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Secondary education

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Original poster

Secondary school appeal. Sen. Please help.

45 replies

Rebeccarose123 · 08/03/2020 02:26

Hi
So DS was refused a place at his first choice due to

(a) there were more applications than places available andother children had a higher priority against the published oversubscription criteria and/or (b) they are grammar schools and your child has not been assessed as suitable for admission to a grammar school.'
(b) grammar school does not apply to DS so its reason (A)

DS has a diagnosis of
-Autistic spectrum disorder
-Global development delay
-Emotional difficulties
-Hyperactivity
-Attention difficulties

Academically he is 'as expected' but he is offered extra time to complete the work and he does have TA support on a one to one level for topics he struggles with such as PHSE and then during lessons within class in general. The current school offer fantastic support for DS.
DS's needs show themselves more on a social, emotional, communication and language level, which link to ASD.
He has an IEP and IBP but no EHCP.

There were 76 appeals last year for the academy in question and 7 were successful.

Has anyone ever been successful in winning an appeal based on SEN needs? My case heavily focuses on DS suffering more if he didn't get a place than the academy would if he did.

I have made a list of reasons why 1st choice school meets his needs more than any other school and although the points are valid and are strong, I don't know how significant they are in the eyes of a panel.
Evidence I have so far is a paediatrician letter proving his diagnosis, a letter from the head teacher, a letter from the senco officer and a letter from DS class teacher. Letters from current school are not just generic templates, they go into great depth and fully support why 1st choice meets DS needs over any other school.

Any advice or previous experiences would be much appreciated.

OP posts:
SJaneS48 · 08/03/2020 08:44

I’m not sure I’m the person who can help you here but just to clarify what you have said to help others who can, earlier on in your post you mention the school you want to appeal for is a grammar then later you use the word academy - which of the two is it because that makes a difference? You also mention that DS was not assessed as suitable for grammar - did he not pass the 11+ and how close did he get?

It’s just my personal opinion but if it is a grammar you want to appeal for, he didn’t pass the 11+ and has a number of other things to contend with as well, would a pressurised grammar environment really be the right one for him? What is the school he has been offered like and what support can they give him?

CalamityJune · 08/03/2020 08:51

I think you may need to demonstrate clearly why the school you have been allocated will not meet your child's needs.

MsJaneAusten · 08/03/2020 08:53

I think you may need to demonstrate clearly why the school you have been allocated will not meet your child's needs

Not true. OP, you are right to focus on “why this school” rather than “why not the other”.

Soontobe60 · 08/03/2020 09:02

As your child doesn’t have an EHCP and is working ‘at expected’, you’ll find it very hard to get him in on appeal, as whichever school he goes to will be expected to provide him with the resources he has had so far for him to achieve so well. I’m actually very surprised that he has a diagnosis of GDD as one of the criterion is having a very low IQ.
Of course you can appeal for a place at any school, but as has already been said, you need to focus on the school you want being able to offer him things that the school he has got doesn’t have.
Meanwhile, also contact the Senco of the offered school to discuss if they think they can meet his needs too.

PeppaisaBitch · 08/03/2020 09:05

I thought sen was only relevant if a specific school was stated in plan? Might be wrong.

VadenuRewetje · 08/03/2020 09:15

I am not an expert.

I don't think SEN needs can be used as reasons for appeal if he doesn't have an EHCP as all schools are supposed to be able to meet the needs of children who may have some SEN but don't meet the criteria for an EHCP.

Have you tried to get an EHCP and been turned down? even with an EHCP it would have to state that only this school has got what it takes. what specific needs does he have that this school can meet and the other available school(s) can't?

All schools will have some children with ASD, ADHD and related neurodiverse conditions, who will sometimes need some 1:1 support.

titchy · 08/03/2020 11:03

Sen can certainly be used as the basis of an appeal - and should make a strong case as long as you can demonstrate why the appeal school is the only one that can meet his needs.

Eg a specialist unit children with ASD can get help from, fully wheelchair accessible, classrooms all with hearing loops. All those are excellent Sen cases for children without EHCPs.

PanelChair · 08/03/2020 11:37

It sounds to me as if you’re on the right lines, but (as others have said) you need to demonstrate why this school can meet your son’s needs in a way that the offered school can’t. All schools are meant to be able to cater for a range of needs, so you need to identify why this school is best placed to meet your son’s.

prh47bridge · 08/03/2020 13:11

which of the two is it because that makes a difference

It is clearly an academy. The OP clearly states that grammar does not apply.

OP - I agree with PanelChair. I obviously haven't seen your written evidence but if the people you mention are clear that, in their professional opinion, your son needs to go to this school and can explain what this school offers that is missing from the allocated school, you have a decent chance of success.

SJaneS48 · 08/03/2020 13:35

@prh47bridge, thanks for pulling me up on that! I quickly read the post early this morning. On 2nd read, yes it is pretty clear but including reason b) as it wasn’t applicable was perhaps unnecessary.

