What are reasonable grounds for appeal for secondary place?

[Miloarmadillo2]

We've been offered our third choice school. First choice was a faith school, we are in the highest faith category but they are oversubscribed so I expect we missed out on distance (4 miles) we knew this was a bit of a long shot. Second choice was our nearest and only walkable school, we are 1 mile away, just missed out on distance. The school we have been given is 4.5 miles away. We haven't had the letter giving the reasons for the decision to reject DS yet but if the criteria have been applied fairly I thought we could go on the waiting lists, but not appeal. Yet everyone I have spoken to is telling me to "appeal the decision!" We have accepted school 3 in the meantime but need to decide whether/how to pursue a place at our preferred options. Any advice please?

You can appeal. Whether you should or not depends on how keen you are on the other schools and how much stress / uncertainty you think you can cope with.

The good news is that to win an appeal you need only show that the benefit of your dd getting a place at that particular school outweighs the disbenefit to existing students of the school going over numbers.

Thank you Barbarian. I'm going to phone them tomorrow and see where we are on waiting lists. It's very unsettling for DS not to know where he'l be going, I'm not sure we could cope with it dragging on for months.

I think you might be entitled to free bus tranport to the school you have been allocated, as it is more than 3 miles away and no place available at a closer school. I hope you will get a preferred choice from the waiting list or appeals.

What are reasonable grounds of appeal will depend on the facts and circumstances of any case. As has been mentioned, appeals turn on the balance of disadvantage ("prejudice") to the child in not having a place against the disadvantage to the school and pupils already in it of taking an additional pupil.

Assuming there's been no error, you need to pinpoint needs that your child has which the preferred school can meet but the allocated school cannot. These could be around curriculum, extra-curricular activities, pastoral care and so on. Logistics of travel and being with primary school friends don't usually carry any weight.

Thank you GRW we are looking into free transport but I suspect we will not be eligible. It is £700/yr for the school bus. We are on the border of two local authorities so if schools in our neighbouring LA are also considered then there are at least three 'suitable' schools within 3 miles. There are schools within ( considerable) walking distance which we didn't put as preferences because their results are so appalling. I think we will have to suck it up and pay.