Secondary School Appeal

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Hi

I wondered if anyone can give me advice, we are due to move to a new area to be closer to family and have applied to all local schools for my yr8 son but out of the 6 we have applied for 5 so far have been rejected as they are over subscribed.

I have started the appeals process for our first 2 choices on the grounds my son suffers from Ulcerative Colitis needs to be able to access toilets at all times, as well as being near to family support which is the entire reason we are moving the 30 miles to be nearer. I didn't realise how involved this process is and I'm completely lost.

I haven't appealed on medicals grounds as we dont have a EHP we have not ever felt the need to have one the school he attends knows he suffers and we work around it, he carries a card to allow him free access to toilets etc and we get work sent home for prolonged illness. I have filled in the first form. I have just stated his needs and how it effects him physically and emotionally for the 2 schools that are within walking distance from our new home.

I have his initial diagnosis letter stating Severe Ulcerative Colitis which I uploaded, I have requested help from his consultant team but have had no response - he doesn't ever visit the doctor for this reason we always go straight to the hospital.

I am assuming without back up evidence and consultants letter stating he needs to go to this particular school i don't stand a chance.

I have haven't got a clue about PAN numbers etc or what questions I need to ask, what questions I will be asked.

Hi op, sorry you are having this issue and sorry your son has to deal with this illness.

There are lots of lovely helpful experts in appeals on this board and I am sure some will post here.

The key thing is, as I understand it, that you need to show that the detriment to your son if not going to school x is greater than the detriment to the school of him being added when they are full. If I am honest, I would imagine that any school would be able to support him with his illness, offering a toilet pass etc.

What are the reasons relating to the illness that he needs to go to the appeal school? That’s what needs to be the focus - along with any other aspects the school offers - is he musical? Does the school have an orchestra? Does it offer the language he already studied? A science club or any other extra curricular relating to his interests? It’s helpful if these can be backed up with some kibd of evidence. Best of luck.

Thanks for the reply.

It's more than just needing a toilet pass which as you say can be used in any school, I have a lot of points regarding his condition and how it effects him physically and mentally and in my view validates his need to be in a local school and why its not appropriate for him to spend over a hour on 2 buses to get to school he's been offered - I'm just now feeling very unsure of if they are actually going to take my views of my child's needs into account without having a bunch of letters to back up these views, without this am I delusional that it's going to be considered?

A letter from your son's consultant, his GP or some other medical expert setting out why your son needs to go to a school close to home will help. Without that it will be harder to win your appeal but not impossible. You have the diagnosis and, even without expert evidence, you can talk about how it affects your son and why you believe it means he needs a school close to home.

You should also look for other things that are present in the appeal school that are missing from the offered school that are particularly relevant to your son. This could be subjects, extracurricular activities, facilities, pastoral care, etc. These all help to strengthen your case.

PAN (Published Admission Number) is the number of children admitted to Y7 each year. You will find that on the council's website in the information on admissions.

You should ask the school for its calculated net capacity. If they are below capacity even though they are full in Y8 that will help. You should also ask if they've been over PAN in previous years. These are all things you should ask before the hearing.

I wouldn't worry about questions you should ask during the hearing until you've received the case to refuse admission. You should then look for weaknesses and use your questions to highlight them. If you are unsure, tell us what the school's case says and you will get help on here.

As for questions you will be asked, I gave up predicting that many years ago. I've come across some really surprising questions from panels. However, the school's representative is likely to user their questions to try and highlight any weaknesses in your case. The panel will want to clarify anything they are unsure about and explore the strengths and weaknesses of your case.

Have you asked the schools where your son is on their waiting lists?

We moved areas and waited a month for a place, he was just about to start a school a bus ride away when the local school had a place become available. There is always movement.

Thank you I will get this info - I had no idea I would need to provide these details. I believe the schools are massively oversubscribed and lady on the phone said to not get my hopes up as some of the waiting lists are 3 digits long, we would be within 10mins walk so hopefully that would count in our favour of being somewhere near to the top but she said that's not always the case.

For us it's not about musical instruments etc it's more things like actually getting him to attend school, on days he's not 100% there's a huge anxiety about making it through the day - there's avoidance on going to school these days his attendance will be effected there's no way he'd get on 2 buses by himself, having colitis affects his confidence massively and when you feel unwell and uncomfortable for a large proportion of your day it's a struggle

You don't need to tell the appeal panel where your son is on the waiting list. That is purely for your information. The items I've suggested are again not things you need to provide, but the answers may help you make your case.

I appreciate that your son's illness is the most important issue but don't neglect the other stuff. It all helps to strengthen your case.

