Appeal

[MarianaC]

Hi all,
We were offered a place in option 2. We want to appeal the decision. My evidences are: 1. distance home- school ( option 1 - 5mi, option 2 - 10mi); 2. my sister lives close to school and can pick him up when me and my husband are late for work; 3. he trains with a local football club and the distance allows him to be on time for training, and school allows absence if they have matches on school time; 4. nobody from his class are going to the school that he got a place, so he feels very depressed.
Are these reasons ok, please advise !Thank you!

Unfortunately not. Are there schools other than option 1 that are nearer?

i doubt that is the schools admission policy. What was the admissions policy for school A and how far down the list were you?

Those are logistical reasons primarily, apart from the friends. Secondary school pupils are expected to travel independently. Children make new friends very quickly and most who go to secondary school with a peer group aren’t as friendly with them after a while.

You have to show that the detriment to your son not having a place at the school is greater than the detriment to the school of taking a child over numbers.

Make sure you’re on the waiting list for the school you want. There’s often movement.

Unless a mistake has been made in the allocation, appeals are a balancing act. The panel have to decide whether the difficulties the school have in accommodating an extra pupil are greater than the difficulties for the child in not attending. So for a school that is already struggling with numbers of pupils and space, the bar for winning the appeal will be set high. Another school might find it easier to squeeze in an extra pupil.

1. Distance - presumably he's been offered school transport? If so, unlikely to be a winning argument. Many children go to school by bus
2. Logistics - panel members will view it as your responsibility to sort out who picks up the child from school. It's only relevant in very exceptional circumstances
3. Football training - I'd be surprised if school allowed absence for matches - might be worth double checking that? The ability to get to football training is probably your strongest point, assuming he plays at a reasonably high level. A letter from his coach would be helpful. It's not a compelling reason to allow an appeal, but a panel might be sympathetic!
4. Friendships - many children make new friends when they go to secondary, so this isn't relevant unless there are specific circumstances (e.g. a child who's had a bereavement who is supported by friendship group)

It's worth putting in an appeal, as you never know, but be realistic about your chances of success.

Unfortunately no, those aren't grounds for appeal.

Does the school have a particularly excellent football programme and is your son particularly gifted? That could be one prong in an appeal if you got a letter from his coach saying that the school would nurture that talent and he would be an asset to the school.

You would need other reasons though.. that’s unlikely to be strong enough by itself.

Thanks everyone for your reply, really appreciate your help!
I had a word with my son, training to understand his fears. He sad, to school option 1 he can go by bike on the days that I will not be able to drop him off. But the road to school that he been offered doesn't have this option, so he will need to go by bus. He is scared about the bullying in the bus.

As others have said, an appeal on these grounds will almost certainly fail. The only point that might carry any weight is the one about football training, but many panels would not regard that as a good argument. That doesn't mean you can't win an appeal though. You need to identify things the appeal school offers that are not available at the allocated school and that are particularly relevant to your son. So, for example, given his interest in sports, if the appeal school has more sporting activities than the allocated school that would be a valid argument.

Can somebody please advise what's the best action if a new relevant evidences appeared after I already placed my appeal? Is it possible to make changes or to cancel it and make a new one? Thanks

You need to practise going on the bus near him. Tell him to make a bus buddy. He can sit with his bus buddy every day and that makes it easier. The reasons you state are not relevant.

Yes, you can add evidence. The clerk will tell you the final date for submitting evidence when they contact you with the date of the hearing.