Triplets to secondary school

[jimmyadds123]

Please could we ask for some help.

We have triplets and we applied to send them to a faith school in Loughton, Essex. We have today been advised that 1 of our children has been accepted and that the other 2 have been put on the waiting list and offered a place at a different school - a school we never even put on our list

I found an old thread on here and it mentions "excepted child" in a case involving twins which seemed to mean that as one of our triplets had been accepted the other 2 had good chances at appeal?

there was also mention of an ICS case but we are unable to determine what "ICS" means

Please any information or help you can provide would really help as we are desperate

Multiple births allow a school to go over roll numbers. My local school has just done this as the last place offered was multiple birth so they have admitted one more child. Have a look at the schools online admissions info (or let me know the school and education authority and I will have a look)
You need to appeal but I would be fairly confident that you will be successful.

ICS and excepted child are terms used in relation to primary school admissions and I'm assuming you are talking about secondary?

Firstly, double check the criteria. Many schools will have a policy that says if one child in a multiple is admitted as the last on the admissions list, the others will be too. However, they don't have to have this as a policy.

Secondly, check no mistake has been made. Ensure that the admissions authority is aware that your children are triplets, and they have considered all their details correctly in terms of faith evidence, address etc.

Thirdly, ensure they are on the waiting list. I would imagine they would be very high up it.

Then consider appeal, if 1 and 2 come up blank.

You can contact Twins Trust to help you too

(PM me the name of the school if you want me to check the criteria)

I suspect either there's been a mistake, or the one that got in was the last man in (in which case I'm slightly surprised they haven't enquired whose bed is nearest the school as the crow flies, given how picky the criteria usually are!). If it's the latter, it may be that they know there are likely to be some more places available shortly - usually there will be some places declined because they end up going private - so they may just not have thought of the distress caused in the meantime.

Here's a guess. When you had to complete the online supplementary information form, did you do it in triplicate, or just once (which might have been because it only allows one form to be completed per ip address)? If the latter, perhaps it then only got attached to one child's record.

I've just received your PM and surprisingly I couldn't find any reference to multiple birth admittance in the school nor the county council. (Information regarding primary school going over pan numbers)
If you Google your council name + 'secondary school admissions brochure 2021/22 there is a pdf with the only information I could find. This says:

Twins, triplets etc.
For community and VC schools in the normal
admission round, if the last child to be offered a
place is a twin and their sibling cannot be offered
initially, the LA will ensure both twins are offered a
place. In the case of triplets or other multiple births,
if the majority of children can be offered a place
initially, the LA will offer places to the remaining
child(ren). For example if two triplets can be offered
a place, the remaining child will also receive an
offer of a place.
For mid-year applications, where a family moves
into an area necessitating a change of school for
their twins (or triplets etc.) and the majority can be
offered a place then a place will be offered for the
remaining child(ren). However, where the family
does not move but wishes to transfer the children
to another local school where there are insufficient
places for all of them, then places would not
normally be offered to all.
For foundation, VA schools and Academies the
decision will be made by the governing body

Which doesn't look as promising, however I don't understand why it isn't written in the schools admissions policy. You need to appeal and join the waiting list. The saving grace is that you only need to get one more in and then the third will automatically get a place.

There are some very knowledgeable people on MN when it comes to school admissions. Do not lose hope.

@Waveifyouknowme

Those criteria are irrelevant unfortunately, as the school in question is it's own Admissions Authority and as such does not use the local authority criteria.

thank you both so much, i really appreciate it

Agree but they are using the authority independent appeal. Admissions has to be clear and fair, is there an argument to claim this is neither?

I've actually said that to OP in a PM - yes, given they don't have any explicit policy to deal with this eventuality, my argument would be that whatever they have done (random selection I would guess, or by child's first initial) does not meet the Admission Code's requirements that

"Admission arrangements must include an effective, clear and fair tie-breaker to decide between two applications that cannot otherwise be separated."

Thanks again everyone 👍🏻

ICS = infant class size

If it's a faith school, did you need a faith leader's reference for admission? If so, do check with the school that they received 3 references for your children and not just one (it could be that your faith leader made a mistake on this).

Do go on the waiting list, you should be highest priority for any places that become available. And do lodge appeals! If you get as far as an appeal hearing you would have a very strong case.

Thanks Hester. Yes we did require a reference from our Vicar for each child which we know she provided.

Yes we have exchanged emails with the school yesterday and they know they are triplets and this was clear on the separate applications - whether this was overlooked during the selection process we do not know and nor do we know for example why only 1 of the 3 were chosen when their applications were all identical with regards to church attendance and distance from the school.

As PatricaHolm kindly pointed out to us,

"Admission arrangements must include an effective, clear and fair tie-breaker to decide between two applications that cannot otherwise be separated."

There is also for example a boy in their class who lives further from the school, goes to the same church as us and has no siblings at the school yet he was accepted. We just don’t understand how they select children.

We have lodged appeals for the 2 that were overlooked and we just have to hope that they are successful on the waiting list.

Thank you for your input it is greatly received 🙏🏻

The boy may have had more points for church attendance/links with the church. Our school had a ranking system for this. Hope you can find a way to get all your triplets in.

@NeedSomeInfoAgain

The boy may have had more points for church attendance/links with the church. Our school had a ranking system for this. Hope you can find a way to get all your triplets in.

no - we all go to the same church and my wife and his mum are on the committee so that isn't the case. None of our families miss church and our vicar sent the same references for all the children confirming that. Thank you - we live in hope and we are still all so upset at the thought of the kids being split up for no apparent reason

Can't offer any advice but as a parent of multiples can understand this must be a nightmare for you. Good luck!

Thank you and the same to you