Advice on accepting a school place

[Salya78]

My DS didn't get any of his 6 school choices. So we appealed for all the choices because even the 6th choice was better than what was offered. All the schools are doing appeals at very different times. I have won an appeal for a school which was a low pref but the appeals for the top 3 prefs are still ongoing. Have been asked by Education Authority to decide to accept or reject within 7 days. One of the main arguments was the school offered presented some challenges. I am worried if I accept this place it may affect my ongoing appeals. Any advice please?

Accepting the place will not affect your ongoing appeals. Accept it.

To be pedantic, the only difference for your ongoing appeals will be that comparisons will be with this school rather than the school you were originally offered. However, not accepting the place could affect your appeal negatively as it could appear to the appeal panel that you are attempting to force them to offer the school you really want by rejecting alternatives. As per my last post, you should accept the place.

Surely it's always better to accept a school tht you ranked on your CAF than a school you didn't ask for in the first place? Unless your circumstances have changed or something like that of course?

because even the 6th choice was better than what was offered

So you have answered your own question, really? There is absolutely no guarantee that you will be successful at any of your remaining appeals and if you are, you can turn down the place currently awarded through appeal and take the higher preference one. The appeal panel isn't going to wonder why you are still appealing for, say, your second preference when you have now won a place at your fifth (the other way round might be given much closer scrutiny, of course).

A bird in the hand, as they say...