Primary School Admissions Criteria

[Acmmm]

What are some examples of ‘exceptional medical or psychological reasons’ for the school admissions criteria?
also, can it include the parent or does it ONLY the child.

I'm a GP and it's unlikely I'd be able to do this unless I knew you and your family very very well over a number of years. Your previous social worker? Do you have police reports?

i have 2 main health professionals, one a doctor who I’ve seen since she gave me my first immunisations 25 years ago, and a senior practitioner who I have seen regularly for the last 7+ years. She is also the main professional my parents see for whatever appointments, and she’s seen/knows everything, in fact she provided me with my first letter to give my Housing Association, outline the urgency she requests me move, and the DV and mental health impacts.
yes, I have NUMEROUS police reports, I believe I have the reference number, communications, the Non-Dom application I completed, and several other pieces to support. I’ve also submitted SAR to police requesting a list of all the reports and reference numbers I’ve made towards my ex, just to make sure I have missed any. I’ve got my Housing Association Support workers willing to write a statement detailing the ‘stage of abuse/events’ they were ‘actively’ communicating with me about, and support the give me/help.

However, today I had a call of the Head Teacher/SafeGuarding Lead. She basically said for that criteria, it has to be on the basis of the child having received a medical/psychological diagnosis from a psychiatrist other professionals. So the fact that there is no other schools in the area where I don’t have active police protection/investigation with any pupilparents, or the only school which, on school grounds, guarantee mine and my daughters safety and well-being … seems to be irrelevant.
I could be considered lucky the fact I had the strength to escape when I had my daughter because I was fully aware that I wasn’t safe there, bur stayed for years, but she didn’t chose to be around that. Then luckily the 2 incidents of criminal damage, my daughter was not in the property either time, and then as for the extreme psychological abuse and threats and malicious lies spread/received from several of his associates daily for over 2 weeks to the point where I had gotten scarily good at masking and hiding things. I got to the point I’d never in my life been so close to considering/committing su**de.
aside from my daughters being my main reason to live, i refused to willingly leave without proving wrong every single lie they spread.

its just shame I can’t get any help or support with this situation. I honestly feel like you see ‘DV Support Get Help to Leave’ or ‘DV Support, getting to safety then start to rebuild your life’ plastered/advertised left right and centre, yet I am ringing several places BEGGING for help handle this because at this moment in time and for however long I keep it like this, my daughter hasn’t/isn’t physically or emotionally experiencing/(ed).. it’s not a ‘safeguarding concern ??? Are they MAD

The criteria for that category is incredibly high. I've known a couple of people for whom I'd have thought it was no question I would have put them in that category who were told no.

In your case, I know someone who wasn't that far away from your situation. She was asked why if he was that dangerous to her was she still living that close. It was incredibly complicated why she hadn't moved further away, and it was really for the good of her dc too, so I didn't feel that was fair.

Is the school its own admissions authority (eg an academy)? I’m surprised at the line they’re taking and anyway, unless they are their own admissions authority, the decision is with the LEA, not the school. Obviously, not all LEAs work the same way but, as I said before, if there was evidence from the police of previous domestic violence, the LEA here would place your child. As others have said, it’s a safeguarding issue.

For primary school, it's not 6 weeks until admissions deadline - in England the deadline is in January for next September. You have time.

OMg the CHEEK of asking why not move further away.. why not LOCK UP THE ABUSER.

