Admissions Yr 7

[SQ196]

I’m devastated my daughter hasn’t been offered a place at her preferred school, has sibling link Yr 10, attends feeder school, walking distance, SENCO visited her twice in yr 5 happy they can meet her needs but school outside catchment. I’m preparing for an appeal and have evidence of her SEN since 2015. Paediatric Consultants, Speech Language Therapists, IEP and SENCO. Detailed assessments with reports. ASD, Difficulty with Social Interaction officially diagnosed. School are applying for EHCP with my consent, recommenced by medics too. All her class have been offered places at school. I provided evidence with application but school said they’re unable to assess at selection. I’m worried and first time experiencing anxiety attacks when discussing current position, I won’t be able to argue my case although her school have offered to attend appeal with me. What else can you suggest? PLS.

While you're waiting for the experts to turn up, the advice will be to accept the school offered and check you're on the waiting list for preferred school.

And chase the EHCP assessment. If the school would put in writing that they would take her if she had an EHCP, then that will help.

Can you list the admissions criteria here? (eg will be something like EHCP, LAC/ex LAC, feeder+sibling, feeder, catchment+sibling, catchment, out of catchment) and then say which criteria you think you currently come under?

How come all her class have been offered but not you? Are you further away than them?

Admissions criteria, number 4 applies. She is at number 1 on waiting list for this category. My sons yr 10 and 12 plus 2 nephews all attend same school, all outside catchment, walk from my home in morning and after school it takes 7 mins. The school offered is 4.4 miles by public transport not school bus route. Taking into consideration my daughter is very vulnerable and believes anyone that offers a smile is a friend and nice person public transport would not be an option.

1. Children in public care who are ‘looked after’ at the time an application for admission is made or who the local authority can confirm has been looked after but has ceased to be so because they are adopted, or became subject to a residence order or special guardianship order immediately following having been looked after.
2. Children who live in the catchment area on the closing date for applications and who, at the time of admission, will have a brother or sister attending the school in years 7-11.
3. Other children who live in the catchment area on the closing date for applications.
4. Children who live outside the catchment area attending a linked primary phase school on the closing date of applications and who will have a brother or sister at Rushcliffe School at the time of admission in years 7-11.
5. Children who live outside the catchment area and who are attending a linked primary phase school on the closing date of applications
6. Other children. No priority is given to siblings in this category.

Other children. No priority is given to siblings in this category.

In the event of oversubscription in any of the above criteria proximity to the school will be used with those living nearer given priority.
Distance measurements to be made ‘as the crow flies’ from the home address to the main reception office of the school and will be taken in a straight line form the entrance to the child’s home (as defined by the Local Authority) to the principle entrance to the main administrative building of the school. This will be calculated by using ‘Micro-soft Auto route’ computer software. In the event of
event of oversubscription in any of the above criteria proximity to the school will be used with those needing to discriminate between pupils living in the same block of flats where it produces the same distance measurement, the lowest numbered flat(s) will be treated as the closest.

Our catchment school was my 2nd preference they also declined offer, she is on waitlist but no number. They only managed to offer to number 2 of criteria she is number 4.

The school admissions said they do give priority to EHCP already in place after checking the requirements listed can be met. I'm not sure if that is at time of application or later too. My daughter doesn't have a plan in place yet, her needs are not physically demanding.

This is Ofsted report fro Dec 19 for offered school -

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not learn well enough across some subjects. Teachers do not always adapt the curriculum well enough for pupils with SEND. As a result, some of these pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

The curriculum is not planned well enough to support the needs of all pupils with SEND in some subjects. These pupils do not always achieve what they are capable of. Leaders must ensure that staff adapt their teaching so that these pupils achieve their best in all subjects.

School hoping to appeal for report Feb 2014 -

Students of all abilities and groups, including those eligible for pupil premium funding, disabled students and those who have special educational needs, make outstanding progress throughout the school.

Activities and courses throughout the three key stages match students’ levels and aspirations very closely and are adapted to meet any individual needs. As a result, students of all abilities learn very well. Through special ‘Bright’ days, students’ learning is extended so that they are able to make informed lifestyle choices. Students speak highly of the wide-ranging after-school clubs, visits and visitors, which add to their academic as well as personal skills.

Replied on other thread. Remember you appeal for the school you want, not against the one allocated. It also needs to be specific to your dc needs ie. The desired school has an onsite SALT offering daily group support sessions, as recommended by x in the report of y date.

