No secondary school place!!

[Louloubennie51]

We moved to a new area in March 2022, my daughter was in year 6 and finished her primary education at a new school where she made friends.

When we arrived she went onto the waiting list for the local secondary school at number 6. I was quite confident she would get a place as it is a large school and we had quite a long time to go.

It was obviously hard for my daughter to move in year 6 but she has coped really well, especially as she has a stammer, which affects her confidence with new people.

Unfortunately she has not yet got a place. To make things worse, she has dropped down from number 3 to 4 on the list today! We were hoping for last minute movement when the staff returned from summer break but it is now to late for her to start with everyone else and I am worried that she might not get a place at all. She is devastated and I feel I have let her down.

We turned down a place at another school as she has her heart set on going where her new friends are and doesn't want to completely start over again. We also have an appeal hearing for the end of September.

I suppose I am just looking for any tips, similar experience etc as I am feeling terrible at the moment! My daughter has had issues with illness as well this year and I just feel like she needs a break!

Turning down a school was a bad idea, it means the LEA is no longer obligated to provide you with a school place I believe.
Hopefully some kids won’t take their place but it’s unlikely 4 will drop out any time soon

I wish local authorities advised parents better about this issue. You should always accept a place as it doesn’t affect your position on the waiting list for another school, as this is determined by other criteria. Is there any possibility you can still get a place at that school?

Reapply to any acceptable school. A place at a less preferred school is better than no place at all unless you think you can do home ed.

Wait two weeks sending her to whatever school has space. If someone doesn't turn up they will take a week or two to try to get in touch and establish if that pupil is ever coming. If not, then it's possible that #1,#2&#3 on the list will all feel they don't want to transfer in after 2 weeks and will decline. Your dd will have the advantage of already having friends there.

Hi all, forgot to add that my daughter is very able and advanced with her learning, and our plan is to homeschool until she gets her place. I am worried that I made a mistake in turning the place down, but I think she will be prioritised by at appeal if she has no school. I haven't heard that the LEA no longer has to find her a school if we turned a place down - need to look into that more!

Having opted to HE and turning down a place will not positively influence an Appeals Panel or bring a hearing forwards. When you get your appeal you may need to have arguments stronger than short term friendships.

Having refused a school place will not carry any weight at appeal. It can backfire as some panels feel 'blackmailed'. I chair a lot of appeals and the appeal is For the school you are appealing for. We would check that the LA has fulfilled their duty by offering you a school place which is reasonable. The definition of reasonable is much wider than parent's anticipate. What you have done with that offer is a matter for you.

Sit tight. There is always movement. Badger the school you want weekly once term starts to say you are still interested in sending your child there

I am worried that I made a mistake in turning the place down, but I think she will be prioritised by at appeal if she has no school.

wrong

Yes, unfortunately you are wrong here.
It won’t help your appeal either

You took a huge risk with your daughters education and now… schools back on Monday? She is in the position of having no school and none on the horizon.

Sp you’ll have to home school and tightly cross your fingers.

Do you work? Will you be able to home school?

I really would not bank on movement or appeals. Dd was no 4 on the list for 5 years and never got a place at her preferred school. They rang us every sept and asked if we still wanted to remain on the list and I always said yes. We had accepted a different school so at least she had a place.

You “hoped” turning down a school place would put you on a stronger position.

Seriously op

Sorry op but you've fucked up here.

I’d be ringing that other school up and hoping there is still a place!

Agree with PP that parents should be properly advised about the admissions process.

You should not have turned down the place, any place is better than no place which is where you are now, the LEA has discharged their duty to find your DD a school place and they have no obligation to get you another one.

That said, are there other local schools you would be prepared to send your DD to? You can be on the waiting list for other schools too, you don't have to rely on the appeal to come through.

I would call central admissions and see what they suggest - I don't know whether you would need to apply direct to the school now or whether it still counts as part of the Y7 admissions process.

I would call all local high schools in the area and accept any place.

Making high school friends is so important in those first couple of weeks, hope your DD is resilient As it's quiet likely when she does get to school she will be isolated and find it much harder than primary to make friends. If at all possible I'd email the school that offered you a place over the weekend and try and get her in there on Monday at least.

Having friends in a school isn't reason enough to get an appeal.

The more I read this, the crosser I get on behalf of your daughter.

and as for an appeal based on fact she has friends (friends that she made all of 4 months before the end of the school year after having to start a new school at the end of year 6) at the school - not a chance.

can I ask op - why did you move?

I would get her on every waiting list in the area. Any school is better than none if she has recently moved. Friendships will be really important.

I hope you don't live where I am - we are literally oversubscribed for Year 7 as we agreed to take a bulge class, then more children got in through appeals and EHCPs. If you were 4th on our list, you'd actually be 10th as we are so over numbers!

Calling the schools wont do any good (unless perhaps they have no waiting list?) as they have to follow. Their admissions rule for waiting lists, not just offer them to someone who calls.

I would really try and get her into a school as close to the start of school term as possible. Those friends she made in March will be making new friendship groups so there's no guarantee they'll be a friendship group by the time she might get to the top of the waiting list.

I agree about not banking on waiting lists. Ds2 wasn’t happy about his school in year 7 so I put him on the waiting list for a nearby school. He was number 2 at that point. He never got in. We know a couple of people who got in and jumped over him due to the admissions criteria. It wasn’t a problem as he settled in eventually.

I’m going to take a punt op

you moved for a man?

What a disaster.

You clearly don't have a good understanding of how this process works and I would say it's imperative that you start reading up on it so you don't mess up your appeal like you have your application.

My dc moved to the UK from abroad and one of them ended up with actually no school place at all. She wasn't allocated one rather than we turned one down.

I still had to put forward a good appeal. I couldn't just say "let me in! She has nowhere to go!'