Secondary place withdrawn today please help

[Middleoftheroad]

I am still shaking

I have equal ability twins. One got into grammar one did not. We moved closer to be near the grammar and to secure my other twin a place at the local school, which we did at the start of March.

We have been through much heartache as this is a new area and a new school and my boys have been sad. I worked with the LA to secure the place after we moved. because we moved around offers day we were originally offered a failing school in our old LA which we declined once we had the new offer at the local school.

We did also appeal the grammar place for the comp bound twin - we proved his academic ability and the HT (presenting officer) said we gave a very persuasive case, but we were unsuccessful as they never allocate places on appeal. The boys wanted to be together but we were safe in the knowledge that whatever happened we had a comprehensive school place.

The twin who is going to comp has previously been under CAHMs for anxiety. He started to display these signs again so we took him to the doctor and have been working really hard to gee him up.

Tomorrow was meant to be a special transition day at the new school (he watched his twin go off to the grammar one yesterday) and we were looking forward to it.

out of the blue the HT of the comp calls me today to tell me that the LA has made a mistake in allocating its places and have withdrawn the place. The school wanted to let me know before the LA letter arrives so we don't go to the event tomorrow.

I have emailed my contact at the LA (ironically she is in appeals) the last place offered was 1.02 miles we are 1.04. I suspect they are currently allocating appeals places which we have missed the right to appeal. she says she is looking into it but as of right now we have no school place and I have a son on his way home who will be broken if we tell him.

We've had such an ordeal to get here. Aside from being morally bankrupt, is there a legal leg to stand on here? Apparently the LA messed up on quite a few offers made.

I just don't know what to do. I took the call at work and had to leave early. we have bought the uniform and built up to tomorrow. I am in total disbelief and feel sickened that my son is being messed around this way.

I have emailed the school again to ask that they intervene. Please help Tiggytape anybody?

thinking of you OP - good luck

prh wouldn't the more ammunition there is, be the better? Attacking it from all angles so to speak? A mistake that has been made but one which has an even greater impact because of the anxiety?

I really hope justice is served, they have behaved appallingly and I do wonder about you taking it to court as the 3 months is not reasonable.

Oh god I just read this what an absolute nightmare.

I wish you the best if luck. Your poor ds

Hopefully. Fingers crossed.

sometimes throwing everything at it can muddy the water

Agree with tiggytape.

Even with a mistake it is good to beef up the case a bit with arguments about prejudice/detriment, especially if the mistake has affected a lot of appellants. But you need to keep the mistake front and centre otherwise it can get lost.

If the panel accept that there has been a mistake they should award a place at stage 1 of the decision making process without even looking at prejudice arguments - they don't come into play until stage 2.

Good luck, OP

I really hope it works out well for you all. With a DC starting Y7 in September it has really hit home how much a roulette our admissions are. x

Good luck op

Good luck op. Keeping my fingers crossed for you

Get a solicitor involved, as others have said.

Get a solicitor involved

This is generally not a good move for school admissions cases. Very few solicitors know anything about admissions. The point to get a solicitor is if the OP needs to go to judicial review to get this sorted, not before. Hopefully that won't be necessary.

I really hope today went well for you

The local authority have a statutory duty to provide your son with a school place. This is entirely their fault and they need to sort it out. Don't let them forget it.

The fact that few solicitors know about admissions isn't a valid reason not to go to one who does. Simpson Millar, for instance. Often a well-written solicitors' letter citing the law stops an awful lot of nonsense in its tracks.

Good luck

Just read this thread and wishing you all the best.

Plus, they have now cleverly offered OP a place, at a not great local school, just to cover their backs. So OP's ds does now actually have a school place. Or so they will argue.

I've just read through this. I really hope it went well.

I hope the panel were as shocked by this as us and do the right thing. Fingers crossed for the right result.

It all depends whether the panel was made of reasonable people. Hope it went well...

I hope it went well. Would the decision have been made then and there or will the poor OP have to wait.

Hope all went well today OP, been thinking of you off and on all day!