Admissions appeal PAN for year group and whole school overcrowding

[AnotherSchoolAppeal]

I've just had the evidence through about why the school can't admit my DD for our mid-year transfer appeal panel in a couple of weeks. It's quite hilarious to read how the school is overcrowded and run down and struggling to cope etc. as this is definitely not what they said in their glossy GCSE promotion material.

Anyway, we have a whole load of evidence about bullying and her mental health and why this is the best school for her, but my question is in relation to the PAN. They are exactly at the PAN for the year that DD wants to go into, there's no waiting list and we are the only appeal being heard. However, they are significantly over the number of pupils for the whole school (by 60) because of year group changes. Addressing the PAN for year 10 is pretty easy - it's only one over and they previously said they would take everyone who wanted to stay on at the school, their admissions guidance says that they will take in everyone in the catchment area (except there is another catchment school she could in theory go to which they will argue she should attend, other than she won't because of bullying), there's likely to be movement anyway over the coming months based on past evidence, meaning she would probably get a place eventually if we keep on applying, and we live very close to the school etc. I'm presuming though that I have to address the issue of overcrowding in the whole school as well, which isn't so easy. Does anyone have any advice about this?

Thanks!

No doubt the experts will be along in a while, but I think I've seen on here to ask about recorded incidents/accidents due to overcrowding. They probably won't have any.

@prh47bridge is full of good advice. I would have thought that if they have gone over pan in previous years then this shows they can take an extra child. Classrooms have coped previously.

Thanks. I've just noticed that part of the reason that they are oversubscribed by two classes is that they seem to have admitted an extra class of 30 for year seven over their PAN, so it's partly self-inflicted!

TeenAndTween DD used to go to the school so I asked her whether there were any "health and safety issues" as the school described, and she said "Sometimes you get pushed by a year 11"!

If the school over-subscribes itself, then it makes it more difficult for panels presumably to allow appeals that they feel might otherwise have some merit.

Yes, going over PAN in previous years helps as it suggests they can cope with an additional child.

If they are 60 over their net capacity that could be a problem. I'm not clear how year group changes lead to them being so far over capacity. Can you explain? It would be useful to ask them for the calculated capacity figures. They may not have them but, if they do, there will be two figures - a maximum and a minimum. That will tell you if they have set the official net capacity near the maximum or the minimum. If it is near the minimum you should raise this. If it is near the maximum keep quiet about it!

As TeenAndTween says, if they suggest safety issues it is worth asking if there have been any recorded incidents or accidents due to overcrowding.

If their admissions guidance says they will take everyone in catchment that is both very silly (a promise they may not be able to keep) and very helpful to you.

It would be useful to know exactly what their admissions guidance says on this point (i.e. the actual words used) and also what their appeal case says regarding them being over capacity. That might help give some ideas for attack lines.

Thanks prh47bridge.

They have ended up oversubscribed partly because they are increasing the number of years the school covers, whilst reducing the number of classes in each year - the extra pupils come from there being one year of the higher number of classes still (this will be resolved in 2018/19 when some of those students will choose to go elsewhere to do their GCSEs) but also apparently by them admitting an extra class with the new year seven admissions for next year, exceeding their PAN for that year by 30, so half of their extra 60 is unavoidable due to the changes, and half seems to have been their recent choice to put on an extra year seven class.

I can't see a maximum and a minimum, just the number they are aiming for in 2018/19, not even this year (this is the number they are over by 62).

Their issues are too many people in corridors being dangerous, classrooms aren't big enough, quality of individual teaching time etc.

The thing is, if they are exactly on their PAN for the year DD wants to go into, if one pupil leaves then DD could get a place (no waiting list as it's a mid year transfer and no other appeals at the moment, we live very close to the school), but we would obviously rather have this place at the beginning of the year than have to catch up later. Not sure whether it's worth arguing that it's inevitable that someone will leave possibly over the summer or afterwards, and then they will be back down to their PAN with only one extra pupil?

The policy says "Subject to paragraph 13.28 and 13.29, at the time of first-time admission, secondary transfers as well as mid-year transfers (i.e. in-catchment movement outside the normal round), if there are more requests for in-catchment children than the admission number (AN), the AN will be exceeded to accommodate the catchment area children." The provisos in the other paragraphs they mention are that there aren't spaces in another catchment area school - which there are - but DD won't go there because of bullying. Although technically speaking those exception paragraphs only seem to refer to children moving into the catchment, and we are already there!

Sometimes in bulge birth rate years schools are forced to take an extra class if the district doesn't otherwise have enough places for the number of children. This happened in a city near us 2 years ago. Not sure if that applies to your school but just pointing out that the extra class may not have been their choice.

They won't publish the minimum and maximum or put them in their appeal case. You will need to ask them for this information. They may not have the numbers. It used to be the case that every school had a calculated capacity but that is no longer required. But, if they've got them, they may be useful. Give them a call and ask the question.

The fact that they chose to go 30 over capacity by admitting an additional class suggests that they think the school can accommodate more than the official net capacity. I would explain to the appeal panel exactly how the school came to be 60 over its official capacity and suggest that the school is actually able to cope with significantly more than the capacity says.

Too many people in corridors is a common argument. It usually falls apart when you ask how many accidents/incidents there have been due to overcrowding. Classrooms not big enough and quality of individual teaching time are also reasonably standard arguments. Unless the classrooms are really small or the classes are getting to 33 or more these arguments aren't very convincing.

The appeal panel should not assume anyone will leave. I would either leave that argument out. If you choose to include it I would recommend not giving it too much time.

Looking at the wording you quote, I stand by my view that it is both incredibly stupid and very useful to you. It is a clear statement that they will go over PAN to accommodate in-catchment children, so the question they need to answer is why they won't stand by that and go over PAN to accommodate your daughter.

I think that the other thing that needs to be said, is that the information they are giving you, over-crowded corridors etc is absolutely standard for any appeal, so I would not get too concerned by the words. The school has to show prejudice and they tend to show that by throwing in anything that seems sensible.

Thanks, this is really useful. The last couple of years have been really difficult for us, but it feels as if DD is back on track, and being able to just go back to school and have a group of friends and be a normal teenager again (whatever that means!) would make such a difference to her and to me. I've NC for this as I thought it might be identifying, but I try to provide practical help for people on MN in the areas of my expertise where I can, and it means a lot to me that other people have helped me too. Actually I think based on previous years there will be movement out of the school and we will get a place eventually that way even if we don't win on appeal, but obviously I want to give it my best shot at appeal.

Thanks too Strawberry that was another useful line of enquiry, apparently the other catchment school is undersubscribed in the year that the one she wants to go to has increased admissions by 30 over the PAN for the year, so evidence that the school decided itself to increase numbers rather than was forced to.