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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Lost Primary Reception Appeal

68 replies

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 14:17

We lost our appeal for my daughter (reception) to be at the same school as my son (yr 1).

In Sept my children will be in two different schools one which local to us and the other is 4 miles away from us.

We moved into the catchment area after the schools in take and the local school had no places for my son even though he went there for nursery, resulting him to go to a school 4 miles away from us and sitting on a waiting list. We should have moved into our new house in January but due to solicitors problems ended up moving in July, missing out on any offers in between, admission where aware of us moving but where unable to offer us anything until we had moved into the house and then we had to have a welfare visit.

Currently I am driving my son to a school 4 miles away and then dropping of my daughter at our local school for 9.00 am - she is always late. When I am struggling I rely on my friends who have children of their own, we have no family to help us.

We wanted our children to be in the same school 4 miles away as my son is in yr 1 and settled we had the opportunity to move him (18 months later) to the local school, but due to his behavioural issues and health issues (stress and hair loss) we chose to leave him there and move our daughter over to the school he is currently at.

But because we swapped my daughters choice of school over on 10 Feb even though offers were made on 25 Feb it was classed as a late application (no one informed us about a cabinet member) resulting my daughter to sit on a waiting list at no.3. Even though she has a sibling at the school she is priority no. 3, children in the catchment area or moving into the catchment area have priority, which means she can move up down and stand no chance of getting into the school.

Logistically it is impossible to be at two places at once. One school starts at 8.55 - 3.15 pm and the other school starts at 9.00 -3.20 pm up to year 2 and then year 3+ both schools start at 8.55 ? 3.30 pm. It takes me approx 20 mins to get my son to school and 25 mins back due to traffic to get my daughter into school ? she is always late. I am putting my life at risk and my children?s life at risk getting them from one school to another on time.

We can't afford childcare costs as my husband has had to have a major pay cut to save jobs, he?s having a third operation on his foot in the summer and will be off work for 3-4 months as he was last year. My health is in a bad way at the moment due to all the driving around, stress and depression. We will be financially broke come September due to the extra expenses. I am currently seeking work but due to my daughter only being in nursery half days it is impossible to find anything and even if I do find work everything I earn will go on childcare costs!

We had a supporting letter from our doctor, MP and my husbands company. When we presented our case I was nervous and didn?t manage to get all our main points across and ended up crying and getting all frustrated when the panel asked me questions and when admission presented their case to the panel. It was a daunting experience and I now wished I got a representative/solicitor etc. involved. I have spoken/heard of parents who have won their appeals due to logistic reasons and late applications. We can?t appeal again but can get in touch with ombudsman/solicitor (very expensive).

I am beside myself at the moment thinking away around the whole situation and even thought about getting a solicitor involved and borrowing money from the bank! I can understand what you are going through!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 19:57

Thanks for all your spupport and help. xx

OP posts:

Original poster

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 19:59

Will the LEA pay for the childminder?

OP posts:

lucykate · 30/04/2010 20:09

i would stick it out on the waiting list as others have suggested too. we moved in the july before dd started school to a new area, when we moved dd didn't have a place at any of the local schools, she was 9th on the waiting list and in the end, we got offers from 3 schools. ime, there is more movement on waiting lists than you would expect.

CarGirl · 30/04/2010 20:09

No the LEA won't because they have fulfilled their obligations, unfortunately your circumstances in this case are your own doing.

PfftTheMagicDragon · 30/04/2010 20:10

Why would they?

I would imagine that they would say it is just one of the hazards of having 2 children.

FanjolinaJolie · 30/04/2010 20:17

My advice would be to try and hold your nerve until the first week of September, you may be surprised at what can happen during the holidays. Really hope your DD can get the place you want but if not perhaps you should try the commuting for a term and if it's not working move your DS.

clam · 30/04/2010 20:22

Do you really think that the LEA should pay for a childminder for you? Or is that just borne out of your (understandable) frustration at your situation.
Because, honestly, think about it. Can you imagine the onslaught of claims if it came about?

Original poster

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 20:39

Cargirl have you got children? and if so are they in different schools?

If you have been through what we have been through as a family over the last two years resulting from depressions, stress, backache/tennis elbow, underactive thyriods, your child suffering from stress and loss of hair, your children crying cause they can't be in the same school as their brother/sister, driving past a school where your child is crying his friends are at that school and they want to go to their, behavioural issues due to changing schools, finacially problems due to your husband having to take a pay cut to save jobs and having to have a third operation due to having tumors in his foot and ao I can go on and on .........

