Help with appeal

[user1488722687]

I've already put on here about appealing for a place for our first choice secondary. What's confusing me is the information I have available. They have a PAN of 150. I asked the LEA to give me the intake number for year 7's for pat 5 years. They didn't have this information and I had to ask the school. However the LEA did have the year 7 autumn census for the past 5 years and they go over the PAN by 8-13 per year.
This morning I received a letter from the school stating the number of appeals over the past 5 years and the number of successful appeals. Last year was 0 success and previous years are 1-2! What i would love to know is where the extra 6-12 pupils come from on the census. I hope I explained that all right. Can anyone shed some light? Thank you

I am not sure about being able to shed much light but it certainly makes for interesting reading.
The autumn term census is taken in early October of each year and obviously as each pupil who is registered at that time means funding they will make sure that they put everybody on.
The school is admitting to PAN and then there are admission appeals and the school is saying they are only 1 or 2 per year group, which would not be unreasonable. So the question is how did the school get between 8 and 11 pupils extra by the time of the census. My first answer is that the LA is insisting on the school accepting pupils who have no school place but if this happening then this is clearly disadvantaged those who go to appeal and are told that we do not admit many etc. The second is whether the school has a transient population so that some leave and therefore by the time admission appeals come around each summer the numbers in the higher year groups have dropped off a bit. Do you have any information on the actual numbers in year 8 and upwards. The only other explanation I can think of is that the school is deliberately letting others in September to boost the funding, which would be very naughty but also good news for you as you can easily argue that if the school is quite happy to take 8 to 13 extra they can have another one, your child that is.

Theres a few reasons. Firstly not everyone will appeal for their place but the school may offer places anyway. For example military families who move into the area after allocation dates will be given places even if the school is full. Staff may be recruited that then move their children to the school outside of normal admissions periods. Children with medical needs where that school is the named school can be offered places. Its not worth a school refusing places in these instances as they would often lose at appeal anyway so easier to make room for them.

What also concerns me, not sure if it makes any difference. I asked them for their intake numbers for yr7's over the past 5 years and they sent me the appeal numbers. I think that they are trying to skirt around how many children they take over PAN. We will see at appeal what happens.

I haven't read your other thread so I don't know what reason you are basing your appeal on. Most of the information you are after (PAN) is often available on the schools own website. It may not be clearly set out in a table but it might be there in the text.

Dds school is near an MOD barracks so they often get an extra 6 or 8 students placed in September. These students do not need to appeal, they have an automatic right to a place. Newly blended(past the admissions date) families also gain the right for siblings to gain a place and again many schools will just add them without an appeal.

I think you are putting too much emphasis on previous student numbers exceeding the PAN, you really need to be making your case as to why this school is the very best school for your child. The PAN is just another point you can make in your childs favour eg 'your child plays chess competitively and this school offers a specific chess course/training this is the best option for your child and as they have previously gone over PAN they could consider a place for your child'. At the moment the information you have posted on this thread looks like you are basing your appeal on the fact they went over PAN for the last few years so why can't they do it again to admit your child. Thats not the best way to approach your appeal.