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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

If you’ve appealed for secondary, have you got an appeal date yet?

45 replies

Protractor1 · 30/04/2019 08:58

I know they have got 40 school days from the appeal deadline for the appeal to be heard, which is a way off yet. But I’ve seen some people on here say they have dates already.

We haven’t heard anything yet, have others got their dates Through?

OP posts:
TwinMummy30 · 30/04/2019 09:02

Got the letter last Friday. Hearing’s in 2 weeks.

Original poster
Protractor1 · 30/04/2019 16:42

Thank you and best of luck.

Anyone else heard?

OP posts:
RedSheep73 · 30/04/2019 17:33

Yes, we have our date - 14th May

admission · 30/04/2019 18:19

When the appeal will be is to some extent around how popular the school involved has been over the last few years. Most LAs will know which schools are most likely to have appeals and they set up dates for these "block"appeals well in advance. So as a panel member I have had some admission appeal dates in my diary for at least a couple of months.
The problem for the LA is that they cannot guarantee that it is the same each year. So some schools that they think will have 4 days of appeals suddenly have only 2 days and much more of an issue a school that usually does not have appeals suddenly has quite a few because there has been a change in parental preference. The LA will be sorting out appeal dates but it will be complicated, so I am afraid that you do need to be a little patient. However I would phone the admissions office to just confirm that you are on their appeal list for the preferred school and they might be able to tell you when it is likely to be.

Original poster
Protractor1 · 30/04/2019 18:57

Thanks admission

The oversubscription is not a surprise with this school and I know there is some discussion about putting on an extra class.

I am kind of hoping that because we haven’t got a date yet, it’s looking more positive for an extra class. But that just might be wishful thinking!

OP posts:
admission · 30/04/2019 21:19

If you do not wish, then it will not happen, so keep wishing and keep your fingers crossed as well.

maxybrown · 01/05/2019 11:08

We haven't had ours yet. Our council said they're held in May and June. Keep running to the post each day but nothing Sad
I got confirmation email of our appeal being received. I might email to check nothing is on the cards yet, I was a bit concerned as we had a temporary post lady and bits of post ended up where it shouldn't be. Our village is very good at passing stuff on, but even so it's made me paranoid!

MrsH06 · 01/05/2019 17:39

I have received 2 out of 3 of my appeal dates. 16th and 23rd May. According the LA website my other appeal dates should be round about 3rd and 4th June

maxybrown · 02/05/2019 22:48

Still.nothing for us. Think I will contact them tomorrow

Original poster
Protractor1 · 03/05/2019 08:43

We still haven’t heard so I might do the same maxybrown

OP posts:
maxybrown · 03/05/2019 14:10

I've just sent an email as we got given an email address to send extra information too, so I've asked if it's possible to have the date emailed as well due to postal issues. Let me know how you get on!

ritatherockfairy · 04/05/2019 22:07

Ours is next week. I got sent the papers a couple of weeks ago. The strange thing is that the school has already said it will put on an additional class and states this in its submission.

MarchingFrogs · 05/05/2019 09:48

The strange thing is that the school has already said it will put on an additional class and states this in its submission.

Then these places should be / have been offered in order to children on the ranked waiting list.

Original poster
Protractor1 · 05/05/2019 10:17

That’s what I would have thought as well. But perhaps the appeal is needed because there are more children on the waiting list than the extra class can accommodate?

OP posts:
MarchingFrogs · 05/05/2019 10:53

But perhaps the appeal is needed because there are more children on the waiting list than the extra class can accommodate?

Possibly - or probably - depending on how many appeals have been submitted and how many of the appeals are on behalf of children within the size of the new class.

ritatherockfairy, check with the school's maintaining local authority what they know about the situation, whether the new places have been allocated and where your DC now is on the waiting list (this last will give you some idea on its own, since it's very unlikely thst a whole class' worth of late applicants with a higher ranking than yours have suddenly been added to the waiting list, but you wouldn't necessarily expect to have gone up by the full number of extra places now allocated)

ritatherockfairy · 05/05/2019 11:20

Thanks guys - the school is an academy and has effectively told a few of us "not to worry" as they will accommodate our children. I'm just surprised it has gone as far as an appeal hearing, so having been fairly relaxed about the whole thing I'm now a bit worried.

