I need appeal proceedure advice please

[VivaLeBeaver]

DD didn't get into the Grammar school she wanted to go to - they allocate places on distance and although kids from this village normally get in this year they haven't. Am gutted for her.

Do we have any groundsfor appeal. I'm sure they've fulfilled the admission criteria correctly so what can I do if anything?

School is a language specialist school but then so is the one she has been offered a place at. No medical conditions or special needs, etc.

From looking at council's admission booklet it says you can appeal if;

you think the admission policy was illegal (am sure it isn't)
the admission policy was incorrectly applied (doubtful)
the admission authority acted unreasonably. (?)

I don't think we've got grounds.

Can I argue saying that squeezing one more in shouldn't cause a problem?

Can I get information from anywhere on previous year intakes, to see if they've had extra ones in previous years?

I presume your daughter passed the entrance tests. If she did, you can appeal on the grounds that the disadvantage your daughter will suffer through not attending this school outweighs any problems the school will have through having to cope with an additional child. However, you cannot use league tables or academic excellence. You would need to look at other factors to justify your case - things the grammar school can offer which are missing from the allocated school and would be of particular benefit to your daughter.

Hi viva
I've just got in from work so this is just a quickie and I'll reply tomorrow.
I appealed and won for a grammar last year. I'm pretty sure whichever LEA you are, you can appeal. First thing to do though is get her name on waiting list. Even if you don't think you stand a chance, you might as well have a go at appeal you have nothing to lose.
Hopefully admission and phr something with numbers ( sorry... Again:)) will see this and advise you properly

Another disgruntled parent. DD didn't get either grammar applied for (fair enough-have to wait til tomorrow to see by how much she missed out on) so got 4th and final choice. but reading earlier posts, her two comp choices she got 2nd choice which doesn't offer her the languages options in which she already excels. is there then a chance of appeal given that her 3rd option (only 4 options, 2 of which were used for grammar places) can offer her the option to pursue her primary secondary language (spanish)? is this a basis of appeal at all? If we accept 4th choice we will have to pursue her language in a private capacity. If it helps, 3rd choice we are (just) catchment for but an over subscribed school

The problem is, I don't think that the grammar will offer dd anything apart from better exam results, etc. And if I can't use academic excellence then I'm buggered. Like I say both her first choice and second choices are language schools so nothing to appeal on there. I've ordered a book that someone else has recommended about winning appeals. I feel quite hopeless, I don't see how we can win an appeal.

Look on the forum for elevenplus appeals on elevenplusexams site, it has loads of very specific advice on how to appeal under different criteria and details of appeals people have made from your area too, it is really helpful and good luck

I've just been looking at eleven plus forum and it doesn't fill me with hope. Got no medical or social reasons, got no argument about why the school we want would be better for her apart from the fact it's a grammar school which apparently you can't use. You can't argue saying that one school is academically better than the other. She hasn't even got any friends going to it so we can't even argue that shed miss her friends.

Thanks Custardcake, thats a good idea - that they might offer more science options, etc at GCSE or different clubs, etc so I'll investigate that.

Look at the ofsted report and see if you can find anything in there that the school does well that you can say will particularly benefit your dd. I think that helped us win our appeal for GS, everything else we used has been mentioned or will be on the 11+ forum. There is good advice on there about how to write your appeal letter, which I would definitely recommend.

Sorry if this is a stupid question and I'm probably being really naive (have got a few years before I have to go through this!). What is so bad with the 2nd choice school?

