Appeal, please advise!

[MarianaC]

Hi everyone!
Can you, please, advise regards following evidence for secondary school appeal :

1. My son has high interest and ability in sport ( as an attachment I have a letter from his primary school that confirms it), and the school that we appeal for has a special course for students who looking at a career in the sport industry.
2. At this school he will have the opportunity to join their school football team and to benefit from extra training and practising during matches ( as an attachment I have the letter from his current football coach ).
3. After a good result at Cross Country competition ( a letter from school confirms that) he is manifesting interest in developing his athletics abilities, so now he is looking forward to join the athletic club which secondary school we appeal for can provide.
4. For last 2 years at primary school he was taking guitar lessons ( a confirmation from school for this). The secondary school has this opportunity to continue with music lessons and even to join a band.
5. At 7 years old he join Beavers Scout's Club and then continued with Cobs Scout's Club. But after, because the club was in the same day and time with his football training, he wasn't able to continue. Now the school has Combined Cadet Force, which he would like to join.
6. Twice a week he has football training with him main team away 15 min by bike. So even if he will have some extra activities after school, he will be able to get in time for training. Which is not possible for allocated school.
7. His sister from September will join the nursery close to this school ( a confirmation letter attached), which will allowed me dropping him off to school, too. But the nursery close to school that has been allocated is closing down from September ( I got a letter from them). Thank you!

I am afraid that not one single reason will be sufficient

Which is what you were told on your other thread

Logistics aren't a reason for appeal BUT I think that if the school has something (sports, language etc) that the assigned school doesn't you may have more of a case

You'd be wasting your time and energy to be honest but it's your right to waste so feel free to appeal but none of what you've said would be sufficient.

You'd be better off looking at your place on the waiting list and hoping for movement.

You'd be better off looking at your place on the waiting list and hoping for movement.

How would she be better off? She can do that whilst filing an appeal.

OP, I’m not an expert, the sports reasons for things directly at the school seem the most helpful.

The poster wasn’t saying she couldn’t

the point was that her time would be better spent looking at the waiting list because these reasons stand no chance. But nothing to stop the op doing both!

I didn't say she shouldn't appeal. In fact I said the complete opposite, everyone is entitled to appeal.

However the time and effort she puts into the appeal could in my opinion be better spent and if her child is already near the top of the waiting list it's likely he will already get a place hence my suggestion of looking at the list to see where he was.

I think your reasons and the fact you have evidenced much of it gives you a strong chance. I have written a successful appeal.

Do you have any family in the military? That would add weight to your wish for him to have the opportunity to join cadets.

You might want to add if relevant stuff about the ethos of the school and how that suits your child.

Also anything academic that the school focuses on that would be beneficial to your child?

I hesitated to ask as it felt like a waste of his time but I called the Head of my child's primary school. He gave me so much advice and wrote a stunning letter about my child. He said his attitude to leaning was exceptional so we used that to argue that negated (to a small extent) the drain he would cause as an additional pupil.

Very best of luck to you. Don't listen to anyone telling you that you don't have a chance because you do. I think it can be a bit down to luck so I wish luck on your side.

Wow your reasons have changed a LOT since your last post!

But none of the reasons will be successful

the op is desperate and floundering

Just because your appeal was successful on the day doesn't mean it’s a repeatable experiment. Sometimes appeals win because the school will indicate to the panel that they have space or that a child is leaving or some other technicality. That doesn’t mean the parent’s appeal reasons were compelling.

You are in no position to judge whether the op has a ‘strong chance’ without seeing the school’s case for prejudice. Most of what she’s written actually makes the case that her child is happy and gregarious and would do well at any school.

I completely agree with this. A friend of mine appealled for a school with some reasons that seemed pretty baseless to me, but she won the appeal - she actually didn't take the place as her son wanted to go to the same school his friends were going to, and which he had already been offered.

