Secondary School Admission

[GrJa]

Hello All, I would appreciate any help and advice. After receiving our school admission offer a few days ago, research, telephone calls and appeals have commenced for our 1st preference.
We received an offer for our 4th preference school and would like to know how best to handle this appeal. My child is an August birth, only making the school year by 4 days, resulting in her being the youngest in her year. During her primary education she has required additional learning strategies and support from her school, currently on a learning plan but not EHC. She will be the only child going to her allocated school from her school year, this is a very daunting experience for a child that has just made the school. The school of preference has and extended learning plan, during lunch and after school to challenge pupils along with an excellent welfare/social development scheme, which her offered school does not. Being an August child she needs and much education as possible to develop and challenge her abilities. The offered school finishes at earlier! so the school day is a lot shorter, coupled with increased travelling time.
I also have evidence relating to PAN and planning changes. Will the August birth/education needs/social isolation-inclusion carry much weight at the appeal.

I'm sure that a poster with lots of knowledge will be along with firm advice but didnt want to leave your post unanswered.

Generally the first advice it to accept your allocated place unless you are prepared to home school or access the independent sector. If you do not accept your place and your appeal is unsuccessful the LA has fulfilled its legal obligation to provide a school place for your child so if all local schools are full you may not have a school place at all. Also go on the waiting list for any preferred schools including the one you are appealing for.

You are appealing for the preferred school and not against the allocated school. The extended learning plan & social development scheme is a good point to highlight, can your DC's primary provide evidence (a letter) that your daughter has required ongoing additional support in her learning and would continue to benefit from further support in her secondary education? this will add weight to your argument? Her learning needs are a valid point but I wouldn't focus too much on the August born issue so much as all schools will have summer born children.

Travel time is usually not considered unless it exceeds 75 minutes.

Being the only child going to her allocated school is not really given much weight as children tend to make many additional friends in secondary school. Many children find the transition to secondary daunting.

When you say you have evidence relating to PAN what do you mean? If the school exceeds PAN this may well be due to independent appeal panels granting successful appeals and not the admission authority exceeding it themselves. If the school are planning to extend their PAN in the future this may not effect your appeal as it may be due to reasons such as planned new builds that are not yet constructed but it is always worth asking why the increase is being introduced.

Also meant to add to check that the school admission criteria has been correctly applied.

What is the net capacity of preferred school and are they below this figure. Academies are not bound by this number but it can still be mentioned.

Does your DD have any particular interest in a subject or extra curricular activity that the school has good provision for?

Plenty of good advice already, in the previous posts.

You need to focus on your daughter’s needs and how the preferred school can meet them in a way the offered school can’t. Being an August baby isn’t a need as such, and obviously all schools cater for pupils who are the youngest in their cohort, but if this ties into her wider needs for extra learning support it might still be relevant.

Please say more about PAN so we can comment on that.