a really positive appeal panel experience

[MimiSam]

We had ours yesterday and I just wanted to record that it was a really positive experience and much more informal, and less stressful, than I anticipated. I went on my own. The panel were lovely; 3 women of retirement age, who were friendly, welcoming and had a sense of humour. The Chair started off by saying 'Now, let's see if there if there is anything we can do for X', which put me at my ease and made me feel like they were going to try to see if they could help.
Of course, we don't know the outcome yet, but which ever way it goes, I felt like I had had a really good (and not at all unpleasant) opportunity to put my case. I just wanted to say that, for anyone who has not had theirs yet.

Me too:) ours was Thursday,, I too went alone, were 2 men and 1 lady, all of retirement age too and I feel almost like it went too well.
Keep us updated, we've got a 2 week wait until we find out.

That's great, how lovely. What a fantastic sentence for the Chair to open with as well, must have really put you at your ease. The panel were really nice at our hearing too - unlike the school reps who were a NIGHTMARE

Update- the panel hearing might have been positive, but the outcome wasn't! We were not successful...

So sorry to hear this Mimi

Really sorry .... miserable.

Sorry to hear this, gutted for you:(
I've got to wait until Thursday, hardest thing ever this appeal x

It is bad news that you did not win your appeal but it is exactly what has happened to you that the rules for admission appeals try to say to panels not to give to any party involved, school or parent, a suggestion about what their thinking is or might be. I would never make such a comment because whilst it might have put you at your ease, it also gave you a level of false optimism, which is not fair on you.

I agree with admission. A panel's role isn't to 'see if there is anything we can do for x'. It is to decide if a school is full and, if so, decide whether taking the appellant's child would prejudice the school more than not awarding a place would prejudice the child (barring infant class size appeals, of course). That's it.

It's neither fair nor right to go into an appeal with a mindset of 'trying to give a child a place' and to suggest it is so to a parent is misleading and wrong.

Sorry you lost, though.

Admission, this is what happened to me too:( but I've got to wait until Thursday to find out. It really does make you feel confident when the chair ( as soon as you sit down ) commends you on your written statement, literally agreed with everything you say, makes all the right noises and then at the end says you've done your son proud and that he understands everything you've said as his own dc has the same medical condition as my ds.
I walked out on a high but am now seeing sense that the odds aren't great and I don't know the strength of the other 60 odd cases and its never out of my mind. 2 weeks wait from appeal to decision so a lot of time to think:(
Would appreciate any views/opinions, thank you.