Secondary place withdrawn today please help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the blue the HT of the comp calls me today to tell me that the LA has made a mistake in allocating its places and have withdrawn the place.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?

I have no experience in this but is it something which your MP could get involved? It sounds like this is so wrong on so many levels.

Gosh what a nightmare. No experience but agree you shouldn't accept an appeal. This is almost like accepting the mistake and withdrawn place.
Really wish you all the luck in the world, it sounds like a horrendous situation to be in at this point in the year.

I have emailed my MP. I have a full day at work tomorrow but DH is off (he thought he was taking DT1 to his induction morning) so I have asked him to ring school and LA and take detailed notes.

Have the LA confirmed this in any way? I don't mean the formal withdrawal letter, I mean when you called/emailed them? This all sounds very odd.

I am.expecting the official LA letter to.orrow.
However, via email my LA contact saus she is investigating how this has happened and has asked for time.

I am scared that if I formally request the decision it is final - in writing

Don't be scared about that. You need the decision in writing. That will not make it final. But yes, the LA's letter should be the decision letter.

If it is possible to achieve a result without an appeal that would be ideal, especially given the woefully inadequate training the appeal panel has received if the comments attributed to them are accurate.

If the LA is investigating that is good. Hopefully they will be able to persuade the school to see sense.

Thankyou for sound advice. I cannot sleep and am still reeling.

I hope you got some sleep in the end

I agree, don't accept the offer to appeal. I feel this is a trap, and then they didn't withdraw the place but that you took the decision to move to appeal. I hope the LA responds to you today, if not tell the school you are waiting on advice from the LA before deciding what to do. Don't let them bully you but keep on with the stance that they have no right to withdraw the place so as far as you're concerned the place still stands.

Good luck!

Thankyou. No sleep...
I also wonder if others are being let in off w/list which he hasn't been on as they gave us a place..

Poor you OP. I read yesterday with horror. But actually I'm not surprised. My eyes have been opened in recent years re schools, Heads, appeals, LA's, SN's and all sorts of school mistakes,negligence and lies. I so hope you get this sorted!

Thsnks - I feel that if this was a business or highly regulated industry that I could get answers but right now it feels that the school and LA can have carte blanche over our lives, just snatch this away eleventh hour.
My son's primary head is emailing the HT in the hope he can make him see sense and to state my son's case. He says he has never experienced this in all his years of leadership and that we have been let down by this flawed system. I feel helpless. I feel if this were a business I could get the lawyers in.
It's also so emotional as they are playing God with our lives. The thought of telling my son when I promised him months ago he would get a place at a good schook breaks my heart. He's been through so much pain already.

I have reported the spam post above

Your poor DS. I hope you get some resolution to this awful situation.

The Head said "we have been let down by this flawed system".

Please don't accept such nonsense. I was told the same thing. that the "system had failed us". but then, I thought, what is this 'system' of which you speak. the 'system' is people. People who are supposed to do what their job role specifies. People who are supposed to check things on the computer, or make sure that said box is ticked or another xxx form , or whichever one it is, has been filled in.

Please don't accept this rubbish. You have been failed. By people. Who have made mistakes. Who have been negligent. They need to be held to account. Don't forget that. They will all back each other up, to the hilt, but eventually, the truth comes out, either someone accidentally admitting something, or you do a data request and see things, that others wish had been kept hidden, or .... eventually it comes out......

Good luck.

I have spoken with HT and he is just going to appeals. He says he has taken legal advice off chair and clerk who are trying to crow bar us into appeal.

Apparently the ten appellents live closer and he wants to be fair and trasparent that if tgey got wind of our place it would open a can of worms.

I told him it was already open.

Did you agree to the appeal? If so, I think that was a mistake because he will most likely be turned down and they will feel they followed due process. Any news from the LA this morning? If they sent a letter they must know what is going on.

I did not agree. The panel is advising him to crow bar us in! Imagine if others appealing found out he was liaising with the panel.

Rang LA. no answer. emailed ceo too. emaimed contact to express concetn over the above.

I'd call the local paper. And your MP. Or maybe the Daily Fail could prove useful for once and pick up this story. This is disgusting and I'm so sorry for your son.

Thankyou. I am very tempted to go to the media. It may lose me my job though as? ironically, I manage publicity for neigbouring schools!

Have you emailed Head to say you don't agree to appeal? Put everything in writing, pop him an email, just to keep paper trail.

" Just to confirm, in writing, following our conversation earlier ......"

Make sure you get as much as possible in writing, to keep the paper trail going.

Somebody in authority (EFA?) should be told about the head's involvement with the panel.

I am doing an appeal at the moment but for primary so I assume it's near enough the same. I've researched everything! If it's a twin whether the school is over capacity or not they have to allow the second twin in under exceptional circumstances. Therefore they are not going over the legal limit it kind of waivers it. Secondly if the local authority offer a place at a school they can not withdraw it later. No matter the circumstances! Have a look through the local authority schools appeals code for your area and quite slot of information is in there on where you stand. You have a really strong case and good luck x

LA emailef to say they will write to me with answers to questons!