Can you appeal to a school which you didn't apply for?

[Zingy123]

My friend lives in the next county to me. Her children got into our school as she is catholic. They were outside the catchment area but got lucky and got a place for both her girls.

She applied to her county for 3 schools for secondary school. These were all miles away from where she lives. Her county allocated her a school over 8 miles away as it was the only one with places left. She is distraught that she didn't get her choices as she wants her daughter to be with her friends.

Her county has now said she can appeal to any school she wants to. I thought you could go on any waiting list but only appeal to ones you didn't get.

She has been preparing 6 appeals but I think she is wasting her time.

She is in such a state I don't want to upset her but feel I should tell her she has been given the wrong information.

She has turned down this offer 8 miles away and now has no place. There are schools here with places but she won't consider them.

You are correct she has to apply for places first - she may not even need to appeal!

And yes she should make sure she is on as many waiting lists as possible.

Technically what will happen is that she applies to a school that is full, fails to get a place and therefore gets the right to appeal. She can therefore appeal for as many schools as she wants. But she may well be wasting her time.

She needs to start being realistic. She cannot force the LA or an appeal panel to give her a school she wants. From what you say it wouldn't surprise me if she leaves any appeal panel feeling she is trying to blackmail them which means she is less likely to get the benefit of any doubt.

Thanks. Her appeals seem to be that she can't get her child to a school far away and be collecting her younger child. I can't see that being very successful. Our head has written her a letter stating this.

Why can't her older child travel by herself? Her lea has to provide transport.

That will not work. As she didn't apply to her nearest schools the LA may be able to avoid having to provide free transport. But transport arrangements only win appeals in special circumstances, e.g. where a child is unable to travel alone (most Y7 children would be expected to handle this) or has medical issues limiting the distance they can travel. In the absence of any medical evidence to the contrary I would expect an appeal panel to conclude that the mother should concentrate on collecting her younger child and leave her older child to look after herself.

Basically it sounds like she shot herself in the foot with her initial application. Unfortunately her actions since have just made things worse.

That will not work. As she didn't apply to her nearest schools the LA may be able to avoid having to provide free transport. But transport arrangements only win appeals in special circumstances, e.g. where a child is unable to travel alone (most Y7 children would be expected to handle this) or has medical issues limiting the distance they can travel. In the absence of any medical evidence to the contrary I would expect an appeal panel to conclude that the mother should concentrate on collecting her younger child and leave her older child to look after herself.

Basically it sounds like she shot herself in the foot with her initial application. Unfortunately her actions since have just made things worse.

Thanks for all the advice. I will see if I can get through to her. Surely a less popular school is better than no school.

Part of the problem is all the schools she wants are in my county so she has to go through her own county first to apply. I did predict this happening as the schools she wanted were nowhere near where she lived. She hasn't really thought it through I think.