I spoke to social when incidents happened at my new place, and I basically said I do NOT want to move house again. I had spent months making it into a home for my and my daughter, as well as thousands on flooring and furniture etc. I got bullied and scared out of my last home by him, I am not letting him do it to me again. And to my surprise they completely agreed with me 😂 I got CCTV, Non-Mol, cooperating with new investigations. The first time at my new home, the police like first responder who come for statement didn't seem interested, straight away said 'what makes you think it's him because you have to have reasonable suspicion not just 'I think it's him/i don't know anyone else', and the cctv footage from a neighbour said didn't think would be clear enough to go and make an arrest or take to court. I got my back up immediately 😂. I said for a start, I don't 'think' it's him, I KNOW it's him, anyone who knows him, will identify him from that image. Secondly, the way he walks it's very distinct. 10 - 2 ' feet (point outwards). Then... i w was contacted by an old friend, who at 9am day after the incident he messaged her about me. She was at an event the night before and he was there so at first she was asking if I was sure, I asked what time he was with her until, she said he argued with GF all night then stormed off in a huff by himself at just after 10pm, I asked what time he come back, she said she 11pm he arrive back to a house near the gathering. So 10-11 no one is able to confirm his whereabouts, It was like a 'GOTCHA' moment. He smashed my windows at 10.37pm. Literally PERFECTLY added up 😂 then messaging about me the next day, showed that I was on his mind around that time!

Police did really let me down with a lot of things like, missed CCTV opportunities because they took that long to start doing something.
The second time, I was home alone, and i ran after them to see which way he went, and I walked the streets for 30-45 minutes writing down EVERY single house with CCTV and doorbell footage, as well as drew a map of where I chased them to, then the 2 potential routes the could go gone.

From first incident 5/11... along with several reports after that... he was arrested IN APRIL...
so Jan 22 n everything died down with the harassment and abuse, and I got fed up chasing police. I just let them to it because I'd provided/done everything from my side. Then end of APRIL I have a voicemail saying he's in custody... I rang and I went absolutely ballistic... they waited 6 MONTHS, and no prior warning to me.. I said do you not realise how much fucking danger you've put me in now, after I had been all quiet for months, now it's going to set it off again!!

Honestly the most helpful person in all of this has been the On Duty Health Visitor I spoke to this morning who give me names and numbers for my HV 😂 the numbers went to vm as well ... so considering that's my best interaction says a lot 😂

Yeah school is Academy so own admissions then obviously their over-sub criteria is on the LA website.
By chance I mentioned the situation to a friend of mine, who I only speak to now and again.. and as luck would have it her dad used to work on the board of Governors.
He said if this was in front of him, given the amount of evidence, police refs, Non-Mol application I saved before submitting, doctors letters, psychiatric reports, ongoing support for the mental issues constant, I have 7 'professional' (someone who I was linked to professionally/has a duty of care like my housing coordinators). 7 people SO FAR willing to provide a statement outline the 'stages/incidents' of abuse that was going on when in contact with them, as well as discussions between us about what was going on. Therefore more documents confirming and supporting everything.
He said it's definitely an exception social need.....
'SOCIAL' need, some academy criteria specifies/includes it, for example:

An application may be made under Rule 2 if your child has a medical or social need or disability and needs
to attend a specific school. Please be aware that few applications under Rule 2 are agreed.
Rule 2 applications will only be considered at the time of the initial application, unless there has been a significant and exceptional change of circumstances within the family since the initial application was submitted.

But OBVIOUSLY mine doesn't because everything has to be difficult for me 😂

All this evidence and I literally can't do anything with it

Out of interest I read further on for the criteria of the example I just used...
They literally want evidencing everything I have. 😭

All applications are considered individually but a successful application should include the following:
a. Specific recent professional evidence that justifies why only one school can meet a child’s individual needs, and/or
b. Professional evidence that outlines exceptional family circumstances making clear why only one school can meet the child’s needs.
c. If the requested school is not the nearest school to the child’s home address clear reasons why the nearest school is not appropriate.
d. For medical cases – a clear explanation of why the child’s severity of illness or disability makes attendance at a specific school essential.
Evidence should make clear why only one school is appropriate. A Rule 2 application will generally not be upheld in cases where more than one school could meet the child’s need.

With the evidence you have, including confirmation from your solicitor that the non mol was granted?, the safety adaptations and everything else, it has a very high chance of being granted. And as I think I said earlier, you can appeal if they don't accept this or offer a place in the normal round due to distance/etc.

