Losing a secondary school appeal

[Bromley4ever]

Hi there - I am feeling a bit sore about losing our secondary school appeal this week. It seems to vary school by school in our area as to how lenient they are or how likely to listen - although other parents haven't told me exactly what the basis of their appeals were so I can't fully compare. We were told that our evidence did not back up the fact that the school he has been allocated is unsuitable - we thought it did. All does not feel very fair, especially as the reason for us needing to appeal is that we were not able to get an EHCP for my son with Aspergers. Anyone else in a similar position?

Sorry to hear that your appeal was not successful - have you any more appeals / decisions outstanding?

One thought, though, since appeals are for the school in question and only in a relatively minor way against the school allocated - in that if the school you are appealing for isn't more suitable, you wouldn't be appealing for it in the first place - I wonder whether you may have dwelt too much on 'Why School B is wrong', rather than, 'Why School A is the right one', IYSWIM? Apologies if I have got this completely wrong

(Also, I presume by the 'they' who appear to vary in their 'leniency', you mean the independent appeals panels / panel members? It is they who decide, not the school - firstly whether the school has demonstrated that to admit any other child would prejudice the efficient provision of education and if they find that it has, does the prejudice to the child in question of not being admitted, outweigh the prejudice to the school? The school in itself has no greater importance in the proceedings than each individual appellant and certainly doesn't get to decide which, if any, appeal is allowed).