Ive never known anyone win an appeal in an oversubscribed school

Every single appeal is for an oversubscribed school. If the school is not full, there is no need for an appeal - the child must be admitted. Over 20% of appeals for secondary schools are successful.

Are you a member of Crohns and Colitis UK? In the absence of a consultants letter they may be a he to help you.
Good luck OP. My sister has Crohns and it’s vey hard for her. Even short journeys are extremely difficult for her. She needs to know the whereabouts of all the toilets en route. Public transport is pretty much impossible for her due to the need to have immediate access to toilets. She would never catch a bus. Obviously that’s not the case for all but I think it’s a good reason for your son to have a local, walkable school.

crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/

Thank you, yes we are a member I will reach out to see if they can help. My son sounds the same as your sister, I think unless you know someone or have this yourself it's very hard to put across how much it effects your entire life, it's hard to get on with what's perceived as perfectly normal things without it taking over every aspect of your life ❤

I had to appeal in similar situation (no ehcp as although has medical conditions and asd we managed with care plans and some flexibility on all sides).
I got no help from the consultant but got letters from dietian and specialist nurse both stating that in their opinion the school was the best option for dc and lots of detail why.
The only issue then was because we'd layed it all out in detail the staff panicked when they were told to take dc and I had to have several meetings to reassure them they'd manage and got the school nurse and specialist nurse to visit to. It delayed dc starting but it was worth it.
I was told I'd got to prove the benefit to dc outweighed the negative effects on the school of having another child in the year group. Good luck.

Secondary school appeal !!!
i have 3 children in 3 different schools and baby in nusery ….I have made a appeal on medical grounds to move my child to the same school as her brother along with lots of other contributing factors such as financial impact bullying her younger brother is in primary with a ehcp I am caring for them both it’s vital they are close by as both have disabilities although my daughter is in process of ehcp…i have gone through the appeal just looking for a bit of support from anyone that has been successful or has knowledge of appeals the wait for a decision is more stressful than the appeal itself 😩

Sorry I thought I was creating a new thread 😂

I'm a secondary school teacher.

When a school is oversubscribed means that there is not physical space for the child.

Really, we can't fit more tables in our classrooms.

At one point cleaners couldn't clean my room because the hoover (Henry) was too big as they tried to fit an extra child.

I can't circulate around the tables because there is not enough space.

Seriously, it's this bad!!!

I'm very sorry that you are going through this and I hope you find a nice school soon.

Hi, do as much as you can to strengthen medical grounds and be clear about why he can’t travel by bus. The specialist and hospital would be sending a report to your gp when he visits them so book in an appointment with your gp to talk through the condition and for them to write a letter; you may need to pay for the letter.

talk to the new authority about applying for and EHCP.

Good luck

Thank you everyone..

It's just such a shame we have to fight so hard for things like local school places even gathering the evidence from doctors etc feels impossible as you can't access the services.

I will do all that's been suggested, really appreciate the advice.

It really doesn't. A school's admission number is based on its net capacity which, in turn, is based on the space available. For a standard classroom, 55 sqm is required for 30 pupils. Many specialist subjects require larger classrooms. If your classroom is really that crowded, it suggests that PAN has been set much higher than indicated by the net capacity calculation.

Are you a teacher? Do you work in a school?

I have been in many schools that have been oversubscribed and full to PAN. I have never come across one as crowded as you say yours is. Is I say, the current standard is 55 sqm for 30 pupils. I am aware there are some schools that work to the older standard, but even that would not be as crowded as you say unless the school is going well over PAN or has set PAN higher than indicated by net capacity. I am not saying you are wrong about your school, but the idea that a school that is full to PAN does not have the physical space to accommodate any more pupils is wrong for the vast majority of schools.

OP you should have been copied previous clinic letters from when your son has seen the consultant previously and when he was diagnosed. You need a letter which states his diagnosis, if it describes symptoms that would be a bonus. If you don't have copies yourself then these letters will usually have been copied to your child's GP. As you have moved GP the letters will take a little while to come through but essentially you can request copies of consultants letters from the GP, this should be quicker than requesting they write a new letter.

Thank you, I've managed to contact CIRCA who is a charity for IBS suffers they have sent some useful information and requested a letter from the doctors.
I have all of his consultant letters as I've always had copies sent to me so hopefully they will all suffice.

I just wanted to thank those that gave positive advice and give an update to the outcome of both of my appeals. I absolutely gave it my best shot.
I found the panel to be absolutely lovely, very kind and helpful with their questions as it actually strengthened my case, one of the schools the lady was horrible but I smiled and was polite back, feel this actually went in my favour.
We won a place at both appeals ❤

Well done

That is great news :-)