Waiting lists & appeals for high school

[HRH07]

Hi this is my first post on mumsnet - my son got a place at a high school we didn’t want and is 15th on the waiting list for his first choice & 44th on the list for his second choice. Is it likely he will get into his first choice with being 15th on the list. I am appealing but this is so daunting when it’s your child’s happiness at stake. Thank you.

What are the grounds of your appeal? In most areas I would think 15th is too low, sorry.

It is impossible to tell your chances without knowing a lot more about the school. However, I would agree that 15th may well be too low to get a place before the start of term.

You don't need grounds for your appeal as such. You will argue that the disadvantage to your son from not attending your preferred school outweighs the problems the school will face from having to cope with an additional pupil. You need to justify to the appeal panel that this is the right school for your son based on things it offers that are missing from the allocated school.

The big comps in London often seem to get to 15 and further on the waiting lists, because there is so much juggling about and the population so mobile. But your use if the term 'high school' suggests not London.

No not London - West Yorkshire, a few examples i am appealing,

1. the school is an all boys school - I want him to go to a mixed school.
2. He lives with his dad three days of the week and will have to take 2 buses to get to the allocated high school which will take 2 hours each way.
3. I don't drive and I have another child so having two children in schools so far apart will be an issue. etc, etc.

Sorry but your personal circumstances play no part in whether you win an appeal. You need to show what this school offers that no other local School does like a guitar club when your child is a promising player.

I'm sure more experienced appeal posters will answer in detail but your bullet points as they stand won't really make headway (from my understanding) - I think logistics is not normally considered a basis for an appeal. If children live a distance away from school then school travel plans can come into place but I don't know how that applies with regard to shared living arrangements?
What is it about the school you want him to go to that better meets his educational needs and aspirations is, I think, your starting point for an appeal - but again happy to be corrected by the admission experts.

yes I have put all what the school offers etc on my appeal notes and already done all my research on things like that.

It depends on your area. Last year our school had 49 appeals. A friends ds was 29th on the waiting list. He got offered a place 2 days before the start of term despite losing their appeal back in the May. In fact eventually 35 on the waiting list were offered places because so many parents decided they didnt want their place at that school.

Sometimes you can get a huge amount of movement. Ive never known it move as much as last year though. Its definitely unusual but theres always that possibility.

I’m curios about personal circumstances playing no role. I have pre-school age children only, so I have no particular agenda here - but I do have a friend who’s been offered a secondary place for her child quite far from where they live with no direct public transport.

The (single) mother works a good hour or so in the opposite direction, and doesn’t drive to work (because it’s in central London). It seems like she is in an impossible situation. There must be others who can’t afford to drive, or have shared parenting arrangements that make it stressful for the child to commute long distances. Is this really not a consideration?

My son got into his secondary school a few years ago. He was 19th on the list. He got in after 2 weeks of the 1st March.

Callamia the problem is that many many people would have reasons or personal circumstances that could make things difficult. It would be endless. So things are done strictly to criteria and outside of that people must make their own arrangements. It does occasionally create difficult situations.

You have given me a tiny bit of hope cece, thank you.

OP, you can now go on waiting lists for as many schools as you might any to consider, in addition to those that were on your list.

Waiting lists can move fast because many people on them will be on lots of lists. And may get a place from another school.

I think schools can only take 1 home address into account, their main residence, where the child benefit gets paid.

I have just been reading another forum where someone got into a school from having been 64th on the list! (That’s London for you)

The OP is in W Yorkshire though.

Secondary aged children are expected to get themselves to school on public transport or school bus, so issues of non-driving parents / younger kids etc are irrelevant.

I would think there IS a chance of getting in from the waiting list, but obviously no one can predict what will happen so you would have to ride out the uncertainty, possibly all the way through to Sept. This uncertainty can be v stressful for the child as well as the parent as they can not really prepare mentally/ emotionally/ practically for transition when they don't know where they are going.

I think the advice is to accept the school you were allocated, even if you are appealing, because otherwise you genuinely run the risk of having NO school place.

Appeal in the meantime- if it's really important, get a specialist solicitor to see if you have a good case.

What was your third choice school? Are you also on a waiting list for that?

Which school is this you have a place at? I can only think of Upper Batley. Even the grammar schools are co Ed in WY.

And which school were you hoping for that you feel you have grounds for appeal?

If offer day was the 1st March surely it's too early to say where he is on lists? Not all parents will have accepted or declined yet? Loads of movement happens in the next few weeks. Some people don't take their offer of first choice schools. This is mainly to do with children finding out friends are going elsewhere.

The waiting list is in operation and, if the local authority is doing it right, everyone who didn't get a place at the school is on it. If anyone rejects the school the place goes to whoever is at the head of the waiting list. Parents should not reject offers unless they know for sure that they won't need the place. The child's friends going elsewhere is not a good reason to reject the offer as there is no guarantee of getting a place at the school the friends are attending. Go on the waiting list for the other school by all means, but don't reject the offer.

So no, it is not too early to say where the OP's son is on waiting lists. It may be that there will be a lot of movement over the next few weeks. It may be that there won't be any movement at all. It is impossible to say.

As others said
2) accept school place

1. accept school place
2. go on the waiting list of all schools closer than 2 hours. You can go on the list of schools that you didn't originally apply for.

Yes it’s Upper Batley the school he’s been allocated, the school I wanted him to go to his Spen. The catchment for there cuts off right outside my house. He will struggle in an all boys school with having more girl friendships then boys, he is very shy & quite & believe an all boys school will be too much for him! I haven’t got anything wrong with all boys school but I don’t think it’s right for my child.