Accept allocated school and then appeal?

[qarrot]

Hi,
Was hoping I might be able to get some impartial advice, having read some of the threads here with interest. Daughter offered place at school we're not at all happy with, not given any of our 4 choices...
Have been advised to 'accept' the school offered and at the same time ask for her to be placed on a waiting list (for as many schools as we like) and ask for appeal papers. My question is - if we accept the offered school (we really don't want her to go there) does that damage the credibility of our position on the waiting lists/appeal?

Accepting the place will NOT affect your position on the waiting list or the appeal.

In fact almost the opposite is true - if you turn down the allocated school & do the "my DC is not going there" approach then the appeal panel take a dim view of this & they certainly won't be "blackmailed" into granting your appeal.

It's also worth checking with the LA what other schools have places, to see if there are any others you prefer more than the allocated one - but you definitely need a fall-back position in case your appeals aren't successful.

Shortest answer is no, accepting the allocated school will not undermine your appeal or your place on any waiting list.

Looking at it from the other point of view. Refusing the allocated school will not boost your chances at appeal and will not move you up the waiting list(s). Appeals are decided according to the Code (which you can find on the DCSF website) and not having a school place does not mean that you win your appeal. (And although it isn't strictly relevant, panel members may think you are foolhardy if you turn down the only school place you've currently got and may resent anything which looks like blackmail). Waiting lists are held in the same order as the school's oversubscription criteria so, again, having or not having another school place has nothing to do with it.

As you'll have seen from the other threads, if yours is an infant class size appeal you are only likely to win if you can demonstrate that there has been a grave error which has deprived your child of a place.

BetsyBoop and I are obviously on the same wavelength!

thanks, that's really helpful advice... will tick the 'accept' box then! i know appeals are pretty hard to win, but in your experience, do we have much chance of securing another school by putting ourselves on lots of waiting lists? the person i spoke to at the council said i could put her down on the waiting list for as many schools as i wanted...

How hard it will be to win an appeal depends on whether or not it would be an infant class size appeal. If it is infant class size (i.e. the school has 30 children in each class in infants) you should only win if you can show that a mistake has been made or that the refusal to admit your daughter was unreasonable. However, if it is not an infant class size appeal you have a much better chance. They you only have to show that the prejudice to your daughter's education by not going to the preferred school is greater than the prejudice to the school through having to cater for an additional child.

Each waiting list is sorted using the admission criteria. Someone who goes on the waiting list after you may still be ahead of you on the list if, for example, they live closer to the school. There isn't much point going on the waiting list for a particular school if you will be a long way down the list as your chances of getting in will be minimal. However, you clearly won't stand any chance of getting into a particular school if you aren't on that school's waiting list.