Secondary School Appeals

[Dacadactyl]

Hi

Can anyone offer advice as to how to go about putting together a successful secondary school appeal, please?

I have read that you have to appeal FOR the school you want, rather than against the one you don't, but I'm not sure what that actually looks like when they both offer the same sort of subjects.

Thanks for any tips.

(p.s. MNHQ tagged by mistake. Unable to delete it)

Agree that starting your own thread would be better. You may get people responding to the OP, not realising that this is an old thread.

You need to contact your LA. They must find a place for your daughter somewhere. If there are no places available at any school within a reasonable distance from home, they can get a local school to admit your daughter even though they are full. Note, however, that a reasonable distance is defined as up to 75 minutes journey each way.

With respect to an appeal, you need to show that the disadvantage to your daughter from not being admitted outweighs any problems the school will face if they have to cope with an additional pupil. That shouldn't be too difficult if your daughter doesn't have a place anywhere, but it is more difficult if the LA comes up with an offer. You need to show what this school offers your daughter that is particularly relevant to her and is not available at the allocated school. If, for example, your daughter is musically talented and the school offers more extra-curricular musical activities than the allocated school, that is the kind of thing that can help.