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Secondary education

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

Original poster

Appeal if on the waiting list?

28 replies

Createdjustforthis · 01/03/2022 07:00

We applied out of catchment to the closest school (2.3 miles away, 5.6 miles for the catchment school) but have been placed on the waiting list and offered the catchment school instead.

I can’t send him to the catchment school, he’s been bullied terribly and is seeing a therapist as a result. The bus alone would terrify him.

Do I need to appeal or do I wait out the waiting list? I have no idea how this works.

OP posts:
Whatwouldscullydo · 01/03/2022 07:09

You can do both.

I would accept the school you have though.
I was told by many on here that refusing a school can work against you as it can appear you are trying to blackmail , so to speak, the panel.

Check the box that says you want to appeal and then you can just drop it if you gain a place before then.

Whatwouldscullydo · 01/03/2022 07:20

Meant to say I'd definitely appeal rather than rely on the wait lists. You can go down as well as up and anyone who wins an appeal will not count as a place. You will be say 10th on the waiting list but if they are 4 over 30 as a result of appeals you have to wait fir 5 people to leave befire there's a space available if that makes sense.

Nothing to lose by appealing.

You can also appeal for more than one school

Original poster
Createdjustforthis · 01/03/2022 07:25

Thank you! I was dreading having to appeal as the process seems weighed against the child so much.

OP posts:
Whatwouldscullydo · 01/03/2022 07:31

It is but it has to he I guess or you'd have massive classes

The appeal won't be heard fir a few weeks so that gives you time to gather evidence etc.

Maybe speak to your child's teachers and see if they will add anything for you?

I wish you luck. When the school system.lets you down it's always badly.

But having seen a few situations unfold do not reject the school. You not only could end up with no place but you may not even get your school back amd be worse off. They have done their job as far as they are concerned and found him.a school .

It will be worse if he doesn't get to do the induction days and meet the teachers etc.

Whatwouldscullydo · 01/03/2022 08:07

@prh47bridge

I've tagged someone for who's advice is fab. Always so helpful Flowers

3WildOnes · 01/03/2022 08:17

Do you know what the last distanced offered was last year at the school? Where you are on the waiting list?

Starlightstarbright1 · 01/03/2022 08:37

Can i also add pop him on the waiting list of any schools you would consider

Original poster
Createdjustforthis · 01/03/2022 10:49

@3WildOnes

Do you know what the last distanced offered was last year at the school? Where you are on the waiting list?
2.79 miles, we’re 2.2 miles. We’re second on the waiting list so I’m very hopeful. I’m formulating an appeal though just in case.
OP posts:
PanelChair · 01/03/2022 10:49

For your appeal, assemble as much evidence as you can about why the preferred school is the best one for your son - curriculum provision, pastoral care, clubs and activities etc.

prh47bridge · 01/03/2022 10:55

@Createdjustforthis

Thank you! I was dreading having to appeal as the process seems weighed against the child so much.
Nationally around a little over 20% of secondary school appeals are successful. Many parents fail to make a viable case, concentrating on things that aren't relevant for an appeal, so the success rate for those making a viable case is significantly higher. However, it depends on the school's case to refuse admission. Sometimes (but very rarely) the school's case is so strong that no appeal will succeed, no matter how strong. Sometimes the school's case is so weak that almost any appeal will succeed.

You have nothing to lose by appealing. I sometimes describe an appeal as a one way bet. If you win, you get a place at the school you want. If you lose, you are in exactly the same position you would have been if you hadn't appealed.

If the bullies have been allocated the same school as your son, this may give you a strong case.

I note that Starlightstarbright1 suggests getting your son on the waiting list of any schools you would consider. Check with your LA whether that is possible. Many limit the number of waiting lists you can be on, so getting on the waiting lists for other schools would mean coming off the waiting lists for the schools you want, although your OP suggests you may have only named one school on your application. It is also worth checking what schools have places available to see if any of those are acceptable.

LondonHOPDad · 01/03/2022 10:59

Are those things considered as part of an appeal?

I assume for appeal it would just be based on the entry criteria, so as the OP said maybe on distance or whatever the entrance criteria actually is? Whilst I understand fully why the OP wants her child to go to a different school the best chance surely is of process has not been followed, and that can be shown.

Waiting list 2 sounds like a very good chance of getting in OP.