Give them everything up front and you make it far easier for them to apply the policy correctly at application - and then put it forward for the admissions committee to agree the special circumstances category.

Yeah I can’t believe I’m having to essentially beg for help in this situation, I get they have to be strict and specific on criteria as anyone could make claims. And they are saying i would have to have my daughter (3yearold) diagnosed by a medical professional psychiatrist and say why that school is required.
but the whole reason I’ve been so active in trying to get that school, is to PREVENT my daughter from having to see a bloody psychiatrist!!

but their Academey criteria does NOT include ‘social’, where’s as a others do specify social, and some go on to clarify that does not just have to be relating to the child’s needs.
I did question that on if there was a reason some include and some don’t, and I can’t really remember her response to that, just something about Academt Trusts Code getting updated every 7 years based on Gov guidance and be and they are not mandated to make any changes since it is only guidance. And then something about the information booked I’m reading is for last year’s admissions (which I was well aware of, but it’s the only recent evident/information) then something not being isolated which now I’ve just explained that I might look into that a bit more..

but yeah she basically told me not to even bother trying as in 7 whole years she has never seen anything be accepted under that criteria.

the most frustrating thing is, my mam lives practically on the schools football field, I could practically lift her over the fence to drop her offs. So if I’d stayed living with my mam when I first left my ex, I’d of been practically guaranteed a place at that school by having her address. Don’tget me wrong I absolutely considered putting her address down on the application, and a few people did say ‘do it why not?’ .. and I thought about how much I needed a admission there, and because of that I decided AGAINST using an address I have a key to, with unrestricted access and I am literally at daily.. purely because to me it wasn’t/isn’t worth the risk of any consequences or fraudulent issues.

however I might actually look into that further. Because my mam pays full council tax anyway, I pay the amount I’m required at this property. But I learnt from previous employement that even if the property is empty and No occupents at all, SOMEONE still has to pay the council tax.
I’m wondering in the sense that, hypothetically my friends dad is ill and requires someone to be with him practically at all times (not specifically as a carer, but more minder/witness/supervisor) because he still occasionally has mobility so likes to keep independence where he can, but symptoms can change at any time, wether that’s improve or decline drastically.

my ‘friend’ also has medial issues and sometimes mobility issues ( no long distances, and even short distance, stopping regularly for intervals) she is currently unemployed, so they had an idea of instead of her sitting at home alone with anxiety,if her child is elsewhere, loneliness etc, why don’t they support each other and she move back home with parents until she decides what to do with her property, if she wants to move home altogether or is there hope of improvement of her returning home in further.. what would happen in them circumstances ..

You apply through the council so not sure how they link it to your application unless you specify why on it. My council doesn't have special circumstances on the applications more of a general box.

It would be relevant for an appeal if you didnt get a place from criteria 1 to 5.

If social services are involved you may qualify for criteria 1 which is usually looked after children or children with social services support.

Regarding the hypothetical question at the end. That can be disregarded as NOT an option
See below :

Don't be put off trying. If you don't try it will be harder to win an appeal.

OP you have about 4 months to get this together, there's more time than you think.

As prh47bridge says, don’t be deterred, It sounds more difficult because it’s being framed as the child’s medical rather than medical/social need, but try when you apply and (if necessary) try again at appeal.

I had to argue for special circumstances, had the headteachers backing and everything and still nearly didn't get it.

My DD cannot walk up stairs, she has a medical issue (not just mental/emotional an actual physical condition) and this is the only school where all bar 2 (Year 6) classrooms can be entered via ramp/ground floor access and the HT was willing for 1 year to move the Year 6s to a lower level for DDs sake.

We got in but it was very close to September when we won. The allocated school was entirely unsuitable and across several levels (4 to be precise) and DD would need to climb the stairs several times a day. I have physio and podiatry and paeds say it was unsuitable and the council just said "We'll install a lift" when there was literally a school 0.2m further away that could adapt without any additional costs