Appealing on anxiety grounds - advice please!

[Pebblecat33]

My daughter has just missed out on her first choice secondary school. The second choice is also a great school so the issue isn’t the school itself. The issue is that all of her close friends and even her wider circle have all been placed at the preferred school and she is devastated as she feels completely cut off.

My daughter has been having anxiety type issues for the last year. We have been mostly managing these at home and thought she was getting better but this has been a massive set back. She has been referred for tests and counselling by our GP and is seeing a counsellor at school.

We are just getting our heads around the appeals process and whether or not we even stand a chance. Any advice please?

Some facts -

We are currently 8th on the waiting list
Oversubscription is distance only, we are 4.3metres outside (!)
The late submission deadline is Friday 13th March, this could move us up or down the list
We live in the north-west corner of a housing estate, in the north-west corner of a community, in the north-west corner of the town! The school in question is more or less centrally located so the catchment area has geographically cut us off from most of the community. North and west of us is pretty much fields and farms.

Any hope?

Sorry I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. I appreciate everyone’s advice on here honestly I do.

This whole thing is just all consuming at the moment. I just hope that the late admissions review on Friday falls in our favour!

We had 380 appeals here in my county. 4 were won. All based on children with disabilities. One was in a wheelchair for example.

It's really really hard to win an appeal. Due to the fact that so many people do appeal and if more won. They have to let others win

This is why the percentage of winning an appeal is almost zero. Sad I know. If your dr has no real letters on her file about her anxiety. I realise he does have some. But they were related to cardiac. Which you've not cancelled. It could be seen that because you didn't attend the appointment. That you might be seen as not trying to help. If you get what I'm saying

Maybe it would be better if you could take her and get them to put in writing that it isn't cardiac. And it might be anxiety related.

Then you could start with the gp etc.

Wow that’s low!

So I haven’t got actual figures For the LA last year but I know last year (2019) the School PAN was 310 for preferred school and the number post appeals was 323. It was a high birth year though and a lot of kids got placed over the other side of the LA (which is over the other side of the river that splits the area in half)

As far as the LA goes I managed to find some data for the years before (2017/2018 admissions) The year before (2018) there were 71appeals and 46 were upheld across the LA, and the year before that (2017) there were 13 out of 56. It’s all over the place but I suppose it shows they do accept some, of course we don’t know what they were based on!

I’m probably clutching at straws. I know this is a long shot, but we’ve got nothing to lose by trying

I would pay for a private professional to meet with her, discuss the situation with her, assess her and write a report. Plus gp stuff and current school. Good luck.

The only thing op, are you sure that her anxiety isn't based on something going on at school and a fresh start might be the very best thing for her? My dd is like a different child since starting secondary - all her old friends went to a different school.

I'm so sorry your DD has anxiety. Arguably avoiding sources of anxiety isn't helpful. The anxiety will transfer to something else. Better to treat the anxiety than just avoid anything that could trigger it.

She actually doesn’t avoid the sources of anxiety, she can’t to be honest as there are so many things that trigger it it would be impossible. Her friends help her manage it, sounds odd given her age I know. But they distract her, keep an eye on her, tell us stuff via their parents which is invaluable as she doesn’t verbalise it, etc. She manages the issues that make her anxious well when they are around.

The big trigger last year turned out to be a teacher who she perceived as bullying her, she doesn’t have any issues with any of her classmates. It took us months to get that out of her, her friends had raised concerns but she denied it all. We now know better about how she deals with this stuff (it doesn’t deal) so have now know how to manage this if it happens again.

She is seeing a counsellor in school, etc. But she still confides in her friends and that is part of her coping mechanism. I know a lot of people might struggle to understand that, it’s actually quite lovely but has taken a long time to develop. Even her current teacher has commented on how special their bond is

As a parent of a child with very bad anxiety, social, and general, I really do empathise. DD has had counselling for four years now, privately, and it has helped, but she will always have anxiety, the counselling just helps you deal with it.

For appeals grounds, I don't think your DD is unusual, lots and lots of DC's seem to have heightened anxiety these days. So many are under counsellors it is like an epidemic. |So not sure whether this will be taken into account, but worth a try in any event.

Although she thinks she needs her friends, she really needs to be helped to cope without them, the counselling hopefully with do this. Remember, most friendships change and move in secondary school. Even if she gets in, she may not be in the same class, or the same sets. She may find they move on, find other friends, and this is also a big deal, a huge deal in fact, if you are relying on a group of friends, if that happens she may be really thrown off course.

This sounds all very negative I know. But, honestly, just in case the worst happens, try to get her all the help you can, pay if you are able, and get her to be more resilient. It's really hard, and very upsetting for parents, you will never stop worrying about them, but they do learn to cope eventually, and hopefully move on healthier and happier.

I'd look into getting her some CBT for her anxiety, whether you win the appeal or not, it will only get worse without adequate treatment (and school counselling is unlikely to be adequate).

The panel uses the evidence, common sense and the rules about appeals to come to a decision. Each panel member may have a view about the appeal which is discussed in private and a decision given.

Transport tends to be outside their remit except where a serious disability/ permanent illness of child or parent meant the nearest school or specific school was an absolute necessity

My thoughts would be if she has an issue walking to school then a taxi, other arrangement with a parent would solve the issue.

If her medical issue is severe enough then you need to approach the Council travel to school providers who will provide transport under the 3 miles to those who qualify.

This would likely be the panels approach to 99.9% of transport issues in appeals sorry.

I would be constructing an appeal but not on any travel to school problem. Evidence her mental health and well being, herself worth, the impact of her anxiety, what help she has accessed and its impact. What is known to help her and evidence this.

That would be my thoughts

@Pebblecat33 realise this is an old thread but I’m appealing on similar grounds just wondered what happened with your hearing?
thanks