Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Secondary education

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

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

Secondary school appeals 2020

65 replies

Apollorealm · 28/04/2020 18:18

Hi hope you are all safe and well.
Can anyone give me some advice please on how and when surrey school appeals will take place this year due to coronavirus and social distancing!
I am concerned that without hearings taking place it won’t be fair on the parents as they may struggle to get their points across.

Any advice would be helpful, thanks

OP posts:

Original poster

Apollorealm · 18/05/2020 11:59

Fingers crossed that you are both successful with your appeals.
We still don’t have a date yet and haven’t heard anything!
We are number 12 on waiting list so not sure what our chances are.

OP posts:

lshark · 18/05/2020 13:28

I feel very disheartened about the process this year.
Have been asked to send all paperwork by 26th may but have received nothing at all from LA or any responses to the questions raised
All paper appeal here and I just can not see how we will be able to get across the points as well as an appeal in usual circumstances :(

St7780023 · 18/05/2020 18:02

Hi everyone u had the news today my appeal has been UPHELD an email was sent late this afternoon advising me u won il just wait for the letter to arrive in post which will be more detailed. I am extremely happy and wanted to let you all know there still is hope despite this pandemic keep positive xxx

Original poster

Apollorealm · 18/05/2020 18:59

Fantastic news you must be over the moon 😊

OP posts:

Snuggles23 · 18/05/2020 19:27

That's brilliant news

St7780023 · 18/05/2020 19:58

Yes it was such a relief I hope you both get fab news too xx

prh47bridge · 19/05/2020 00:22

Appeals not being fair and schools using Covid as an excuse to not allow any appeals

Appeals are decided by an independent appeal panel. The school cannot refuse all appeals. The appeal panel might but that is their decision, not the school's.

Snuggles23 · 20/05/2020 12:46

Gutted our appeal was refused

Original poster

Apollorealm · 20/05/2020 14:59

Really sorry to hear that 😔

OP posts:

St7780023 · 20/05/2020 15:22

I'm so sorry to hear that xx

Original poster

Apollorealm · 12/06/2020 09:37

Hi everyone
Just seeing if anyone has had any success with their appeals or waiting list yet?
We still haven’t had a date for our appeal but we have moved up to number 8 on the waiting list not sure what chance we stand in getting a place before September!
Any ideas? Thanks

OP posts:

prh47bridge · 12/06/2020 10:22

@Snuggles23 - Given the way your appeal happened I would refer the matter to the LGO (or the ESFA if the school is an academy). Government advice is clear that appeals should be by conference call (video or phone) unless there is good reason not to do this. Combined with the other things you say that gives reason to suspect that your appeal may not have been heard fairly. There are no guarantees - the LGO or ESFA may decide that the process was fair despite your concerns. But it is worth a try and may result in you getting a second appeal with a different panel.

@Apollorealm - The fact you've moved up 4 places is promising but no-one can really say how much of a chance you've got via the waiting list. It depends on how many other people move house, get places elsewhere or decide to go private.

BatSegundo · 15/06/2020 20:33

I wonder if anyone could give me some advice? I still haven't heard anything about my appeal so I emailed the school (it's a church school and they run a separate appeals system). The reply was that they hadn't set dates yet but it would likely be September

WTF am I supposed to do? I've got my third choice school sending me emails about virtual transition and uniform but no idea of where he'll be going. I know that there should be flexibility but this seems ridiculous.

admission · 15/06/2020 21:06

That is far later than you need as a parent and being sceptical would say it is a deliberate attempt by the school to make the appeals as late as possible so that people decide not to bother appealing.
I would be tempt to write back to them and ask them to confirm whether it is September or not and whether that date matches the requirements of the modified admission appeal guidance, given that this is at least 11 weeks in the future and that they have already had 13 weeks since the initial allocation of places on March 1st. It will be interesting to see their response.

BatSegundo · 15/06/2020 23:18

I had wondered the same thing @admission Not exactly Christian of them!

I will write back as you suggested. I work in local government in a completely different area and whilst we had a week or so of chaos working out how we could deliver our face to face services remotely, we were up and running pretty quickly because we wanted to make sure that families received a service. I cannot understand why they can't but I'm finding the modified guidance difficult to interpret...

fleapriest · 16/06/2020 13:33

Just had our appeal this morning- is it normal to come out and think I could have said this this and this 😫

Original poster

Apollorealm · 16/06/2020 14:19

I hope you are successful with your appeal, can I ask how it was held?
ie video/call and paper work!
We are still waiting for a date for our appeal! It’s so frustrating and feels like it’s been going on for months!

OP posts:

prh47bridge · 16/06/2020 14:42

Just had our appeal this morning- is it normal to come out and think I could have said this this and this

Yes.

fleapriest · 16/06/2020 14:50

Apollorealm- Thankyou, I think they'd already made up their mind and it was just routine though.
It was held in person, it was always scheduled for this week even before Covid, but obviously it was socially distanced. They change rooms in between appeal hearings.

Frustrating you don't have a date yet- have you queried why?

Apparently they are not seeing much movement on the waiting lists this year- possibly due to less job changes and house moves. Which is frustrating as d's is number 3

Original poster

Apollorealm · 16/06/2020 15:18

It is very frustrating! I just want it to be over and done with now.
We have only had an email basically saying our appeal will be held by paperwork and video call but still no date yet! They said they will be in touch soon but that was two weeks ago. I think you stand a good chance on the waiting list at no3! In March we were 30 but have now moved to 8 so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Let me know your outcome and good luck 😊

OP posts:

fleapriest · 16/06/2020 15:41

Ah, positive you'll get a video hearing though so you can put your points across.

Thankyou so much, good luck to you aswell. I'll update next week

eddiemairswife · 16/06/2020 21:08

I am on a panel hearing video appeals this week. So far it is going well with very few hitches. All papers are being sent out by post, and we are all on line for the actual appeals, and parents seem satisfied with the arrangements and feel more relaxed in their own homes.

SK26 · 16/06/2020 21:21

Is anyone able to help with an appeal to an Academy secondary school. My appeal date is in July, my D went to this school from 2016 until September last year where she went in to year 10 at a UTC for business as she was interested in the subject. The school is 9-5 and has a 45 min bus journey there and back. Since September her health has suffered, she suffers with vertigo and nausea which has been more frequent since the move. She had a scary episode and even lost her sight for a while whilst on the public bus. She has been to scared to get on it again. We applied to send her back to her previous secondary which is a 10 min walk from us but even though 12 students left her year they are saying they are at full capacity, 97 students and their PAN is 120. The teachers told her before she left that if she changes her mind they don’t let them go back, this is a move soley based on her medical condition are they allowed to refuse a place? Our appeal is coming up soon my daughter no longer goes to the UTC and I am home schooling with tutors at the moment.

eddiemairswife · 16/06/2020 21:30

My understanding is that if places are available in the year, then the applicant should not be refused a place.

SK26 · 16/06/2020 21:37

That’s the grounds of my appeal, but my refusal letter states operationally full. I’ve heard Academy’s use their own panel so I haven’t got much of a chance 😩

Flip

1 2 3