What are the chances of winning appeal on these ground

[Salpal9]

Secondary school appeal - Single parent, school appealing to is a 5 minute walk away, allocated school almost 4 miles away. Have a child in primary school, impossible to get to allocated school and pick primary child up. Child's cousin lives next door and has a place in appeal school and child's parents would help with child care as still have to pick primary child up.

What are the chances on appeal with the above?

Thanks in advance.

Little to none, at secondary they don't care about how your child gets there. You have to prove that that school is the best and only school for your child, academically, or possibly socially, and that the school you have can't support them. Sorry, it's tough.

There will be some movement before September, and even after that, if you can hold your nerve.

They will expect your DC to make their own way to school. Logistics won't win an appeal. You need to look at what in particular that school offers that would particularly benefit your DC.

How small is the catchment area that your child didn't get in only living 5 mins away?!

Would you not get school transport to a school 4 miles away?
You say a cousin lives next door and goes to the appeal school. Has a mistake been made with allocation or is the cousin in a higher oversubscription criteria?
(I'm not sure if you did win the appeal why you would need childcare from cousins parents for a school 5 mins away).

The father put his address on the school application. However, the alocated school was not one of the choices.

You should get school transport for a school over 3 miles away.

Probably to pick him up for a couple of months as they are youngest in the year.

What are your thoughts on winning the appeal on distance as in the catchment?

But you applied from a different address?

Very little chance unless the school presents a very very weak case or no case at all.

Did you know the father was going to put his address on the application? I think that’s the bigger issue.

The father did yes but they are at appeal school address a lot more.

Is the father the "other" parent i.e not the one involved in school pickups?
If so, potentially his address shouldn't have been used on the form and the child may move up the waiting lists if you swap it for the other 5 minutes away from school address.

or is the father the single parents mentioned but the application didn't include the school that's now being appealed for (in which case, he won't be eligible for school transport).

As others have said, transport issue won't win an appeal. Can the child not cycle a distance that's under 4 miles (lots cycle similar distances at my DC's school)?

Virtually no chance of winning an appeal

In which case that address should have been used on the application and the child will move up the waiting list (i.e. may get a place without appeal) if it's changed now.

I did win a appeal for primary school about 10 years ago after a house move. I asked on here for advice and everyone said distance wasn't relevant but it was one of several factors mentioned in the appeal findings. But I had to get a 4 yr old and a 7 year old to schools 8 miles apart. I think secondary pupils are expected to get themselves to school.

The father is the other parent. His address was put on the form because the 1st choice school was closer to his address.

Where does the child live?

Can your older one stay at his dad’s more if it’s closer?

Cousins living next door and childcare are not what you appeal with.

Spanish GCSE and musical theatre are what you bring in to a secondary school appeal.

So you intentionally put his address down in an attempt to game the system and secure your first choice school, but since that didn't work, you'd like to appeal given they actually usually live at your house and a school further down your list is nearer to you? I guess FAFO.

Allocated (far away) school and other child's primary school get out of school at same time so no way of picking both of them up. Whereas appeal school and primary school have 5 minutes difference in home time so could pick both up and if not family have child at school and live next door so can help.

Ha! So you told them the child's primary address was at a address that isn't their primary address and now you want to change it to a different address which is in fact their primary address? That is just incredibly cheeky.

Well you shouldn't have lied about where they lived then.

They live at both address as he is THEIR father and that is also their home so therefore have every right to put either address.

That makes no difference though. Firstly because secondary school children are expected to be able to get themselves to amd from school.

And secondly because if he can’t get himself to and from school, he can wait for you. He’s eleven.

No, they only have one primary address.

No always, a lot of times they are split 50/50.