School Admission Appeal - Anyone Been There

[Robeena]

Hi,

I will post this under education as well. I Finally have three appeal dates for my three schools that I want my son to attend.

We fall into Hertfordshire education authority.

Please can anyone offer advise on how to present a strong case to the panel of people and what to say / not to say.

Any advise is appreciated.

What grounds are you going to appeal on for your first choice?

How old is your DS?

He's only 4.

The main reason I am appealing on is that it's the closest school at being just under a mile from the house. The school they have offered us is 3 miles away.

The other reasons are because of the reputations of the schools.

The reputation of the other schools is irrelevant, and to mention it weakens your case. Is there a reason why you didn't get your nearest school? Is it a church school, or just over-subscribed?

Presumably the DC that got in ahead of yours are siblings of DC already at the school or live closer to the school than you do.

Have you been offer your catchment school?

The first school is a village school and the closest and it has a small intimate environment.

The second school is also a village school but very oversubscribed as it has an excellent reputation.

The third school is ideal as it has a nursery my other two can attend - saves me driving all round the countryside. We are actually 2nd on the waiting list for this school.

Which is your catchment school?

I think to have a succesful appeal you have to prove that they have either incorrectly applied the admissions criteria or that the admissions criteria is flawed.

All of them fall into the catchment.

mankyscotslass, How do I approach it from the angle that they have incorrectly applied the admissions criteria?

Have you any reason to believe they've incorrectly applied the admissions criteria. Honestly, you sound like you'd be better off relying on your son moving up the waiting list.

TBH I thnk it depends on what criteria you think was incorrectly applied.

Our schools admission policy is this :

1 In care or looked after children

2 Special needs

3 Siblings in school

4 Distance from school (this alters year on year dependent on how many children are allocated under points 1,2,3)

Appeals in our area are usually only on the distance criteria, which is calculated from the school main gate to the home adress, on the main pathways/roads.

I think from friends experience you have to find out how far away the other succesful canidates lived distance wise.

Our council supplied a map with dots to indicate candidates who were successful on the distance criteria, so my friend could see the distances involved.

Do you have reason to believe that other children who live further away from the school than you do got a place? If you do and they do not come under 1, 2, or 3, then you have a case on which to appeal. You may just be unfortunate as there may be a lot of siblings in your DS's year.

Good luck with the school that you are on the waiting list for. You may move up quite quickly as other people evaluate their offers.

It is important to realise that you can't appleal just because you don't like their decision - you have to show why they have made a mistake.

Unfortunately the reasons you state for liking/not liking the schools are NOT grounds for appeal and quite rightly so. Do NOT mention school reputation at the appeal.

Tbh I also think your only grounds are distance - but if you know you are now 2nd on waiting list for one of your desired schools, then it is highly likely that you will get a place there before September.

reputation may be different from the reality...keep an open mind.

you might not get the one you want now but stay on wait list - there can be a lot of movement in the first term of reception and then later on as people move away etc, or others move from x school to their first choice etc.

so it isnt set in stone forever - even if you have to take what you get now, you can still keep on list for your rpeferred and he might be able to move in few months after term start or a year.

(by which time you may have found the bad reputation is unfounded.. tho still want to move for proximity reasons)

I can't actually find any grounds under which you can appeal - unless you have information that you haven't shared with us.I think the only grounds you have are distance IF you think that the distances have been measured incorrectly and that other children living further than you from the school (and without siblings, SEN or any other criteria which pushes them ahead of you on the waiting list) have been offered places. If you are second on a waiting list for one of your preferred schools, I think it is highly likely that you will get a place anyway.