AlunWynsKnee · 05/05/2019 11:31

Do check if you haven't had your date. When we appealed I could see the dates on the website but hadn't heard anything about our session. When I called the LA they said they had emailed me. I hadn't received the email. I did get the paperwork but that was a bit over the deadline.

MarchingFrogs · 05/05/2019 11:58

Academies may have certain 'freedom' that local authority schools don't have, but freedom from complying with the Admissions Code and associated legislation isn't one of them. Including the School Admission Appeals Code - the scool may be able to decide to run a 'bulge' class in a given year due to demand, but once it gets to appeals, (legally) it has absolutely no influence over which, if any, appeals the independent panel decides to uphold. I would worry slightly about the 'Don't worry, we'll take your DC' type comment, personally

PatriciaHolm · 05/05/2019 13:39

Schools have no influence over appeals, BUT if they turn up to the appeal and say (as I have experienced before a couple of times as a panellist) "there would be no prejudice to admitting all these children", then that's it, appeal over and you all win!

It may be a game of local politics unfortunately. Some schools would much rather say " oh the appeals panel forced us to take these children" rather than just take them, because essentially this takes away children from other, often less favoured and undersubscribed schools, whose funding is then reduced.

If they have already decided to take a bulge, then those places must go to the next X number of children on the waiting list though. The appeals have nothing to do with the bulge.

eddiemairswife · 05/05/2019 15:21

We have a local school, previously independent now free, where the office staff seem to deter parents from appealing. At appeals, if this school is higher on the list than the appealed school, I ask the parents if they have appealed for this particular school. Quite often they say,"No we were told the school was full," or "They said we were on the waiting list."
The LA rep has said that they have been in touch with the school about this, but nothing seems to have changed. However, I am chairing the few appeals that have managed to get through, and I am going to explain to the head that this is unacceptable, and he needs to have words with his office staff.

Original poster
Protractor1 · 08/05/2019 14:46

We still haven’t got a date. Have asked but still waiting for a response :(

OP posts:
maxybrown · 08/05/2019 15:00

Same here too protractor. I did manage to speak to another parent (I don't know her) in our la who is also appealing for a different school a d she hasn't heard anything yet either. Sigh.

eddiemairswife · 08/05/2019 16:41

The Appeals Code says you must be notified of the appeal date at least 10 days before the hearing.

TheNoodlesIncident · 08/05/2019 22:52

I was getting twitchy as I hadn't heard anything, wasn't sure if it was outside protocol but I rang them up to see if something had gone out but we hadn't received it.

The person I spoke to said they were just about to go out but could confirm the date and time of our hearing. Then the day after I got an email with the relevant info, including the startling (to me) news that we were expected to go up twice. The email included an attachment which explained why the secondary school didn't want to exceed its PAN, which was fair enough but seemed to believe the addition of any further kids would result in chaos all round, kids turning feral, health and safety compromised, total disaster whichever way you look Wink

I was considering countering their arguments in this respect, as part of our case for that school being the only one our DS will thrive in, but DH seems to think there isn't anything further to be gained. I don't know if this is the case, I was all prepared to write another probably crap report.

Strangely, another mum who appealed for this school last year (and won her appeal, yay) said she received this document from the appealed for school immediately after allocation day, she was able to use it in her argument for the appeal reasons sent to the panel initially. I'm wondering why now they have only sent it long after I lodged my appeal...?

Original poster
Protractor1 · 10/05/2019 18:00

The Admissions Appeals Code is always a good read (!) and explains what should be sent to you before the appeal.

We still don’t have a date although it’s apparently on the way :(

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