Secondary school place help

[afemrobe]

Hi everyone,

We have an appeal next week for high school. We only put one option on the application which we obviously didnt get hence the appeal (seems stupid i know but daughter was adamant) , but i have had conflicting advice from other parents that the local authority has a duty to offer us a place at another local school? We havent been offered anything? Can anybody confirm if it is true please? Thanks!

What position is dd on the waitlist? Did you then put another application in?

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz she is currently 5th on the waiting list. I havent put in another application because without finding out where had places ( la havent replied with that info) i didnt want to be back in the same situation as we are now

@DibbleDooDah havent been offered anywhere else.

Why on Earth haven't you been phoning schools to ask if they have vacancies then? You could have put in another application for three further schools and had decisions several time over by now! Your poor child.

@titchy why dont you keep your unhelpful comment to yourself!

It's not at all unhelpful!! You've sat for 3 months effectively waiting to appeal to the one single school you applied to, doing zero to obtain any other place at any other school.

It's not unhelpful if it give you the kick up the arse you obviously need to get your poor child a school place before she finishes primary.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz i havent done zero at all! 48 times i have called in the last week to try to speak to someone! Prior to that i have sent numerous emails and never been told i should have been offered a school. We are pinning things on getting our appeal and i dont see anything wrong with that. Having never done this before i already feel like a failure without being told. Your advice has been helpful and i am truly thankful for that but i dont appreciate being bashed when genuinely asking for help. I cant change the past unfortunately.

You need to apply to all the schools you possibly can NOW. It's the best chance of her having somewhere to go to. There is likely to be a waiting list at every school, so it is absolutely pointless not applying unless somewhere tells you there's a vacancy (it's also dubious legally, as schools could say that to put people off when they do have places). They have to be able to assess the application, put it into the correct category and then rank it/apply the tiebreaker of distance - they can't tell you in advance if you'll get a place because there are too many variables at play.

Apply, apply, apply.

Ignoring the fact that all the rest has gone on, do you want to tell us what your appeal grounds are? Some grounds can be very weak and we could help you avoid them.

There’s a second thread about that.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4826797-appeal-basis-help-please

@afemrobe I replied on your other thread, but I wonder if you have read your secondary admissions brochure? Its written for people who haven't done it before and has all the info in it. Smong other things it strongly advises parents to apply for multiple schools, says that applications that express a preference will be prioritised over those that don't, and also that priority will be given to families who are applying to their nearest schools: https://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/PDFFiles/Lifelong-Learning/Schools/School-Admissions/Guide-to-Education-Services-2023.pdf

As others have said, you really do need to apply to other schools - no need to find out if they have places, just apply and go on their waiting lists. Make sure you apply to your nearest school.

says that applications that express a preference will be prioritised over those that don't

I think that means if they could be offered a place at more than one school, they will be offered the place at the school they placed highest in their preferences. The policies are very similar to those in England, where the Law and local authorities ensure schools don't even know what preference an applicant has placed the school at.

i havent done zero at all! 48 times i have called in the last week to try to speak to someone!

You were notified three months ago

Prior to that i have sent numerous emails and never been told i should have been offered a school

Why should you have to be told anything? We have the world of fucking knowledge at our fingertips. What actual research did you do before applying to schools?

Why have you "pinned everything" on a single appeal to a single school?

It's not enough.

But unlike in England there's nothing in the Welsh Admissions Code to say that if a preferred school can't be offered they have to allocate one that you didn't express a preference for.

If your number 5 on waiting list your probably get a place ... however you should of had a back up plan and rang other schools

@afemrobe it's not clear from your posts if you did apply to other schools, as suggested?

If not, it's a shame but it's not too late to do so. I would be calling on Monday to find out which schools in your area may have a place. You can also go on their waiting lists - people may still pull out because of last-minute changes.

I have to say your appeal grounds are not very strong so I would definitely be looking at other options.

@afemrobe Sorry to hear this I was in a similar position and only put 1 school down which yes is foolish but I like you didnt want my son going anywhere else!
I also asked on here and received the usual comments which were not helpful at all like you say you cant turn back time and don't need to be made to feel more guilty than you already do! worst time of my life being told my son couldn't go to school with his friends! we did appeal (even though my case was weak) but luckily questioned the school over statements made and we won, I really hope you get sorted if not already.

@SadRach76 thank you for your message we won too!

Fab news bet your over the moon