Infant Class Size Appeal - Success!!!

[Cheeksy]

When we found out DD didn’t get into the school closest to us (despite being in the pre-school) it was devastating! I spent nights scrawling the internet and mumsnet for advice and success stories to give me hope and i couldn’t find anything! Everything I came across was doomsday, “less than 1% win” Etc.

Well, today I got the news that our appeal has been successful!

i don’t want to give anybody false hope, it is a long hard slog, lots of research into the school, the space they have available, precedents set in other years… and having to get evidence of our social/medical situation. I also had to prove why I felt they’d breached the admissions code and why their admissions policy wasn’t fit for purpose. I still don’t know which bits of my appeal edged us over the line either. But what I will say is, whatever way it went I knew I’d done everything I possibly could. The Head had tried to discourage me from appealing and said “these never win, we’ve never lost one yet” but there’s always a chance and it’s always worth a go if you feel you have a strong case.

So if you’re reading this and you’re in the same situation, firstly, I’m sorry that it’s happened to you. Secondly, it can be a success. Research! Read the admissions code until you know it backwards, look for any areas where you may have been disadvantaged unfairly. Read the guidance on room sizes for reception classes and bulletin 103 and compare it to your school. Check what precedents have been set in previous years. Get supporting evidence from wherever you can. The panel can’t usually take into account personal circumstances, but if you’re including it to give context to other parts of your appeal, it could be useful so add anything you think is relevant and they’ll sift through what is and is not useful for their decision making.

I wish you all the best of luck!

Hi cheeksy
saw this post last week and couldn’t stop thinking about it
Just wondering if you would mind me messaging you for a little advice.
Thanks
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x

@Cheeksy what size was /is the class ?

Sometimes appeals are won because the school’s case is unsuccessful rather than something particularly compelling from the parents side. I’m not saying that is the case for you op but just for people reading this and think there is some secret silver bullet and they get false hope. The truth is the vast majority of infant class size appeals lose.

Room sizes and precedents aren't relevant in infant class size cases. Assuming the appeal panel stuck to the rules, it sounds like OP was able to convince them that the admission arrangements were in breach of the Admissions Code, and this cost her child a place.

If the appeal panel sticks to the rules, the only ways to win an infant class size appeal are to show:

• that the admission arrangements were contrary to the Admissions Code or relevant law, and this cost your child a place, or
• that the admission arrangements were not administered correctly, and this cost your child a place, or
• that the decision to refuse admission was unreasonable. The bar for a decision being unreasonable is very high - it has to be so unreasonable that no sensible person could have made it

@Shotts80 If you want advice, either create your own thread with details of your case or contact one of the experts on here - myself, PanelChair or PatriciaHolm.

Thank you, I’m still trying to figure out this whole mums net and not sure how I contact you or anyone else directly.
kr
c

If you are using Mumsnet on a PC, click on the three dots at the bottom of my post (just to the right of the word "Bookmark") then click in the menu that pops up.

@prh47bridge thanks ever so much :)