Then you can comment that it is our own doing! If it was only that simple.

OP posts:

Original poster

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 20:42

Thats just me taking out my frustration.

OP posts:

EldonAve · 30/04/2010 20:44

It is your own doing though
You had the choice of the local school but chose not to move your son

Original poster

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 20:49

Also having to deal with 3 deaths within two years within the family one of which was a 1.5 year old baby and four weeks ago my grandad via cancer. It is very hard!

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 30/04/2010 20:49

I don't understand - what year is your DD in now?

Original poster

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 20:52

Thats right we did chose not to move our son but if the went through the experinces we have with our son and his behavioural issues and health issues you wouldn't have moved him either.

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 30/04/2010 20:53

But doesn't he want to go to the other school because his friends are there?

Original poster

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 20:54

My d is in nursery due to start reception in September.

OP posts:

Original poster

SKM777 · 30/04/2010 20:58

Gonna apologise now as I can feel myself getting wound up and taking out my frustration out on the wrong people.

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 30/04/2010 21:01

Right. In which case
a) it doesn't matter that she's late now and
b) 3rd on the list is pretty good as others have said. Really, it is.

I do think you need to try and put a positive spin on the schools they're at/might go to though, rather than having sobbing children in the car.

CarGirl · 30/04/2010 21:08

I never said it is fair or easy or anything else but unfortunately your LEA aren't going to care at all.

We were thrown a complete spanner as the LEA started closing down schools and turning all the seperate infants/juniors into primary schools - I did everything correctly by the book without mistake and still been stuffed by the LEA, they really don't care at all about anyone.

I wonder if you go down a route of getting referrals etc from your gp for the family issues en masse and the impact the schooling situation is going to have may help you appeal.

It may be worth considering still moving your son, I would visit the other school ask about their provision with children that have issues like him and not discount moving him in the future - is there naturally any movement in those schools at junior level (yr 3)

CarGirl · 30/04/2010 21:11

Forgot the option, consider HE your daughter (or do you work?), however you have the risk that she will go further down the waiting list not up. Or consider HE your son, would he benefit from your 1 to 1 input at this point?

PickUpYourPants · 30/04/2010 21:48

Having read this thread I find it hard to have a great deal of sympathy for the OP. It would appear that she could't make up her mind what school she wanted her dc to go to and now she has made up her mind she expects the LEA to accommodate her.

What would happen if we were all this indecisive?

I am sorry she is having a tough time but so are many others.

Original poster

SKM777 · 01/05/2010 09:39

panelmember - would you be able to contact me. Thanks.

OP posts:

compo · 01/05/2010 09:44

breakfast club is only a couple of quid - do either schools have a breakfast club?
that would at least reduce the stress in the morning

BetsyBoop · 01/05/2010 10:09

If you moved into the area and the nearest school the LA could offer a place was 4miles away then they should have offered free transport (as over 2miles). I don't know if it's too late to get it put in place now for your DS (or if you refused it?) but it's certainly worth asking the question of the LA. If it's only one child then typically it's a taxi door-to-door morning & evening, paid for by the LA.

mysteryfairy · 01/05/2010 11:52

SKM77 - this won't be much consolation but even if you start off with your children at different schools in September you will be ideally placed to be first to know if anyone from the new reception year is leaving after the waiting list is disbanded - usually this happens by the end of the autumn term I think.

A friend wanted to get a child into DD's full Y2 class. DD mentioned to me one day that a child was leaving as moving abroad. Was straight on the phone to my friend, who was straight on the phone to school and managed to snaffle the new vacancy that day.

In the short term if your DD is already at the nursery presumably you know some local mums/your DD has some local friends. This is a circumstance in which I would happily do the school run for a friend (if it weren't for the fact I worked FT of course). I bet people would be very willing to help if you asked them - maybe try and get a bit of a rota so no-one is taking on too much but based on the timings you mentioned they're not really going to have your daughter for more than a few mins, most of which would be taken up by walking/driving to school anyway.

Panelmember · 01/05/2010 13:54

SKM777 - I haven't signed up for CAT and I can't risk posting my e-mail address on a public forum. I think, though, that you can CAT me if you've signed up for it.

Otherwise, I'm happy to continue to chat here. But, really, having lost your appeal, I think you need to contact someone like the Advisory Centre for Education, with whom you can talk about the details of your situation.

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