CornishGem1975 · 01/03/2022 10:59

We accepted the place we were offered and waited it out on the waiting list. We were No 18 and were offered a place within 3 weeks. My friend was No 67 and also got a place at the start of July. Do you know where you are on the list? I wouldn't have bothered with an appeal because I don't think we had a valid case and I know that it's really rare to get in on appeal at our school.

PanelChair · 01/03/2022 11:18

The appeal goes beyond checking whether the admissions criteria were correctly applied. It considers the balance of “prejudice” (detriment), that is whether the disadvantage to the child in not attending the school outweighs the disadvantage to the school in having to accommodate an additional pupil. So that can encompass health and medical needs, curriculum coverage, pastoral care, co-curricular activities and so on. It won’t encompass things like academic standards or Ofsted rankings or friendship issues (unless these relate to health and medical needs).

prh47bridge · 01/03/2022 11:52

@LondonHOPDad

Are those things considered as part of an appeal?

I assume for appeal it would just be based on the entry criteria, so as the OP said maybe on distance or whatever the entrance criteria actually is? Whilst I understand fully why the OP wants her child to go to a different school the best chance surely is of process has not been followed, and that can be shown.

Waiting list 2 sounds like a very good chance of getting in OP.

Your assumption is wrong Smile

Unless the appellant is alleging that a mistake has been made, the admission criteria are not relevant to the appeal. The appellant can win by showing that the disadvantage to their child from not being admitted outweighs any problems the school will face through having to cope with an additional pupil. Appeals are, in large part, about giving places to pupils who really need this school but don't qualify under the admission criteria.

CornishGem1975 · 01/03/2022 11:57

The reason most appeals fail is that people appealing don't have a genuine need for that particular school. Mostly it's because they want it. I've already seen lots of examples of that on FB today. "We didn't get our first choice, we're going to appeal".

LondonHOPDad · 01/03/2022 12:10

It won't be the first or last time!

Thanks, that's interesting to know, and hopefully will work for the OP in this case.

Original poster
Createdjustforthis · 01/03/2022 14:12

We applied for 3, the nearest, the sister school to the nearest and our catchment school. His bullies are all going to the catchment school where he was also offered a place. I’m hopeful that waiting it out a week or so may get us a place regardless as he’s only second on the waiting list but otherwise will appeal on the grounds of fresh start away from his peer group, the school he’d like to go to offering a gcse in a subject no other school offers (ancient history, his teacher has agreed to write a supporting letter talking of his special interest in the ancient world) and on the basis of distance allowing for independent travel.

OP posts:
Original poster
Createdjustforthis · 01/03/2022 14:14

Also, we’re not choosing a ‘better’ school, results wise it’s worse than the one he’s offered a place at although they’re both outstanding rated, we’re purely looking for a fresh start for him at a school which specialises in history.

OP posts:
CornishGem1975 · 01/03/2022 14:34

Oh if you're 2nd on the list, he'll be in no bother. Just wait it out. People will start dropping out to take private school places etc, there's always a decent shuffle in the next few weeks.

Original poster
Createdjustforthis · 01/03/2022 14:42

@prh47bridge, thank you for that. You’ve really helped get my thoughts in order.

OP posts:
NeverDropYourMooncup · 01/03/2022 17:56

Seond on the list? Chances are you'll have an offer by the end of the week.

prh47bridge · 01/03/2022 18:19

Hadn't spotted that you are second on the list. I agree with the previous poster that you almost certainly won't need to appeal, but it would do no harm to start the process anyway.

Teenylittlefella · 01/03/2022 23:20

Just to say, we were third on list of 1st preference school and never got a place off waiting list. In fact a few days before the tribunal we had dropped to 12th, presumably because people living nearer who changed their preference automatically jumped up above us on distance criteria. We had to go to appeal, heard mid May. We won, luckily, one of two successful appeals at the school. Loads of people said we didn't need to register an appeal but it was a bloody good job that I did.

boyblue · 01/03/2022 23:54

@CornishGem1975

Oh if you're 2nd on the list, he'll be in no bother. Just wait it out. People will start dropping out to take private school places etc, there's always a decent shuffle in the next few weeks.
I agree with this. Hopefully you'll be fine
prh47bridge · 02/03/2022 00:03

As Teenylittlefella says, being second or third on the waiting list is no guarantee. Late applicants can go ahead of you. I would always appeal. If you win, you get a place. If you lose, you are no worse off than if you hadn't appealed.