Win Secondary School Appeal Process

[DHCSHELP06]

We need some help @guidance to win our appeal for a girls school in Bucks. We are on the late appeal as DD still far down the waiting list. DD has done well in the STTS but not given a place simply because we are not in the catchment but we can’t move as have our parents to care for who lives near by. Please can we get some suggestions of how to win the case. Thanks.

You can't appeal just because you want a place.

You have to show that the disadvantage to your child in not getting a place is greater than the disadvantage to the school in taking an extra pupil.

Why is it so essential your DD goes there rather than the offered school?

I hope you have been talking up the offered school to your DD, since presumably she starts this week?

What is the basis for your appeal? As Teen says - you'll need to demonstrate the disadvantage - what sort of things are you thinking about that will support that?

Bucks Grammar Schools admit catchment first. I’m guessing from your username that it’s Dr Challoner. They have offered ooc so it’s unfortunate that you are too far away.

Qualifying doesn’t entitle you to a place just to apply. You would need to prove that the prejudice to your dd of not attending the school is greater then that to tge school of admitting her. Unfortunately this is v hard to do.

I suppose that if your DD has been allocated an Upper school, you could argue that having achieved a pass in the transfer test, her academic needs would be better met by the grammar school. However, a counter to that is that Upper schools are actually officially suitable for all abilities, even if the proportion of 'grammar ability' students in any given one will be low?

If you are not in catchment for this particular grammar school, are you not in catchment for a different one? Or do you not live in Bucks or a non-Bucks part of a grammar catchment at all? When you say that she 'did well', and was only 'not given a place simply because we are not in the catchment', this is the way it works with the Buckinghamshire selective system, though - actual score not relevant over the 'pass', then places allocated based on catchment and distance?

What would her journey to school be like if she did get in?

I'm assuming you have been given a place at a school more local to you but just prefer the one in Bucks. I'm not sure what the basis of your appeal would be. It's right that children living most locally to it are given places there. Of it's Challoners then they have quite a big catchment (or at least they used to) so you must be quite a distance away.

To be slightly more helpful, you need to look at things the appeal school offers that the offered school doesn't and whether your DD would particularly benefit / need them.

e.g.

• she plays clarinet as evidenced by her grade 5 distinction, preferred school has orchestra the other doesn't
• she is massively into ancient civilisations as evidenced by her 5 year membership of the local ancient civilisations club, preferred school offers greek and latin, offered school doesn't
• she has particularly high pastoral needs, as evidenced by her attending CAMHS and sessions at current primary, offered school as nurture groups, drop in pastoral care, after school MH clinics, offered school has none of these.

The one thing you can't say is 'my DD is so clever she deserves to go to the school with the better academic results rather than the so-so one we've been allocated'.