Rebeccarose123 · 08/03/2020 15:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

prh47bridge · 08/03/2020 15:41

Sounds like a decent case. Some points are stronger than others (inevitably) but, if it is backed up with professional evidence, you have a decent chance of success.

Punxsutawney · 08/03/2020 15:41

Agree with you on the all boy environment. Ds is 15 with a recent ASD diagnosis. He's at an all boys school and it's been utterly awful. And yes, he has not used the toilets once in the nearly 5 years he's been there or been able to access the canteen. There are just too many other issues to mention but it's been crap.

I think you are definitely doing the right thing by appealing for the appropriate school. In our experience the wrong environment can be so damaging.

Good luck, hope you get the school you want.

Original poster
Rebeccarose123 · 08/03/2020 15:55

@prh47bridge thankyou for your reply.

May I ask please, are the head teacher, class teacher and senco classed as high enough professionals? Will their evidence be good enough?
Only my son was signed off from the paediatrician once diagnosis and school support was put in place.
Current primary school offer fantastic support to DS and the senco is very quick at noticing any issues and puts strategies and support in place for DS immediately. Class teacher is the same.

OP posts:
Mumdiva99 · 08/03/2020 16:02

Hi, I recently went through a primary appeal. You will be asked about your case and it is very nerve racking. I would take each point you have made and reference what part of the supporting evidence you have used to get to that point. Refer back to the statements - make it easy for the panel to see why you have made each point.

Go onto the school census data and look at the number of students in each class - if they usually go above 30 this can also be part of your case - that they have set a precedent.

Look on their website at the aims of the school - copy and paste anything that supports your application.

Remain on the waitlist all the time as there will be some movement before September.

Good luck.

Original poster
Rebeccarose123 · 08/03/2020 16:16

@Punxsutawney thankyou for your reply.

I'm sorry to hear your son is having such a hard time, life can be very hard for children with asd if their environment is not right and does not meet their needs, it's one of the reasons I am trying to make our appeal as strong as possible for my son.
He will be in a similar situation if he goes to a school that doesn't meet his needs and if I'm honest I'm not sure I'm willing to take such a risk.

My son is academically 'as expected' because his needs are meet so he is able to learn. A school were his needs are not meet will heavy affect this academic level.

I really hope things improve for your son and I send you hugs, it's hard on us parents too

OP posts:
Punxsutawney · 08/03/2020 16:36

Thanks Rebecca it can be tough at times. I was in slightly different position in that Ds didn't have his diagnosis when he went to secondary school. If I know what I know now, I would have done things very differently!

It sounds like your Ds has had great support at his primary so I can see why you are so keen for him to continue to do well and be supported as he moves onto the next stage of education.

I hope the appeals process is not too stressful for you.

Heckythump1 · 08/03/2020 16:51

If he won't cope at an all boys school, why did you put one down on your application?

Original poster
Rebeccarose123 · 08/03/2020 16:52

@PanelChair thankyou for replying.

I have listed some of the reasons as to why the academy suits DS, if you could have a look at some point, I'd really appreciate it Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
Rebeccarose123 · 08/03/2020 16:54

@Heckythump1

I didn't put it down on the application , the school offered was never an option to us being a boys school. It wasn't put down as a preference.

OP posts:
Heckythump1 · 08/03/2020 16:56

Ah fair enough! That's proper rubbish then! Really hope.you get the first choice school, it sounds brilliant!

prh47bridge · 08/03/2020 17:02

are the head teacher, class teacher and senco classed as high enough professionals? Will their evidence be good enough?

That's up to the appeal panel. They will decide how much weight to give your evidence. Given that you also have a letter from a paediatrician I would hope they will consider this to be important evidence but there are no guarantees.

PanelChair · 08/03/2020 17:03

You have some good points there. All I would suggest is that - because there are so many of them - you find a way of grouping them together so that the points get across but the panel doesn’t feel overwhelmed. Make it easy for them to picture your son and how this school would meet his needs.

AlunWynsKnee · 08/03/2020 17:12

We won an appeal centred on dd's autism. We did similar to you in terms of picking out everything about the school that worked for her, explained why and backed it up with written evidence from her primary school, consultant etc.

Original poster
Rebeccarose123 · 08/03/2020 17:18

@Heckythump1
Thankyou Smile

We viewed 3 schools, 2 of the schools DS did not cope well at the viewing at all, to the point we had to leave early. I arranged a second viewing at both schools when it was less busy to try again but the same happened. Sad

I didn't hold much hope for the 3rd school viewing but I reminded positive to DS. To my surprise he managed the whole viewing and asked to go back and view it again, it quickly became obvious to me that the reason he liked it was because it suited his needs to a T!

None of his friends put the school as any of their preferred choices and he still said he knew the academy was right for him.

for the academy to genuinely be the school that caters to his needs, added to that fact that he noticed this and wants to go (I fully expected a very bumpy road to secondary school, as did his current school) I don't know what to so if he doesn't get a place.

OP posts:
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