Dummy guide to primary appeals

[SchoolShenanigans]

Hey,

I'm looking for some advice on appeals please.

We haven't received our first choice primary school, although I know people last year who got a place who live further away and don't fall under other admissions categories so I know in other years we'd have likely got a place. The school is less than a mile away and was heavily undersubscribed last year but obviously oversubscribed this year (think this must be birthrate and siblings).

I've put my child on the waiting list and accepted the place we got elsewhere as a back up.

I also want to appeal to ensure we've been allocated fairly. I don't know if I have grounds or not and I've been given no reason for the refusal of a place, the email just says refused.

I'm in Kent if that matters.

Please can someone talk me through how to ensure that our application was considered fairly? I appreciate the odds are we were but at present there's no transparency so I'd like to find out how far away the last last place lives.

How do I go about finding this out? Can I just ask the school or do I need to go through a full appeals process?

Currently awaiting school's response on what the actual appeals process is as it's not an LA school.

Thank you!

Your decision letter/portal should have the criteria you were assessed under for each school and, for example, the distance used in the case of distance criteria, so check all is well. If it doesn't, check with the LA as they should be able to tell you. This is the first step to check that no error has been made in terms of

In terms of appeal. You can appeal for any school you applied for and didn't get into.
However, note that appeals for many/most reception years are ICS; Infant Class Size, which are exceptionally hard to win as the law caps classes at 30 in years R,1,2 unless there are exceptional circumstances (basically if the admissions authority made an error that cost you a place, or the decision not to admit is so unreasonable (in a specific legal sense) that no sensible person would have made it. Very few ICS appeals are granted). So check the PAN for the school; if it is 30, or a multiple of, or classes are combined to make 30 in infants, it will be ICS.

@PatriciaHolm thanks that's really helpful. Our email doesn't say why the place was refused, it just says this

Not offered = The school had more applications than places and filled with pupils who were ranked higher when the oversubscription criteria were applied.

Which isn't really helpful. Do I ask the school or the Local Authority?

No that's not helpful! They are supposed to tell you. At this point ask the LA as they will have cor-ordinated applications so should know for all the schools you applied for.

Have a read of this thread

Reception appeals in England: some general tips | Mumsnet