Not offered any of my 3 choices for infant school

[SarahSharp]

Hi
I'm new to Mumsnet, and am really looking for some advice.
We've just been found out that we didn't get any of the 3 choices of school for our little girl and we've been allocated a terrible school, which although reasonably near to us is further away than one of our choices.
I've already refused the place, the school is awful, described by Ofsted as "a school that has a considerable amount of children from a highly disadvantaged social background" as well as many children with a statement of special educational needs and learning / behaviourial difficulties.
We are going to appeal but just wondered if anyone has any experience of this and under what terms you appealed?
Looking forward to hearing from you.

I agree in part @ MintHumbug. I don't pay a huge amount of attention to Ofsted reports myself (and I work in education!).

The government wants to be able to measure how many children with SEN/EAL/from the care system yadda yadda are at each school. In fact, it has to measure, because funding is allocated to meet these extra needs. The information is then published for all to see.

I don't think the original idea was to categorise schools in this nasty 'high SEN, bad school' way, but you're right, 'SEN/EAL" has certainly become shorthand for 'crap school', which is wrong. Factually and morally wrong.

And I am not convinced that Ofsted mention these things to "convey a negative point". Perhaps they mention it because it provides a context (not a judgement or criticism)against which to consider the school's performance. A school where many of the children start with little English (say) may, if it supports those children and meets their needs well, offer more 'value added' than a school with more obvious natural advantages.

Lets look forward rather than backwards.

I can tell you that as a member of admission appeal panels that having point-blankedly refused the school place will come up at any appeal you decide to go for. How much it reflect badly on you depends on what you do and say.

You need to have a place for September and the LA will give you another place eventually, which i would suggest will be even further away than the school you were offered. I would suggest that you ask the LA now what other schools have places available and that having had a quick look at them and looked at the OFSTED report, if you must, take up a place. I would actually go for your nearest possible school.

It does not mean that you can only go to that school, it is simply a holding position.

Then get yourself on the waiting list for all three prefered schools, plus any others that you think are suitable as a matter of priority. Then turn your attention to the appeals process.

You need to look at the admission criteria, where you are on the waiting list, whether it is an infant class reg case and then make sensible decisions on what to do.

I imagine that Ofsted mention SN to put the results in context: i.e. if you have a significant proportion of children with learning difficulties, the results may well be lower.

This does not mean that going to school with these children is necessarily a disadvantage to any other child. Learning difficulties does not necessarily equal behavioural difficulties, and not all behavioural difficulties impact negatively on the rest of the class. Sitting in a corner refusing to engage with a teacher counts as behavioural difficultues but is not necessarily disruptive, and if children with SN have adequate support they need not take more time away from the teacher.

Going to school with children with learning difficulties certainly never held my dcs back in any way.

We are now thinking of trying to get ds statemented, because his physical disabilities impact on his learning. This does not impede any other child in any way. All the statement would mean is that he needs a few aids paid for by the LEA; no harm done to any other child that I can see.

The school my DD will start in Sept (our first choice & Ofsted "outstanding" - if that matters) ) has a "higher than average" number of SEN children, but I took that as a positive thing, not a negative thing.

From my limited knowledge of SEN, I understand that quite a proportion of children won't be formally statemented before they start school (or often the SEN is not even identified at that point). So to me if a school takes in an "average" bunch of kids in & has a "higher than average" number with SEN, then that tells me that the school is doing it's job properly & identifying those who need extra support and getting it put in place, to the benefit of ALL the children. If a school has less than average statemented children then they may have children in class who need extra support, but with none in place & therefore none of the children in the class get enough attention as the teacher is pulled all ways

Bottom line is that when we apply for school places when our DC are 3/4 we have no way of knowing for sure whether they may need help later or not. I would rather they be in a school where they identify this & they get extra help if they need it.

Just another viewpoint...

Visiting the school is more important than the Ofsted/League tables but they do play a part in what parents look for.

If I saw some of the Ofsted quotes re high SEN, then I would wonder if there would be disruption in class, whether the staff needed to concentrate effort and resources and so the mid-range children simply be left to "coast" etc. Most parents have some worries re choosing a school, its a big decision.

However a visit to the school would show how the class worked, whether it was an issue or if it was not at all noticable.

As for FSM, I always though they were mentioned to show there was additional funding not to show that x amount of parents dont work.