How a secondary school appeal is granted

[seasideview90]

Hi,

Can anyone give any examples of how they were granted a secondary school
place during an appeals process?

Or if you have been on an independent panel, what reasons have you given to grant a place?

Are you looking for ideas for your own appeal OP? If so you’d be much better posting your circumstances, there are some great appeals experts on this board and I’m sure they’ll be more help than trying to reuse appeal reasons from others.

Upper primary (which is same rules as Secondary)... the in year application process was not followed correctly by the school and council, and the board felt it cost DD a place.

We found out about it at appeal meeting... we had no idea before then.

OP. Not an expert. This is what I have gleaned over the years.

if it is purely about wanting a place rather than error, then you need to identify reasons why not going to your preferred school would disadvantage your DC more than it would disadvantage the school by taking them.

You can't use Ofsted rating or GCSE results.

You can use things like your DC plays clarinet and preferred school has orchestra whereas offered school doesn't. Similar sports, drama, latin, chess. But you need to show why your child specifically benefits.

Specific pastoral care / learning needs such as school running a 'social skills' program and your DC has documented social issues.

Friends not generally relevant unless there is an unusual high level of need.

Accept the place at the offered school, unless going private or home education are realistic options. Alongside this, put DC's name onto waiting lists of any school you'd prefer to the one you are offered.
Doing these things doesn’t affect your appeal but does mean your DC won’t be without a school place in September.

Remember throughout the process that you are appealing FOR the school you want, not AGAINST the school you were offered.

At secondary level, admissions appeals are about the balance of what they call prejudice (ie disadvantage). You have to show that the prejudice/disadvantage to your child if not given a place outweighs the prejudice/disadvantage to the school and the pupils already in it in increasing pupil numbers. The best way to do this is usually to show that there’s something about the school which particularly suits your child, (say) they play the cello and this is the only local school with an orchestra.

The arguments will be different in every appeal. Much also depends on how strong the school’s case is for not admitting. If the school is demonstrably above its published admissions number in other year groups, the panel might conclude that it protests too much if it says it can’t go above PAN in this child’s case.