If she is no.1 chances are high she will gain a place. Did you live out of catchment when your ds applied?

@LIZS she's number one in category 4, so it depends whether all the places were taken by children in catchment with / without siblings (i.e. categories 2 and 3). Round here we have a secondary that fills all its places from these two categories alone so the OP's older child wouldn't get a place. I can't imagine that all the class really have been offered places unless the geography is such that the houses are generally in catchment except for OP's property which is further out. I can see why it would feel that way if you got offered a crap school.

(I've also got a Yr6 child and a v. bad catchment secondary that we managed to dodge so I get why you'd want to do this)

So your DD is at a linked primary school now?

When will the EHCP process be finished?

How many are on wl in categories 1-3?

Our catchment and this school are both outstanding hence the problems with us even living here. The list admissions showed me had 25 or 26 children in catchment not offered then my daughters name.

I honestly don't know how to explain it's taken 5 years to develop friendships with 3-4 girls and 1 -2 boys in her class. I've gently broken the news to her and has tears last night and again this morning.
All the other children live in catchment and feeder school.

When we moved into the area 5.5 yrs ago all primary were full the only one with spaces was chosen. My catchment secondary school then said why did you move here when you know we don't have space? I said I have a right to provide good education for my children. I hate it here now.

Yes she's in a feeder school. I'm seeing her teachers this afternoon and will ask for the EHCP to be sent by tomorrow.

The waitlist has 25 in catchment. That's what's worrying me.

@SoCrimeaRiver I actually live closer to the school than all the children offered but I'm borderline.

I don't know if you intended the school to be named in your post of 11:57:20 - if you want MNHQ to redact that information, report the post and they should be OK to edit it out for you. I won't name it again here.

The school catchment is a very funny shape isn't it! The actual school is right on the border of the catchment zone so there are going to be loads of out-of-catchment children living very close to the school, and loads of in-catchment children living quite far away!

Your LA website says the furthest-offered place was a distance of 3.09 (KM?) away - given that there are 25 in-catchment applicants on the waiting list that must mean that the cutoff fell part way through Category 3 - that's a huge chunk of Category 3 (see image - the blue circle shows a radius of 3.09km, the orange shape is the catchment - only the overlap of the two got offered places).

In addition, the LA website say they made 330 offers to the school despite a PAN of 300 so they have already added a bulge class.

If this is all correct then tbh I don't think there's any chance of you getting a place via hoping for the waiting list to move till you are at the top of it. Your best hope is to get that EHCP approved - you will then leapfrog over the 25 in-catchment people on the waiting list and will hopefully be offered a place before September - there are always one or two places from waiting lists as things settle down - but rarely many more than that!

The EHCP process could easily be 6 months even if it goes smoothly. An EHCP effectively supersedes the admissions process.
I think you are right to appeal - we had to for (ASD) dd's place as she didn't have her EHCP then. You need to present a case on current evidence why your ds's school is right. Your current SENCO can support this with evidence and you should get letters addressing the specific issues from consultants etc to support it).
The appeal will be quicker than the EHCP and although it's stressful because it's important, it's not like a courtroom. It's more like a job interview without the hard questions.

Did they really only offer to Criteria 2 - (siblings in catchment) so in theory if this was correct, there could be siblings who missed out on a place too and then children in catchment with no sibling , then children not in catchment at a linked primary like your DD. I find it very hard to believe that a large secondary only offered places to siblings.

@Hersetta427 no looks like they got at least half way through category 3 which is in-catchment non-siblings and it appears that they successfully offered to all but 25 of that category. OP is top of category 4 as non-catchment with-siblings.

All her class must be siblings or live well within catchment to have received offers - is that the case?

@AlissKezamMoivit. Thank you that’s very detailed. How did you get the 330 figure? My daughter is 328 on the list I was shown.

Won't Aliss's figures be for last year?

@LIZS Not all have siblings but live in catchment. You’d be surprised what goes on behind closed doors in oversubscribed schools.

Oh oops yes I didn't realise I was looking at a web page for 2019-20 - they must not have published the 2020 figures on the web site. What was the furthest distance admitted this year? Sorry for the misleading analysis!

Yikes - for 2020 admission the PAN is now only 270 after having been 330 for both 2018 and 2019 - so no wonder there is now a bumper year for siblings.

@AlissKezamMoivit That’s really useful for my appeal. Can I get these figures from website? The council are increasing the catchment with new builds and school reducing numbers. Doesn’t make sense.