URGENT Infant Class Sie Appeal - ADVICE? :(

[Linz858]

HELP! We've appealed the decision to refuse our daughter a place at her primary school where she attends the nursery. We have had issues with her behaviour which settled immensely on starting school nursery. Dad works away and she struggles with change and separation anxiety. At the start of lockdown with the loss of school her behaviour declined tot he point of self harm, and attacking me in complete and utter rage - far beyond the normal tantrums of a 4 year old. Myself and my husband have been completely traumatised. He has been home from work for 3 months due to the problems covid-19 has caused to his industry. Our daughter will be completely distraught when he eventually gets to go back to work.
We were at crisis point as a family and consulted a psychologist, we kept having appointments deferred due to covid, but eventually had a full day assessment and she has written a supporting statement that change and new situations will have very detrimental effects on her mental health, which we fully agree with.

Our appeal is being done by writing due to Covid-19. The panel have come back to us with questions like why didn't we submit medical evidence with her school application (self explanatory really) and do we have any comments about the only ways a panel can accept her....

I don't know if the admissions authority made a mistake? Getting any information has been a battlefield. The only thing is that the school have reduced their intake to 60 this year down from 90 previously - but their website, twitter and facebook don't mention this and still says a '3 form entry school' or '90 place reception'.

We have genuine concern for our daughters mental health. She is very intelligent but will not cope well with a new setting, new teachers, new friends, new childminder all at once. I've watched my little girl rip her own hair out sobbing and I've also fought her off as she tries to rip my skin off. It's been harrowing and I don't know how I can get this across - my appeal statement was 8000 words and I feel like I still have to convince them by answering more questions. I'll do it, but I feel like we're on trial!

Any help, advice or even just breaking the 'jargon' they give us down around the circumstances they can allow a child would help!

Many thanks in advance

Can you delay her joining for a year? Keep her at nursery and then she can join next sept? If her mental health is so compromised it might be better than starting school and all the challenges that will bring.

There seems to be a lot of negative in everything you all are saying, at a time when I have 7 days to respond to the appeals team and was simply looking for any advice. I do not think being told I am 'wasting my time' is constructive at this point.

I sat on admission appeals panels for 15 years. I'm not being negative, I being honest with you. I know it's not what you want to hear and I know how upsetting it is. I really do. I've sat across the table from hundreds of parents just like you, desperate to do the best for their child.

But that doesn't change the fact that the law on infant class sizes changed and appeals panels cannot give you the place you so desperately want for your child unless the admissions authority made a mistake when they allocated the places. They didn't, and therefore you have no grounds for appeal.

OP - are the initials of the school IM? If so I can see on their website they are showing a pan of 90 for 2019/20 and haven't updated to 20/21. The admissions booklet from the council does state this school as having a new PAN of 60. Unfortunately, people don't always read the council's admission booklet.

It is really hard to read about your DD - I hope that you can work with professionals to resolve her anxiety

Having been out of her usual routine for the best part of six months by next academic year I'm not sure that returning to the same school will be all that familiar and reassuring, especially to different classroom , teacher , even pupils.

There seems to be a lot of negative in everything you all are saying, at a time when I have 7 days to respond to the appeals team and was simply looking for any advice.

People have given you advice. Not necessarily the advice you want to hear, but advice nonetheless, in many cases based on significant experience in this area. If you just wanted sympathy and for people to tell you it'll all be okay, that's what friends and family are for

Delaying her starting school for a year, whilst you apply for an ehcp; wait for a reception place to come up at the right school or reapply with the new criteria sound like great solutions op.

Re the 'paying for a diagnosis' view... there is an (old fashioned) view that parents would do this to get their child into a certain school or get extra time in exams etc. We used a private psych team for the same reasons you did and were warned to go with a certain pair of professionals as they also did NHS work, so there wouldn't be prejudice against their report. No one is criticising you, honestly, just saying how a panel 'may' look at your appeal.

To those who sit on panels, how can the op present her appeal in the best possible light? As even if it is a lost cause, this is where the op is now and it's all she can do!

Good luck with it all, I admire how hard you are working to support your dd.

@fabulous40s

Can you delay her joining for a year? Keep her at nursery and then she can join next sept? If her mental health is so compromised it might be better than starting school and all the challenges that will bring.

That's probably the most sensible thing here - at least delaying her start until the term after she is five and allowing her to stay in nursery.

People aren't being unhelpful OP - it's sounds awful for you. But are just trying to be realistic and make sure you're not pinning everything on this, and have some sort of alternative plan because it's likely you'll need it.

LIZS: My daughter is attending school now. She will not be 'out of the routine for the best part of 6 months'. She is with the Reception teacher now. She is with her classmates now. She is in the Reception classroom now.

rottiemum88: Actually there has been a lot of opinion, not actual advice. This is the first time I've ever posted on a forum as I am simply under so much pressure and wanted a little guidance prior to us responding to the panel. I did not ask for sympathy.

leeloo1: Thank you. That's all I asked - we chose to appeal, this is our situation and we just would like any constructive help. I'm aware of how difficult these appeals are to win. That does not mean I won't try.

myrtlewilson: how did you know the school??

It’s not ‘her’ primary school though is it. Your attitude is likely to make this worse for your daughter. Just help her look forward positively and work on a smooth transition to the school she’s been allocated.

OP, it's possible to work out the school from what you've said and the fact your area is in your previous post.

From looking at it further, there does seem a few strange things going on with the PAN.

The school site says it was 90 for 2019/20 (so last year). It's not been updated. The council site says it is 60 for this year, but last year they only allocated 68 spaces.

Do you know how the classes are arranged in YR, Y1 and Y2?

If they have a PAN of 60, offered 60, and are planning to run 2 classes of 30 in YR, then it is ICS. However, they clearly did something different last year with a PAN of 68.

(sorry not a PAN of 68, but an intake. That would need to be spread over 3 classes, possibly 2 reception and 1 mixed YR/Y1)

patriciaholm: Yes they were a 90 place Reception and chose to drop it for this years intake. They are going forward as a 2 class school. So last year only 68 admissions, though this year they have 1 excepted student so they are at 61 now I believe, with a waiting list of 14.

Think the school is possibly identifiable as you posted a link to the local authority email address in a previous post which you may want to report to Mumsnet to edit.

Could you speak to the other school about her issues and how you could settle her in there gradually? Eg. Part time hours to begin with