Unfairly denied a place. Does it matter now?

[hibbledibble]

I didn't get a place at our local primary, which was our first choice, for reception entry. I put my child in the waiting list.

I later had an email saying the waiting list was being cleared, and to reapply if I still wanted to do be on it. I replied saying not to take me off the waiting list, and that the link supplied to reapply for the waiting list did not work. I clearly stated that I did not consent to being removed from the waiting list.

I complained to the ombudsman at the time, who upheld my complaint, but said that no further action would be taken as the local authority had promised not to do this again.

I have later found out that shortly after I was removed from the waiting list, without my consent, another child was offered a place. This was base don distance, and they lived further away. Therefore my child should have been offered this place.

Years on, my child finally got a place at the school, but I am now wondering whether it is worth highlighting that we were unfairly denied a place.

Not sure what could be gained from this? Clearly if I had known this previously, I would have had grounds for appeal.

She hasn’t just found out, have you op?

But with the ombudsman judgement an appeal may well have succeeded at the time had op submitted one. Seems a bit late to do so now, unless you have only just become aware that a place was allocated afterwards, which might otherwise have been offered to dc. However info from other patents may not be reliable. If you want to raise it, maybe remind LA of the judgement and ask how they have updated the process. Was it LA or the school who did not continue the list?

Passthecherrycoke
We don't know it was 'her child's place' though. We know 2 years ago another child was admitted but her child wasn't.

The child who was admitted could have been a higher category and most parents don't go around disclosing that sort of information.

The OP can complain as much or as little as she likes about her child's application, but she has no grounds to start speculating about the applications of other children and talking about how they robbed her child of a place.

I didn't interrogate the parents, they volunteered the information, and were surprised I didn't get the place when I live closer. I have only recently found out, yes.

This is all the LA, not the school.

Why would they volunteer this information years after the event?

Which clause of the code? Are you saying that the list was closed early (before 31st December)? Also, how did the other family get on the new list?

You're not giving enough detail for people to give an informed opinion.

Why the constant questioning?

Because my child recently started at the school, and we were discussing why this was.

I would complain. As another person commented, it may help others in future. I would also have been angry.

You're not giving enough detail for people to give an informed opinion.
There's too many ifs and buts. It's also fairly odd that out of nowhere parent A would happen to volunteer the full details of their child's application to the school to parent B in enough substantial detail that another can confidently say that A stole their child's place.

Same for being surprised B didn't get the place. There's such thing as polite chat and sometimes when people are talking about an issue the polite and easy thing to do is say 'oh really' whilst nodding along.

It may be worth raising with the LA, it may not. People on here can't say for sure.

Why the constant questioning?

Because nobody can offer any meaningfully helpful advice or guidance on the information given.

If you're only interested in responses saying 'totally complain, their child stole your child's place and the school were totally out of order' then why post the thread?

Lola I have given all the information here. What question have I not answered? It is actually very common to have discussions in this area around school admissions. Not unusual at all.

Are you bored because you must be if you are complaining about this years on?

Lola I'm interested in all responses, but fed up of those that appear to misread the op, or deliberately misinterpret it.

I'm wondering if anyone has any personal or professional experience of this as well, and could offer any useful insight.

woman rtft. I only just found out!

Another question (I know you hate them!), how did the other family get back on the list when you couldn’t, or avoid getting bumped off it in the first place? If the link didn’t work for you it could hardly have worked for them either?

It's too late. It's already been investigated and it's years later. I think you just need to let it go. Your complaint won't be freshly looked at now.

Georgia the breech in the admissions code was investigated, but not the consequences of it. That is not the remit of the ombudsman.

Head in the clouds that I don't know, but they were able to get on the list sooner, and get a place. They may have been sent a correct link, or got a paper form in sooner. Either way, it would have been a case of my child being unfairly disadvantaged.

OPs only just found out and prior to her being removed from the list 2 years ago she was number 1, so yes that child got the place instead of OPs child.

OP has said that child was admitted on distance and OP is closer. That child moved to position no1 after Op was taken off the continued interest list (in error)

As she’s only just found out I don’t understand why she shouldn’t complain now to ensure it doesn’t happen to others. I think a lot of posters are misunderstanding the situation as presented by OP

Thank you, passthecherrycoke

There does seem to be an awful lot of misunderstanding here.

Thank you for that concise summary.

Let it go. Your child is in your preferred school, and you already raised the issue with the powers that be. There's only so much you can do.

Fair point Jax if they didn't take action to the ombudsman ruling previously, there is no guarantee they will do now.

If the LA are breaching policy despite already being told by The Ombudsman then yes absolutely complain, even thou nothing will change in your instance, its a case of preventing it from happening to another family.

When you complained to the Ombudsman; how did you know that you weren’t on the list at that point, when you weren’t to find out until two years later that a place had become available and had been allocated to someone else?

head in the clouds I don't understand the question.

Like I already said, my complaint was due to them taking my child off the list, in contravention of the admissions code.

Headintheicloud you do seem to enjoy being contrary generally, but on this thread, it’s getting ridiculous. OP has clearly set out the situation.

I have just been through primary school admissions and I can tell you without even being involved in continued interests I know all about who got a place second or third round and on what basis. You talk to friends, neighbours etc, it comes up. It’s not weird at all.