I then appealled for my son for the school (3 years later) at which my friend won the appeal for her son, with some strong educational reasons for him getting a place (and non-educational such as it being our closest secondary!) - yet we were turned down. I think it really depends on the panel you get on the day. Absolutely no reason not to appeal, but just be prepared that the panel could be totally biased and unreasonable which could result in you being disappointed.

@MarianaC I forgot to say - good luck if you do appeal!

I think 1, 2, 3 and 4 have a reasonable shot.

5 is weak, 6 I would argue is a logistical matter so shouldn't be taken into account, 7 is completely irrelevant.

@MarianaC are there any academic reasons you prefer school A, or anything about how they arrange pastoral matters? I wouldn't put everything on sports/extra-curriculars.

I think perhaps your best bet is to go for the sports aspect, since it seems your son has a variety of sporting skill. The driver would be the specialist course offered by the appeal school. The panel may say that all schools offer sport and PE and music lessons. You’d need to focus on the aspect that the appeal school has that the other doesn’t.

I don’t think they’ll be interested in the logistics of him getting to football training or the logistics of another child at nursery. Secondary pupils are expected to travel independently.

"I hesitated to ask as it felt like a waste of his time but I called the Head of my child's primary school. He gave me so much advice and wrote a stunning letter about my child. He said his attitude to leaning was exceptional so we used that to argue that negated (to a small extent) the drain he would cause as an additional pupil."

The Schools Admissions Code expressly forbids admissions authorities to "take account of reports from previous schools about children’s past behaviour, attendance, attitude, or achievement, or that of any other children in the family;" (1.9(g))

I'm glad you won your appeal, but it would not have been that letter that did it.

6 and 7 aren’t good reasons. In his current football team the only team around ? Are there no football teams near the allocated school? He doesn’t have a right to continue at current football club. Transport logistics can’t be used as an argument unless there’s an evidenced disability like he can’t walk more than 15 mins to school sort of thing.

4- does the allocated school really not do instrument lessons ? No bands where you live ? I was on Facebook recently and saw an ad looking for rock band participants.

2/3 No cross country or football team at allocated school ? That’s very unusual. Considering how many clubs he’s thinking of joining, he probably doesn’t have enough time to manage all of them and his out of school commitments. (As he’s talented I assume that he has to spend lots of time out of school practicing too)

I agree with @Lougle that reasons 1-4 are the most promising.

I wouldn’t even mention 6 and 7 as logistics are not relevant and secondary pupils are regarded as being able to get themselves to school.

I also agree that some reasons relating to curriculum would be good - things like evidenced ability in German (German grandmother fir example) and the appealed school offers German (and the other doesn’t).

Most schools offer football and athletics clubs or opportunities after all. What is the sports qualification as that might be a good main focus?

Yes I was surprised by that

Out of interest would it be unfair for the panel to take the opinion he already does football out of school so it is not as convincing an argument that he also needs to join the school football club?

I’ve seen something like that mentioned before - school is strong on drama, child does drama club outside school which proves their interest in drama - ergo school drama input is not needed!

But it seems a bit unfair to me - these arguments are most likely to succeed, ie showing how the dc needs to be at the school. Otherwise you could pick anything offered by the school and say my dc needs this input from the school bc they don’t already have an interest! I’m not an appeals expert tho.

I do think tho that aspects not available elsewhere but that can be shown to be of interest - so an MFL taught that child has knowledge of, music offered as subject and child plays, computing offered and child codes- is better if possible

Every school I gave ever worked at gas gad a football team, an athletics club in summer and attend cross country and other sports events. Nearly all schools have visiting music teachers for lessons and offer music and perform concerts. Are you saying these things are not offered at the school you were allocated?

Interesting! Thank you for the detailed explanation.

ugh typo in my last post in the last para - meant to say educational aspects not available elsewhere – as opposed to clubs etc – would perhaps have more weight.

I disagree. OP has come up with some good reasons.

I am with @Lougle. Points 1-4 are the OP's strongest points and could be enough to win an appeal. Point 5 isn't as strong but I would still include it. Points 6 & 7 won't be given any weight by the appeal panel.