the end of December in the year of entry. Some schools / LEAs (for community chool's) maintain the waiting list until the end of the academic year - check the individual school's Admissions Policy either on its own website or in the LEA's website / composite prospectus.