Hello everyone,
I could use some advice. I recently appealed the decision not to admit my child into Year 7 at our top-choice secondary school, citing significant health and wellbeing concerns, which were supported by evidence from our current school, a GP, and a psychologist. Unfortunately, the appeal was not successful. The outcome letter provided the following explanation:
“The Panel then moved on to the second part of the decision-making process, a balancing stage to determine whether, notwithstanding the above findings, the factors that you put forward outweighed the prejudice that would occur by your child’s admission to the school. The Panel carefully considered all of the evidence provided by you in writing and orally at the appeal, however, did not feel that your case for your child to be admitted to the school outweighed the prejudice to the school should an additional child be admitted. The Panel therefore concluded that your appeal should not be allowed.”
The letter acknowledges the appendices we included but lacks any detailed explanation or engagement with the specifics of my child's needs. This omission makes me question whether the panel truly considered all the aspects of our appeal.
Has anyone else experienced this? I'm curious about the level of detail typically included in these outcome letters and whether it generally reassures you that your case was thoroughly considered. I'm considering raising a complaint with the ombudsman about the procedural aspects, but first, I'd appreciate hearing from others who've been through similar appeals. Your insights could really help me understand if what we received was standard or if I have grounds to question the thoroughness of the panel's review.
Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences!