Grounds - Appealing year 8 transfer

[mamnotmum]

Can you appeal for a place in a school that is full for an in year transfer in year 8?

If so what grounds would be favourable?

My DD is in Year 8 and so very unhappy. She's very academic and well behaved and is HATING school - it's outstanding by a 10 year old ofsted but so many changes in SLT and so many teachers have left that standards are terrible.

Nearly every lesson is disrupted by awful (and often dangerous) behaviour, I've tried having conversations with teachers numerous times and also lodged a complaint.

We've now made the decision to try and move her to another school but have been told it is full (we are on their waiting list). The school we want to move her to is her closest school, it's much smaller and I've spoken to parents, teachers and pupils from the school who paint a good picture.

Sunday night and my daughter is in tears at the thought of school and I really want to find a way forward - can I appeal at this stage? What might be grounds for appeal?

Thanks x

You need to compare the schools, look at every thing that is advantageous about your preferred school, and relate that to your DD and how she would benefit.

Don't look at negatives of your current school - the appeal panel can't agree with you that it's 'bad'.

Look at subjects offered, pastoral care, clubs, benefits of being local, etc.

Thank you. That's really helpful!

It's so hard not to compare because they obviously realise we picked the other school initially (hindsight is a wonderful thing) but I see what you mean - I'll start researching what the other school does that her current one does not! X

The school or admissions authority is saying that it would harm the current students and any student joining to have another place (prejudice). Things like the physical space, safety in certain areas such as science and resources. You need to either show there is no prejudice (difficult) or that your daughter’s needs outweigh that harm. Just being in a bad school now is not enough.

As PP says what are the particular things in this school. It will be hard as the admissions authority may say things like the pastoral care is good but will be spread too thin by another person.

Thanks. I know it's going to be tough but I'm keen to try and then at least I know I've done everything I can. I don't want to negatively affect others but the current school is causing so much upset. I suspect the waiting list for this school is made up of people trying to get their children out of my daughters school!

The waiting list is irrelevant to appeals, so don't worry about that.

Just as some ideas to focus on in your appeal:

1. Any subjects this school offers which the other doesn't, which your daughter would like to take at GCSE.

2. How being local to the school would benefit her, over and above the average child.

3. How being in a smaller school would benefit her, over and above the average child.

4. Do they offer any extracurriculars which would benefit your daughter specifically that her current school doesn't offer?

5. Do they offer pastoral care that your daughter would specifically benefit from?

There may be other grounds you could use too, but it has to be about your daughter, rather than just explaining why the new school would be better for any child. Do you know your position on the waiting list?

The issue may be that a smaller school may have less GCSE/extra curricular options, which then makes it harder to build a case.

Any appeal will be decided on the balance of prejudice (ie disadvantage). The panel has to decide whether the prejudice to your child in not having a place outweighs the prejudice to the school and the pupils already in it in having to cater for an additional pupil. As others have said, that means you can highlight anything about the school that will be particularly beneficial to your child, whether that’s in the curriculum, extra-curricular activities, pastoral support or anything else.

I really have to take exception to this much touted advice. Yes you are appealing ‘for’ a school not ‘against’ one but telling people they can’t talk honestly about why they want to escape their current school is wrong imo.

The whole point of their appeal is that the current school is rubbish not because of excurricula activities at the new one! Why would you waste your breath on that? The panel would see straight through it. People can say anything they like and that includes why they’ve made the decision to leave. Painting a picture on how bad it is might actually impress upon the panel the need for the move. I have certainly seen appeal panels swayed by genuine passionate appeals from parents whose children are not thriving where they are.

Yes, op mention everything positive about the new school but don’t let this often trotted out advice mean that you don’t speak honestly about the problems you’re currently experiencing and how unhappy your dd is.

This advice is “touted” because it comes from knowing and understanding the appeals code, which governs what appeal panels can and can’t do.

Of course, parents can say whatever they like, but the panel can only attach weight to things relating to the balance of prejudice I and others have mentioned. The appeal is an appeal for the preferred school, not a plea against attending the current school, so arguments have to be presented accordingly. Panels can’t say (in effect) “ that school sounds awful, where would you like to go instead?” but they can conclude that the child needs a place at the preferred school more than the school needs to stick to its published admissions number.

OP has to show why her daughter should get a place at the school she wants though. If the other school is that bad, then the feeling may be that OP should take any school place available. As it's not the closest school, there may be other, undersubscribed schools, a similar distance away.

It might be different if e.g. the reason for leaving was bullying, and having links to the local community was now important?

BTW OP, another thing you can try is to find out the PAN for the new school, and if they have ever exceeded it, and by how much, and how many children are currently in the year group- I believe this would be done by SAR?

Having sat on appeals panels, I respectfully disagree. The best way of enabling the panel to award a place is to show, positively, why the school is best for your child. 'She hates Spanish' is not as powerful as 'Appeal school offers German and DD has been learning German in her spare time'.

'They don't care about the kids' isn't as powerful as 'Appeal school has a strong pastoral programme and as DD has been bullied at school, she would really benefit from it.'

If the current school is as bad as you say, the preferred school will be well practiced at defending appeals from there. Although you shouldn't dwell on its negative festures, you can talk about how unhappy your child is there and how she needs a fresh start. It would help if you could back that up with a letter from a professional, such as a GP. But as others said, that's only half the battle - why this school and not another? Remember that one extra child will make class sizes bigger for everyone else, so your reasons have to outweigh that.

One thing worth checking via strategic Googling is whether any of the panellists have a connection with the school you want to leave. I'm mentioning this because, as a school presenting officer, I have found it surprisingly common for ex-governors of schools to turn up on appeals panels when they have a connection to the school that the parent is trying to avoid. There are rules about them not being on the panel if they have a connection to the school you're appealing for but not if they have a connection to the school you're trying to escape from. Neverthless, you would have reasonable grounds to object to them being on the panel.

Thanks everyone.

She's currently 4th on the waiting list and I've submitted the appeal today.

I've just put in as much info as I possibly can. I have explained the issues at current school and why I think things would be better at preferred school. But I've also included aspects of preferred school that aren't offered at current school, also mentioning distance and a medical condition I think would be better managed in a small school.

I've tried to quote their policies and ofsted report to demonstrate I am informed on the school.

At least I know I've tried my best. Reading the appeals process I should hear something back by 3 April and then I'll be invited to an appeals hearing. Sounds like it is all going to take some time

I agree with the others who have responded to this. The advice is "much touted" because it is true. Talking about how bad the current school is will not help and, worse, may be counterproductive. The appeal panel must be independent from the school for which you are appealing, but it may include someone with links to the child's current school. They may not be too happy to hear a parent rubbishing the school.

The only situation where I would say it is ok to talk negatively about the current school is where the pupil is being bullied and the school has failed to take effective action to stop it. In all other circumstances, frame things as positives for the appeals school rather than negatives for the current school. Lougle's post gives a couple of good examples of the approach.

In the hearing, don't refer to distance in terms of ease of getting there, convenience, etc. The panel can't take that into account. Instead, if you need to discuss distance, refer to the social benefits of being in a local school or, if relevant, the impact on her medical condition.