Placing request help please!

[softglammmmmm]

We live in a small village. Catchment secondary school doesn’t perform well for various reasons.

We made a placing request for a local school that is out-with catchment and also out-with our LA. We live on the boundary of this other local authority.

The school we made the placing request for is very good - in the top 10 in Scotland.

Found out last week that our son didn’t get in. All of his friends are going to a local independent. Son doesn’t want to go to catchment school, we don’t particularly want him to go there. Can’t really afford independent where his friends are going, nor would we send him there if we could properly afford it.

We are willing to move into the catchment of the good school but there are barely any houses for sale currently and they are snapped up, so easier said than done at the moment. Right now there are only 2 houses for sale in one of the villages in the catchment.

Can someone help me with the best info to use when appealing the decision?

Son is upset and I feel like we’ve let him down by not moving sooner tbh.

I also work in the LA of the catchment school - I work in social care and will be known to some of the families, which worries me too.

[dementedpixie]

I'm not sure you've got much to appeal on
When I did my dcs placing request the school in question was closer than the catchment school and you could walk to it unlike the catchment school

[softglammmmmm]

I know @dementedpixie 😞

We will put in an appeal as feel we have nothing to lose by doing so.

I just wasn’t sure if there were things we should add specifically

[Callisto1]

I think unless you have siblings in the school a request from a different LA will be very low on priority. Could you rent in the catchment area? I head of people doing that.

[Kaffiene]

I don’t really think you have any special grounded to appeal but do appeal as it keeps you on the list. There is a lot of movement around this time of year. He may still get a place. One of my DC got the primary school call a week before starting in Aug which obviously wasn’t ideal.
It’s just a numbers game unfortunately. Fingers crossed for you

[Sitdownplease]

Would you rent to get into catchment for the school you want?

[Haudyourwheesht]

The only reason you'll have been turned down is if there isn't space, surely. Would you be guaranteed a space if you moved? Do you know how many other requests were refused? Are you on a waiting list? All things to consider.

[softglammmmmm]

Yes I think we would be guaranteed a place if we moved? - one of the reasons we were refused was because it would not allow for pupils to move in to the catchment areas

As someone said we will appeal and also reapply - if a place becomes available before the start of S1 we would take it even if it was close to the start date. Not ideal though in terms of preparing.

I hate that there is such a difference in education across LA’s

[Haudyourwheesht]

It's such a shame even within state schools it's such a two tier system.

[Notthisnotthat]

You can check to see if the school has reserved places for pupils moving into catchment after the application deadline.

Do you have a list of the criteria that your Local Authority uses for allocating places? LAC, sibling, then distance from school is the norm.

[CharityShopChic]

My kids are at one of these very much in-demand, high performing schools. 10 years ago kids got in from the 3 neighbouring local authority areas, no longer.

Each council area has its own rules but in our area, out of Local Authority kids are right at the bottom of the priority list. Someone living 20 miles away at the other end of the council area would get a place ahead of someone 2 miles away across a local authority border.

I wouldn't always assume that moving would guarantee a place either. If you move into our local authority they guarantee A PLACE, not the place you necessarily want in the school you want. If it's full, they will place your child in the nearest school with spaces, and the child will be on the waiting list for your preferred school.

[user1487194234]

What are your actual grounds for an appeal,its not enough just to say you want your child to go there.

I know in our area (East Dunbartonshire) it is very difficult for kids in Glasgow too get in.When the new schools were built they were designed for a smaller number.

[CharityShopChic]

Waves to @user1487194234 - we're talking about the same schools as I'm in East Dun too.

[user1487194234]

Good morning !

[softglammmmmm]

I know which school you are referring to and it’s not that one - less competitive I think? But I was too 5 this year

[randomsabreuse]

I'm assuming either East Dun or East Ren.. I know more about East Dun but there have been a tonne of new builds in desirable catchments meaning there's very little space for out of LA placing requests which are generally behind in LA regardless of distance. Even the lowest ranked East Dun school was refusing placing requests this year, including those from the neighbouring (in ED) catchment. It's going to be even more interesting in a few years.

I assume there's no musical aptitude to get into Douglas or need for Gaelic Medium education.

I'm not sure if Lenzie was less oversubscribed than Kirky this year which is unusual, although they've announced building works which might well affect capacity.

[felulageller]

You're going to just have to pay for private. Remortgage, work a second job, find a way.

[M0RVEN]

Your child may get a place after terms starts. Probably late august or September. Lots of parents turn down these places as they don’t want to move their child.

[PoloMintPatty]

I think it could be East Ren in which case I genuinely think you'll only guarantee getting in if you move.

You might get a space if they've held any back for LA moves but you would have to get lucky. E.g. Some people might have taken a space and decide to go independent. A colleague did that.

But in the current climate with rising bills etc I'd be concerned it could be people moving the other way

[M0RVEN]

I think I know the village and the school and she won’t be guaranteed a place at this time in the year. Her child MAY get a place of she buys somewhere in the catchment but it’s not guaranteed. The Ds may have to start at another school and then move.

If she rents in the catchment then she really will have to move in and stay there until after august . The LA will be all over it like a rash.

The boy will likely get an offer sometime in the 8 weeks after terms starts, up to the October hols.

[M0RVEN]

Renting in the catchment will cost more than £1000/ month for rent and CT plus removal costs on top of her existing housing cost. Because she owns where she lives now.

[TiptowThroughTheToadstools]

I'm also in East Dunbartonshire, moving now doesn't necessarily guarantee you a place this year. The schools here are bursting at the seems, some schools don't even have enough room for all the catchment children. I know my children's school is over subscribed and the school are really struggling for space and staff. So it really depends on the individual school.

If you move in to the catchment, you still may have to wait until next year before doing another placing request, and even then, because your child has a school place, it's no guarantee they will give you a place.

[CuddlyCactus]

That's a tricky one @softglammmmmm Placing request for lots of schools have become very difficult over last few years.
As it's not even in you LA I think only grounds for appeal is if this school particularly offered something your son needed/wanted access to. I'm thinking of sports,music, dance etc like school or Rugby or music, Football/golf academy etc.
Would anything like that apply?

Or are you near a city so could apply for other schools he may have a chance of getting into?

[M0RVEN]

@TiptowThroughTheToadstools

I'm also in East Dunbartonshire, moving now doesn't necessarily guarantee you a place this year. The schools here are bursting at the seems, some schools don't even have enough room for all the catchment children. I know my children's school is over subscribed and the school are really struggling for space and staff. So it really depends on the individual school.

If you move in to the catchment, you still may have to wait until next year before doing another placing request, and even then, because your child has a school place, it's no guarantee they will give you a place.

If she moves into catchment it won’t be a placing request. If the catchment school is full then her child can attend another school and the council will have to provided transports if it’s too far away. Then her son can move to the catchment school as soon as there is a place, he won’t come off the waiting list by attending another school.

[RausageSoul]

For secondary, EDC catchment policy has changed for what happens if catchment is oversubscribed, and the list is sibling, ASN then length of time at a cluster primary, then distance.

[softglammmmmm]

Thanks all. Waiting to hear what’s happening with the appeal process. In the meantime DS is still attending all transition days / sessions with catchment school. The appeal process seems to take so long but I don’t know why. We had to have the appeal in within 28 days of the rejection letter - that passed weeks ago. But no hearing date.

Morven - we won’t rent. We’ve started to view houses in both catchment villages.