School Appeals/school criteria

[sheelo]

My daughter didnt get her first choice school as the school was oversubscribed
and according to the criteria they could only take on 20 children from the area. We live so close to the school, most children that got a place are from feeder schools and siblings. Has anyone else experienced this. I just cant get over how close the school is to us and still my daughter didnt get in. She has been put on a waiting list, but I having a feeling she wont get in due to only 20 children being offered a place in the area. These 20 children would have to turn the school down in order for my daughter to have a chance to be offered a place, I feel this is so unfair, I have appeal, but according to the admissions person, she is not likely to get a place on this cirteria.

Can you clarify this please. Exactly what do the admission criteria say? Do they have an admission category that says they will admit only 20 children from the local area? Or is it just that there were only 20 places left after siblings and children from feeder schools had been awarded places?

When you appeal the admission criteria are irrelevant unless you are saying a mistake was made. You have to show that the disadvantage to your daughter in not being admitted to this school outweighs the disadvantage to the school in being forced to take on another child.

Yes the criteria says 20 places will be reserved for students who live nearest to the school. So all 20 places have been filled, the school is 709 metres away from our home and the last person admitted under this criteria was 620 metres away.

My daughter is currently 10th on the waiting list, but I know she hasnt a chance, as those 20 students who have been admitted will need to reject the school in order for my daughter to have a chance to get in. I just feel that offering only 20 places for distance is so unfair, I did use this in my appeal, but they said, reports showed that there was no demand for intakes in the area from students when they set the criteria and will look into to renewing this number, but this doesnt really help my daughter as she has already lost out in being admitted to the school.

This is how places were allocated at wembley high
Looked After Pupils 2
Sibling Connections 78
20 Distance places ( Maximum distance in metres) 20 (620)
Feeder School (Maximum distance in metres) 99 (2161)
Pupils with Statements of Special Educational Needs 11
All Other Applicants1
Over offered by 1 place

The figures shown in brackets are how many students applied for the school

It does not need those 20 children who got distance places to reject the school. As your daughter is 10th on the waiting list and they have over-offered by 1 place it needs 11 people to reject the school, and that could be any 11 from the 211 who have been offered places. Assuming no-one leapfrogs you on the waiting list you will then have a place.

The idea of this school's admission criteria is to give a chance for local pupils to gain entry even if they didn't attend one of the feeder Primaries. If they removed this category the chances are all places would be taken by children attending the feeder schools. I should point out that if there aren't enough children from feeder schools to fill the admission number they will take more children based on distance from the school. So they haven't limited it to the 20 closest to the school. They have guaranteed that at least 20 children living near the school will get in.

You may feel this is unfair but I'm afraid it is not against the Admissions Code so the appeal panel cannot intervene. They have to work with the admission criteria as they stand. They cannot rewrite them to suit you. However, they can still give your daughter a place if they think the disadvantage to her through not being admitted outweighs the disadvantage to the school of having an additional pupil.

Bridge - this is the criteria:

1. Looked After Children.
2. Special medical or social reasons. Parents applying under this criteria must provide supporting evidence from a professional e.g. a consultant, stating why Wembley High Technology College is the most suitable school and the difficulties caused if the child attends another school.
3. Children who have a sibling at Wembley High Technology College on the date of admission.
4. 20 places will be reserved for students who live nearest the College.
5. Those pupils attending one of the four Technology College feeder primary schools (Sudbury, Barham, Oakington Manor and Lyon Park). Where the number of applications arising from this criterion exceeds the number of places available, those living nearest the College will be accorded a higher priority.
6. Those living closest to the College. Distance will be measured in a straight line from the child?s permanent home address to the College. Where applicants live in the same block of flats measurements will be taken from the door of each individual.

Does the OP not come higher than pupils attending the feeder primary schools? Or does she fall in category 6? It's a very confusing policy.

Yes, I looked them up too!

If she is one of the 20 living nearest the school she is in category 4. However, it seems there were at least 20 nearer the school than her. That means her daughter goes into category 6.

Imagine there were, say, 100 people applying who did not go to one of the feeder schools or have a sibling. They would be ranked based on distance from the school. The top 20 would be in category 4 and would almost certainly be admitted unless it was a real bumper year for siblings. The other 80 would go into category 6.

Hope that is clear. As I say, what they are trying to do is make sure that some places go to those living near the school rather than all the places going to children from the feeder schools. If they removed this category it may be that all the places would be taken by siblings and children from the feeder schools leaving none at all for those living close to the school.

Yep - understood. As the school have admitted 1 over, it shows the school can cope with more than PAN so worth looking at appeal

I would like to put a somewhat controversial view point. If I look at the 4 primary schools that are feeder schools, then they have PANs of Sudbury 120, Barham 90, Oakington Manor 90 and Lyon Park 120. That is potentially 420 pupils in the primary schools looking for a place at their supposed priority secondary school.
The total places at Wembley High is 200, so actually there is not a chance in hell of all pupils from the feeder schools getting in and even less chance of anybody getting in on distance criteria (sorry) if all pupils at the feeder schools want to go to Wembley.
I think that on that basis the admission criteria for the school is fundamentally flawed, they are trying to offer something they cannot possibly deliver. NOt sure it helps you get a place but would love to know how the school would react.

Feeder schools come below the nearest 20 And siblings so even less space for feeder school children!

What would happen if one of the 20 turned down their place? Would the next nearest get a place? Even I they were initially under criteria 6 and potentially lower down the waiting list than someone at a feeder school ?

Or maybe they have two waiting lists?

Although it's funny that a dc has been admitted under 'all other applicants' which makes me think that this child fell into category 6. I think it's worth the OP trying to find out more information from the LA.

Thank you all, I am hoping my daughter gets into the school, but in the back of my mind I know its too good to be true.