Appeal evidence

[ClassicalChip]

Hello all you wonderful helpful people!

DS has not been allocated any preference school.

We have grounds for social and emotional appeal.

Could I ask for views as to whether this supporting evidence is strong?

• Letter from current head
• Letter from current teacher
• Letter from church leader (not a faith school but from a pastoral needs view)
• Letter from youth group leader (again, pastoral)
• Letter from a family friend who is also an accredited family mediator (emotional needs aspect)

I can’t disclose grounds for appeal but would be so grateful for an idea as to how much evidence is needed in support.

That's plenty

There's always a bit of wiggle room because a few DC go private, some move, others choose a different school

Fingers crossed for your DS

No-one can tell you without knowing more information. You need to persuade the panel that the detriment to your child from not being admitted is greater than the detriment to the school.
So usually it would be subjects/opportunities that the preferred school offers etc etc. I'm not sure social or emotional things bear much weight but I presume it would very much depend what they were - for example "he wants to be with his friends" or "he'd have to get a bus" would not be good arguments

There is no rule about how much evidence you need. I have seen cases succeed with no supporting evidence at all. The only way to judge if your evidence is adequate would be to know the grounds for your appeal and what the letters actually say.

As above - the content is the key. If all your Head and Teacher letters say is talking about what a nice boy he is, with good attendance, and would be an asset to the school and would benefit from some friends around him, they are useless. If they say clearly that in their professional opinion, school X is the only one that can meet your child's needs for reasons X and Y, that's much better.

What I would add is if you are arguing emotional needs, ideally you would have some medical professional input. Many children have emotional needs/anxiety about moving to secondary, and some independent medical expert input can be more impactful than teacher views.

As prh47bridge and PatriciaHolm have said, it’s impossible to say without knowing what argument you’re trying to make at appeal and what’s in the letters. It’s their content that counts, not the quantity of them. Generally speaking, though, in appeals about a child’s social or emotional needs, there will be something from a health care professional, confirming what those needs are and that (in their opinion) the preferred school is best placed to support them.

None of these. A qualified psychologist, CAMHS, peadiatrician could be credible with regards to mental health.

If you must do any of these listed - head of school .