As other posters have said a GCSE pass rate of 65% is above average nationally especially in a grammar school area.
If your daughter is level 4 or above now then she should achieve grade A*-C at GCSE when the time comes.
Often schools with very high percentage pass rates at GCSE screen out students who are unlikely to pass beforehand in order to keep their results high whereas other schools enter all their pupils for GCSEs so the pass rate is not always completely reliable.
However you cannot appeal for a school because of it's pass rate. If children from your village have been allocated places in the past, has the school changed it's catchment area?
What extra-curriculum does school 1 offer that school 2 does not e.g. music lessons in a specific instrument, GCSE options, clubs and sports ?

drivinmecrazy - Yes, you can base an appeal on the fact that the allocated school does not offer Spanish which is your daughter's primary second language. That would be a good basis for an appeal although it does not guarantee success. If there are, for example, after school clubs that match your daughter's interests that would also help to strengthen your appeal.

phr something with numbers

Don't worry, I've been called lots of things on here, but I found that one particularly amusing!

Someone here gave a brilliant link to this site www.ace-ed.org.uk/advice-about-education-for-parents Was brilliant, phoned them this morning and they were able to reassure me our grounds of appeal were strong. we are going to appeal on the languages (allocated school doesn't do spanish at all) and also (very strangely) doesn't have a dance studio or so many after school opportunities to dance which would have a detremental effect on her current dancing ambitions. Was advised than anything that makes your child stand out can be used in addition. So the plan is to have her appear in front of the panel whilst doing a ballet dance dressed as a matador whilst singing the Spanish national anthem. How can we fail

Oh yes! We used ACE too, they were fab! I phoned the helpline, which was a nightmare to get through to at the best of times, and I expect today is their busiest day of the year. But when you do get through they do take a lot of time to cover every aspect of your appeal and help you think of things to support your case.

ACE do a lot of good work, although sometimes the quality of advice on the helpline is a bit variable.

drivinmecrazy - I'd love to see that, if only it were possible!

drivemecrazy,
the grounds may be appropriate for an appeal, but I will more or less guarantee that everybody else who did not get a place and wants to go to appeal will also have similar grounds of appeal and they may also all appear as matadors. That I am afraid is a fact of life, so you need to keep digging around for other positives for this grammar school.
When I do admission appeals for grammar schools what always amazes me is that parents think that the grammar school is the only acceptable option. Please do consider seriously the other schools and accept the offer before you make any decisions because that is your fall back position. If you reject the school that will not make a jot of difference at an appeal. The other thing that you need to consider is whether your child would actually blossom more at a comprehensive where they will be top set or at a grammar school where they may be bottom set.

DD's head is backing hte appeal so that's good.

Right I've written a big statement. Its nearly two sides of a4.

I have the appeals form infront of me, there is a space for "give reasons why youre appealing, continue on another sheet if necessary".

Do I attach my 2 page statement here? Or do I need to bullet point my reasons into a short list and then read my big statement out at the hearing?

Surely if I attach it now all I will do at the hearing is read out what they've already read?

Give as much written information with your appeal papers as possible. I chair London school appeals and we get the papers generally 2 weeks pre meeting. All panel members will have read papers before hand and this gives us time to think of questions we want to ask of both parents and school. Please do not bring any new information on day unless you really have to as it can mean a delay while it is copied for all parties and depending upon the information can mean a delay and /or postponement which will just delay your agony further. By all means send any additional information between submitting papers and hearing day itself as these are then passed on to panel members and education authority/school . Good luck and remember to focus on positives of school you are appealing for , focus on why that school is the only one locally that can fulfill your dc's particular needs/talents etc and if possible provide written evidence of that need/talent etc.

Thanks, Timmytoes - that's really helpful. I just feel so sick about the whole thing. Apparantly the school we're appealing for have rung dd's primary school today and told them to tell me to make sure I say about dd being dyslexic and not getting extra time in the 11plus which she could have had. And she still passed, they feel that'll help.

I feel its positive that the school themselves are trying to help me!

May I just butt in and ask a question about appeals? Our LEA gives a space for friendship issues as being a criteria for appeal. In your experience, what sort of grounds would be enough to appeal successfully? Thank you.

I have seen a number of successful appeals wrt bullying , ie the need to go to a certain school to avoid bullies. Appeals on the grounds that dc's friends are all going to a certain school so dc wants to go there too have not really been successful