In year admission appeal

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Can anybody help me and give me some advice please, my daughter started at her chosen secondary school in 2021 year 7 , she was doing well until the end of last year when she had a silly fall out with some girls , she mentioned moving to another school , and stupidly I moved her to this school in march this year , well after the first week she pretty much hated it and was very unhappy and she said she wanted to go back to her old school and since then it’s been a downward spiral that’s got worse and worse , I called her old school and asked for her to go back but they are full and she’s been put on the waiting list (she was number 4 now she’s number 5😭) she has barely attended the new school she will not go, obviously now I’ve received a letter from the attendance officer about her attendance now to, she is crying everyday and not doing one bit of work all she keeps on about is going back to her old school, I’ve tried everything possible to try and get her back asap , I now have a appeal hearing on June 1st , I really need some advice on what to say and how to go about it ,this is not only stressing her it’s stressing me to, I wish I never moved her now . She’s not learning anything and just upset all the time , it’s currently 9am and I’m begging her to go to school . I don’t know what else to do 😔

Also they asked me if I had a husband , is there a reason for that ? @PanelChair

Did you talk about logistics or domestic arrangements? I can only guess they were trying to find out whether you had anyone to help you, although that’s not how I would have phrased it.

Well I’ve had no phone call 😢and already my daughter is saying she’s not going back to this school. So what do I do now.? If the appeal is no what more can I do @PanelChair

It’s only 11am. You need to allow the clerk a little longer to make the call (if it’s coming). The decision letter should set out the reasoning behind the panel’s decision. If your appeal has not been upheld, the letter should explain why.

The appeal decision is final (unless you have reason to believe there were procedural irregularities, in which case you may be able to complain and get a fresh hearing).

If your appeal hasn’t been upheld, you have to wait until the next academic year (ie September) before appealing again.

All I can suggest now (if the appeal isn’t upheld) is speaking to the attendance officer and the LEA. Is there any other school with places which your daughter would be willing to attend? You are in a difficult situation, I know.

@PanelChair thank you for your responses, they have been helpful , currently sat here crying because the first thing my daughter said was I’m not going back to that school, I know it maybe still early but the lady told me tomorrow morning , as it’s nearing 12 I doubt I will get a call now , if I did honestly that would be a dream , but I think it’s wishful thinking . I just think sending her to yet another school is going to be pointless , she only wants to go back to her old school I really don’t know what to do ,I’m thinking home schooling is going to be the only option and that’s really the last resort , I have no idea how home schooling works though , do I get her school books online ? This is just a mess an absolute mess I can’t believe I’m in this situation , does that mean I can appeal again this September ? If so I will have to do that if she still doesn’t get a place ,and this time I will make sure I do it right , she’s at number 4 on the waiting list now ,I’m praying in the summer term children leave and she can get a space

The new academic year starts in September so, yes, you can appeal again then but (assuming for now the current appeal fails) you will need stronger/different evidence to overcome whatever reasons the panel had for not allowing this appeal.

I don’t want to be discouraging, but you need to think through your options if the current appeal and a fresh appeal in September both fail. I understand that your daughter has her heart set on returning to her previous school but that might not happen. You might want to seek advice on the home education board here, as there will be posters there who can talk about their experience of home-educating teens.

If you decide to home educate then the local authority has no obligation to provide anything at all. I'm not sure what you mean by receiving her books online? Nobody will be responsible for setting work for your daughter if thats what you mean? You wouldn't receive any assistance from any school or the local authority as you will have removed your child from the education system if that makes sense and indicated that you wish to 'take responsibility' for your daughter's education yourself.
Other than that, if your appeal isn't upheld and if she's adamant she's not returning to school on Monday it may be worthwhile reopening the managed move conversation, they don't have to do it, but might be something they will consider.

I'm assuming you haven't heard anything back.

You could appeal again next year, but it seems unlikely that it would work. I also am not convinced a managed move would work in this scenario- you don't generally get to pick the school your child is moved to, and it's not really something that's open to parental request.

I think your options are really:

a) Try to make the best of things at the new school. You moved her there, and arguably neither of you have given it a decent chance. Work with the school to see if there are ways they can help your daughter make friends etc BUT this will be hard to do if she isn't attending regularly.

b) See if there are any other options in the local area she would be willing to try. Do be aware that she will likely face the same issues at first. Y8 is a tricky year group for breaking into established friendships. Y9 may be better if more classes have been mixed up due to starting GCSE courses etc.

c) Home school- but this then removes the duty of the local authority to find her a suitable school place, and voluntarily home schooling won't necessarily help you make your case she needs to return to her specific school.

Basically, I think you both need to find a way to move forward. Let's assume the option of returning to school A is now off the table. It sounds like there are really negative associations with school B which may be hard to break. So perhaps it's worth trying another new fresh start- with the understanding that your daughter needs to commit to this, and really give it a good go. If she understands a return to her first school is completely off the table, maybe she'd be more able to give a new school a go?