In Preparation for Appeal Panel Day

[Hye000]

So… like the title states… im attempting to mentally prepare myself for the day of the appeal. Im just wondering (& hoping im not the only one). Do you go in (Teams or face to face) with a written script maybe summarising what you have already said in your written appeal?? Is that what previous people have done?? Or do parents just wait for any questions posed to them from the presenting officer or panel and answer those. Are we expected to re-iterate what we already said… I just don’t know what’s expected and don’t want to end up being flustered if I’m expected to have a long speech prepared and end up in a tizz!!! 🫠 Send help!! 🤦🏽‍♀️

if any of this makes sense and anyone has experience or similar worries please

Cleo, that is poor advice. To say eg ‘x school offers German club, which is our family language, and out child can no longer attend the German club they have been attending through primary, while y school dies not’ is EXACTLY the right approach to take. As would be ‘my child plays an orchestral instrument to grade 7 and is looking fir a career in music, also playing in groups at weekends, and x school has an orchestra and offers Music to A level while y doesn’t’

What us NOT the correct approach is to say eg ‘my child us clever and well behaved so she should go to x school because the results and behaviour are better’ or worse ‘I don’y want my child to go to y because their results are poor’.

Arguments about clubs are not strong on their own BUT if the prejudice to the school by admitting 1 extra is small, then a weak argument can win an appeal.

They have increased the numbers previously. When I asked about PAN all the years up to Year 10 are at PAN year 11 is less as that was before they increased the PAN. Last year one appeal was overturned yet the number of PAN is still the same so I assume someone must have left or didn’t turn up and they didn’t offer it out to the waiting list??

I’m saying preference but that’s not what I said in my letter… it’s just a word I have used here.

If they go over PAN to admit from appeal, that doesn’t increase PAN and they don’t have to offer to the waiting list until they go back under PAN again,

When is the appeal op?

Do you mind me asking what her medical needs were?? I won’t be offended if that’s a no. Just wondering if they are similar so I am prepared as like you say, us as parents feel that our own child’s needs are cast iron but maybe not to the panel. Did you have to give a statement at the beginning and also did you have any professional letters of back up to the medical need??

Mid May x

So I’m guessing last year someone didn’t turn up or left part way through the year as although one appeal was won, they are still at PAN

Have you got aback plan in place? Ie will your dd go to her allocated school?

It might be worth consulting @prh47bridge and @PanelChair as they have significant expertise in this area and will be able to give you definitive and reliable advice.

The basis of my appeal is not the extra curricular activities, they were merely added reasons that made that school more able to meet her needs than if we were to compare it to others. The biggest reason is the medical need but from advice on here we also stated all the extra things that the school were able to offer that the allocated school and any other school did not

Sadly not as my DD as already said she would not attend another school. That is not her trying to be defiant or blackmail. She is very academic and loves primary school, this is due to a large number of reasons. She is not the type of kid to say something like that which is what worries me as we have no other viable options

Does your daughter have a ECHP?

EHCP

What is her medical condition OP? It hinges on that because you are appealing on medical grounds, correct?

All please ignore the advice if @Cleoforever . She is very confidently providing the wrong info

@cleo I thought you said you were going to bow out?

@Hye000 clubs and activities will help support the argument. As you said by stating which ones the school you have to say that the other school doesn’t. No need to be rude - just be very matter of fact about it

No, not at the moment but that seems to be the deciding factor as when I called the admissions officer to ask if her medical need was looked at or taken into account as the letter gives no indication. The first thing she said to me was “has she got an EHCP?” As soon as I said no her attitude seemed like, well it can’t be that bad then. DD’s medical professional said that that shouldn’t be just the case and that not all medical issues are just written off because you don’t have an EHCP, I have previously mentioned it but it’s never been pursued and right now it’s too late and not the right time but it’s something she may need in the future. Her health prof has said she would attend the appeal in support even though she has already submitted another letter for the appeal.

Thank you. I am merely trying to make the balance of the argument in my daughters favour as strong as possible as the extra curricular activities will have a huge impact on her medical condition and I have a professional who backs that up. The activities aren’t just a nice idea of the school, it’s looking at the whole picture together which I feel is what the LA didn’t do

Did your primary ever suggest a EHCP be pursued?

Anxiety, in particular around school. She had become a school refuser in yr 1, withdrawn and home educated until yr 4.

The anxiety saw her become a nigh on mute, and regress in other ways too. We, and the GP, and the school nurse etc felt that being separated from her very close peer group (single form entry, all bar one else going to the same school) and to a school that she knew nothing about would be detrimental. This was backed up by the local home ed officer from the council who knew her well. We had letters from all of the above.

As it turns out, the school that she has gone to (not as highly rated/sought after) has been fantastic at managing and supporting her, and we came away from the appeal process firmly of the opinion that our originally desired school would not be sympathetic towards her needs. Stories that we have heard since have backed up this feeling.

With the greatest of respect, I would argue that unless you are literally talking threat to life or whatever, your 10/11 year old child should not be dictating on this. When we found out about the allocation originally we were very careful to remain upbeat about the shock school, all the while going through the appeal process behind the scenes. At no time would we have let her have the opinion that the proposed school was not to be desired etc

I’ve been trying to take a break from appeal threads, but some of the ‘advice’ here is so inaccurate that I’ve got to say something.

Appeals at secondary level are not just about whether the correct procedure has been followed. They can consider medical and social needs and they can consider extra-curricular provision. But the key in each instance is to demonstrate that the child has an identifiable need and that the preferred school can meet that need in a way the allocated school can’t. The bar here is quite high, in that the panel has to be persuaded that the prejudice (detriment) to the child if they’re not admitted outweighs the prejudice to the school in having to accommodate an extra pupil.

In the case of social-medical need it’s not enough to show that the child has a certain need, because the school will argue (and the panel will probably agree) that all schools cater for and support a diverse range of needs. The parent therefore needs to show that the preferred school can offer something the allocated school can’t, and needs to provide evidence from a medical professional to say that in their professional opinion the child will be disadvantaged if they’re not admitted.

Similarly, in the case of extra-curricular provision, it’s about providing evidence that the child needs something that’s not on offer in the allocated school. There’s something here too about credibility. Parents who’ve gone through the school prospectus and seen that this is (say) the only school offering trombone lessons might try arguing that their child is desperate to learn the trombone and so will be disadvantaged if they don’t get a place, but this will be more credible if they can show how their child is currently involved in music.

Op have you checked out the medical needs legislation (section 100 of children and families act 2014)?

There is a document called 'supporting students at school with medical conditions'. It may help you to structure some of your arguments.

What is your dc's medical condition and has it been diagnosed by the relevant professional?

Thanks PanelChair, and apologies for adding to your already extensive and completely voluntary workload supporting appeals threads on here.

Agree with PanelChair. And please don't listen to the disinformation on this thread, particularly from CleoForever who, as another poster said, is confidently providing incorrect information.

Extra curricular can be used as a factor. My dd was allocated a school out of area with an extensive music programme but she already was grade 6 on the violin and grade 8 singing plus autistic so I was thought she would fit better in a school with a musical emphasis