Bullied and no spaces in other schools - WWYD?

[ChristopherTracy]

So DD it turns out is being bullied and is very unhappy. I was thinking if things didnt improve we would have to move her and fast as Year 10 starts in September. BUT all the areas schools are full.

The local lovely indie is also full. In this situation therefore even if the bullying gets worse we would have to stay or home school right?

BTW so as not to drip feed. School have investigated and are punishing those involved next term - it isn't a made up thing in DDs head.

Let's hope this is solved and everything is ok for next term. If things get worse, I believe local authority has the responsibility to find her a school place in other state school even the school is full.

Thanks - I will check in with the local authority

Sorry to hear that. Maybe make a polite nuisance of yourself? A friend kept ringing the school she rang just as another family left and her Dd got in.

appeal - all of our schools are full in Y9 - we have to find space for unplaced children so children will end up never reading the top of the waiting list. Appeals panels are very sypathetic to these types of appeals;.

reaching the top of the waiting list.

I would apply for other schools and appeal. Keep any correspondence with the school and local authority. You are more likely to win an appeal the more unreasonable they are.

I can’t say I have seen an appeal on those exact grounds in the many years I’ve been a panellist and Chair. We have however allowed appeals where the LA were being totally useless leaving kids without a place and messing families about.

You can’t make DD go to school - she can refuse and you tell the school she is refusing, you as a parent have to know she is safe there, can they guarantee that? We had a 5 week break and attempted to homeschool, there are lots of online resources/tutors even, school didn’t even question but then they were too busy trying to sweep the bullying incidents under the carpet. Have you actually applied to the schools which are full - do you know where you are on the waiting list ? This was the start when we moved DD year 9 due to bullying last November. If the school is full you can then appeal on the grounds she is being bullied/not safe/mental well being etc. We didn’t get to do this as we went to view a school just out of area that had space, we went with an open mind as ofsted dated 2018 wasn’t great, but I had heard good things about it in recent times, anyway loved the school, DD thriving, academically and socially. I’m sorry to hear your DD is being bullied, it really is a most traumatic time as a child and for the parents trying to support, even to this day my DD gets anxious going around our local area in case she bumps into one of the bullies, I could wring their necks for what they have done and I hope when they are older they feel immense guilt when they reflect back on their school years and the trauma they have caused my DD and other DC. Moving schools was the best decision for us, year 9’s are brutal, I’m told they mature/settle down in year 10 but we couldn’t hang around to find out and DD’s bullying started in year 7 so we’d had enough.

We were in a similar situation last year but we went on the waiting list for a private school in June and got a call a week before the start of term offering us a place for her to start Y9 .

Look for indies further out? There must be others.

Until a solution is found homeschool. I’d not be sending my DD back into the lions den.

@ChristopherTracy I don't know anything about the procedures so can't be any help. But I wanted to send my best wishes to your daughter who's gone through a horrible ordeal. I hope that she finds a place where she is safe and happy. x

Put in an in year application to your local authority for any of the schools where they manage the admissions. Check whether any of the schools manage their own admissions. The new admissions code came into effect in September and there are only limited grounds they can refuse a place. If they do refuse all of your preferences on the in year application, it gives you a right of appeal. It also automatically places your daughter on those schools waiting list. Worth noting that PAN only applies to Year 7 now and the schools have to prove that admitting your daughter would prejudice other pupils education. Appeals are costly to schools so they try to avoid them.

Thanks all, this has been tremendously unhelpful. Thanks as well @LetitiaLeghorn that made me a bit emotional.

We may have an iron in the fire now for a Sept start now in year 10 but yes there is still a term to get through. DD tells me that she doesnt expect to be happy there now but she just wants not to feel constantly shit.

argh HELPFUL. its been HELPFUL. Fucks sake...

ChristopherTracy the local authority have 15 days to process the application, so well worth making one as she could then potentially move as soon as May half term.