Appeal

[Mams76]

Hi everyone
my son didn’t get his first choice of high school
i have put an appeal in but I feel I have rushed it and not worded it right and may of missed details I should of put in the appeal
i think I just panicked
im worried now that that they won’t take the appeal serious
he has attended primary school in the same area as the high school all his life my youngest also attends in year 4. Their clubs friends family are all in the area . We was living in the area until not so long we had to move through no fault of my own
the council offered us a house and I had no choice but to except it
the house is less than 10 mins from the area Less than 3 miles away
i have no support network where we live no friends
the school they offered would be two bus rides away which means getting the same buses as the kids that have bullied my boys where we live I have police reports to support this

our first choice school is one bus ride the school they offered would be two bus rides
and to be fair I would be taking him as
my other son school start times are the same and both schools are close to each other

im a single parent already struggling I work part and their primary school is my work base school
iam doing my best to try and move us back to the area but it’s proving hard .
is there anything else other than the submitted appeal form i can do to help us

i would appreciate any help information that I could do to help support our appeal
many thanks

Unfortunately most of that boils down to logistics which carries little weight. Is he on wl for preferred school, or any others which might be, even if not previously listed. Are they all oversubscribed, as if not apply now and you should get a place. You need to consider what the preferred school offers specifically for your child's benefit.

"the school they offered would be two bus rides away which means getting the same buses as the kids that have bullied my boys where we live I have police reports to support this "

This would be the strongest ground, if you can evidence this - are these boys going to the allocated school? Was this recent? how do you know they would be on the same buses?

Is the allocated school near your old address or your new one? Which address did they use for allocations, and have they got the right one now for waiting lists?

In terms of transport, 2 buses is not unusual, so assuming the whole journey is less than 75 minutes it's unlikely to be relevant - how far is the journey? He may be eligible for transport costs if it's over 3 miles and it's the nearest school he could have been allocated if you had applied for nearer ones.

Other than that you need to find things the required school offers that show the detriment to him of not attending - are there any particular factors other than transport?

Hi
my son getting two buses isn’t really a problem
the problem is him getting the same bus as the bullies who live on my street

the school they allocated requires two buses
they only have my new address
the school we want requires one bus and near our old address
it will take less time by car or bus to get to the school we want
Than the school they offered

there has a big lake separating us which is not suitable to cut through
I got a letter saying it’s criteria 3 and that the school we want is is 2.06 miles
not sure on distance on how they measure
but the school offered will take longer
but as the crow flys its possibly nearer

on the portal it says in the waiting list
on email it just says not offered

Yes all the schools over subscribed
I couldn’t get to the open evening if the school offered so we know nothing about it
my son is refusing to listen to anything to do with the school and adds ment he not going
it’s so upsetting .

Leave it a while with ds and see how things pan out. The letter should indicate how to appeal and whether you need to add to waiting lists or if it is automatic.

OP, do you think there is much chance of you moving back nearer your old address? That would push you up the waiting list but I realise it’s rather out of your hands

Thankyou
it does say on the portal he on the waiting list
but in the letter email just says not offered
will just have to wait and see what happens x

I am sorry you have not got the school you wanted. I know your son has said he won’t go to the allocated school, but it is important that you , as his parent, accept the place offered, if you refuse it then the LA will not offer him another place as they will consider that they have fulfilled their part. Accepting the place does not mean you can’t appeal or go on waiting lists, it does mean that when it comes to it he has a place for September. Make sure you are on the waiting list for the preferred school, it sounds as though your LA does this automatically but it makes sense to check. Also check out other schools in the area and go on the waiting list for them too..

Check out what other things the preferred school offers that the allocated school doesn’t. Maybe they have after school clubs in drama, or chess or coding or some other interest that he has and that you can show he is keen on. If you decide to appeal then this can form part of the appeal.

The bullying is definitely the strongest ground. Focus on that.

Thankyou yes he is on the waiting list according to the portal
I’ve tried talking to my son and told him we should arrange to view it and I’ve told him about the letter he got that invites him into the school for a couple of days prior to starting
I’ve told him he doesn’t really have a choice
he’s going to have to go to that school unit and if there is a place at our preferred school .
I know I’m clutching at straws and have everything crossed
I will focus on the bullying
it’s not just the kids it’s the adults where we live they are no better . I’m doing everything In power to move us back to the area
how long do appeals take ?
they have acknowledged my appeal just said they will be in touch in fir corse

It’s the bullying that’s one our main problems
Thankyou I will focus on this x

I know of an appeal that was won on grounds of bullying and detriment to the child's mental health. They did have cahms involved already. But maybe the police reports will show why u had to move through a serious threat than just for fun. Hope it goes well.

Thankyou
we moved because we had a house fire
my chest freezer blew up
we was living just over the road from the high school we wanted
we got offered a house which is where we are now
which is the worst place I have ever lived
this is where the bullying is happening
my boys won’t play out because it
and these bullies attend the school and get the bus to the school we been offered
in the short time we have been here it’s been horrendous
I will be telling them as it is my boys mental health comes first
Thankyou for everyone’s messages
tingers crossed x