Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Help, need advice friend's cannot get a Y7 place allocated

14 replies

portico · 29/09/2015 22:53

Hi

I need advice on what. My best friend has a Y7 daughter who was supposed start y7 this month, but has no school to go to. We will call her dd2.

On offers day in March dd2 was not offered the same school as her elder sister dd1. My friend rejected the place at another school offered to dd2, as they wanted her to be at dd1's school. Dd2 also gas a club foot and a doctors supporting notes, but she is not SEN. The school appeals in June did not help her. Come September and up until now she has not attended any school as the local council cannot find her a place.

Need advice on what to do, as my friend and I are clueless about what to do going forward. I have bought dd2 Ks3 books in eng, maths and science to keep up to date with the basics, but need advice on how to get her into a local state secondary.

I am all ears.

OP posts:
admission · 29/09/2015 22:58

You have to go to the LA and say that the daughter needs a place in year 7 now. By law they have to provide the place and you need to insist they provide it.
The reality is that this is not likely to be in a local school unless you can convince the LA that with no local school places, they have to admit above the PAN and as a result of what is called the fair access protocol.

Original poster
portico · 29/09/2015 23:08

If we insist on a place in writing, do we use a Zoe ISO form or simply write a letter insisting on a place. Ps if they arelegly bound to offer a place, which law can I state that will underpin my formal request

OP posts:
Original poster
portico · 29/09/2015 23:10

Apologies for typos. Please see below

If we insist on a place in writing, do we use a specific form or simply write a letter insisting on a place. Ps if they are legally bound to offer a place, which law can I state that will underpin my formal request

OP posts:
raspberryrippleicecream · 29/09/2015 23:32

Admission, I understood from the OPs post a school place for the DD2 was offered and was rejected. If that is the case, has the LA not already completed their legal obligation?

Stillunexpected · 30/09/2015 00:03

Why did they turn down the place offered? Did they think this was going to force the hand of the LA to offer them a place at their other daughter's school? It doesn't work like that I am afraid and having offered a school place, the LA have now fulfilled their obligation to the family. On what grounds did your friend appeal for a place in June?

Is the girl on the waiting lists for every reachable school in your area - not just the one her sister attends?

clarinsgirl · 30/09/2015 00:12

The thing is dd2 did have a place allocated but parents rejected it. Apart from appealing for a place at their first choice school, what actions have the parents already taken?

Tiggeryoubastard · 30/09/2015 00:24

I'm pretty sure the legal obligations were met with the offer. The parents chose to reject it. I'm wondering if they think that she will get in the chosen school if they hold out. It's not worked and they're now in a worse position. Their own doing, I'm afraid.

Original poster
portico · 30/09/2015 05:46

Dd2 is on the waiting list for every available school but is well behind in each of the various school waiting lists. My friend us at her wits end Bd us riven with guilt. That being said, she does not know what to do the get her dd2 into school.

Yes, we do know that my friend has got it wrong. She is a little clueless about what to do next. That is why I am trying to glean info on what she can do. With September almost finished about 10% of the current school year has finished, too.

OP posts:
tiggytape · 30/09/2015 08:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LilyBolero · 30/09/2015 20:34

On the waiting lists, she should not be placed according to length of time on the list, but rather ranked in order of qualification - i.e. if the admissions are done on distance, they should be listed in order of distance, not how long they've been on the list.

Original poster
portico · 01/10/2015 07:14

She will send an email to admissions today. What legal obligations, ie what law/act should we underpin our letter with. Sorry, clueless in this

OP posts:
Blu · 01/10/2015 07:56

Does dd1's school have a sibling policy? Is dd1 still in the school in Yr 11 or below? Does your friend know whether her original application was looked at as a sibling application? I would think it v rare for a secondary school not to be able to offer a place to a sibling on National Offer Day where they had that policy.

If the school does give sibling priority she should check that dd2 is on the waiting list as a sibling.

tiggytape · 01/10/2015 08:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Blu · 01/10/2015 08:19

Maybe throw herself on their mercy? Say she didn't fully understand the system about a sibling place and made a mistake in turning down the offer , and now urgently needs a place as she doesn't have the ability to Home Ed and her dd is currently not in education...

The Admissions team will presumably be v busy sorting out last minute waiting lists for 'no shows' at the beginning of term, and enquiries for the next application round will have begun, so I agree with Tiggy not to blame them or threaten unless there is specific evidence that they have done something wrong.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread