retired_bigpete

if it goes down to appeal then basically tell them you want your daughter to have a decent education at a school doing well in the league tables not a school where she won`t do that well as the school is struggling in the laegue tables

retired_hinchmaa

I don't think they would except that as a valid reason, no matter how true it may be.

retired_salemcobol

I`m not sure if its the same up here s down south, but we just got our son into a different school.

He was due to go to the school closest to our house, but he is cared for by my parents during the day, so it is not convenient for them to travel 8 miles to drop off/pick up.

He got accepted due to the school we wanted, having a very small take-up, so there were plenty of spaces. If that were not the case it would have been very difficult, without very convincing circumstances.

retired_DonWon

you need to find religion mate, and quick.

retired_DonWon

and in all seriousness the whole schools admissions thing is a ****ing nightmare so do your research. Have a look at the school you are interested in and then find out its admissions history over recent years, if it is continually over subscribed and you are outside the catchment area, you might well struggle.

I dont know if its the same where you are but we basically put down three choices, the idea being that you get one of the three (although this doesnt work in practice)

Do your homework carefully, look at the criteria for entry (ie siblings getting preferential entry) As an example the school I originally tried to get my son into had one class of 30 per year, and the year we applied there were 22 siblings going into that class so we were royally ****ed before wed even started.

Ended up getting a shltty school round the corner, got on the waiting list and literally badgered them non stop (and let it be know we were going to go private) and as if by magic a place in a great school came up, so we were very lucky.

I wish you all the luck in the world mate :thup:

retired_janearific

If you go to an appeal its best to stick to the reasons why you want your child to go to your chosen school, and stay away from slagging other schools off. The fact you have visited the school is a bonus, so accentuate the positives of what it has to offer.

I would also play on the fact that your chosen school is in fact the closest and would be the most easy to access. Do you know if any other kids in your area already attend the school as that could help your case.

One thing that would be necessary for you to find out first though, is what the admisssion limit is for the schools reception year intake. If it is divisible by 30 then you may find even an appeal wont help. Government legislation on class size dictates that a Key stage one class (Reception to year 2) can't have more than 30 pupils in it, and not even an appeal panel can admit over that limit. The only way to admit more is if there has been an administrative error in your application which has denied you a place.

retired_DonWon

yeah Jep basically right there, if the appeal will mean the school have to take an extra class on you are very unlikely to win, because the school will argue that it will blow their budget.

retired_janearific

Aye - plus admission limits are usually decided upon around a year before the class intake by the admissions authority as well, and its a once in a blue moon situation that it gets changed.

Looking at last years admission limit for Heycroft, it shows as 60. If it hasn't changed and you do need to go to an appeal then you are unlikely to win I am afraid (there will likely be 2 forms of entry, with 30 in each class). I would stick it down as a first preference and cross everything you can in the hope it doesn't fill up

retired_nafrally

Very interesting thread this :thup:
A question, with regard to catchment areas, does that mean the LEA can pigeonhole you into choosing a school that is not your first choice?
Bam, I hope you fight tooth and nail to get your preferred choice, you should not have to settle for a **** school.

retired_janearific

Well possibly. If the parent doesn't want their catchment school then they don't have to list it as a preference. However, what a lot of Local Authorities (no longer called LEA's) do if a parent isn't offered one of their preferences is offer them their nearest school which still has places available (probably the catchment school you didn't want) just to ensure your child has A place at A school for September.

If the parent does their research, and lists at least 3 Preferred schools that THEY would like, then you would be damn unlucky not to get at least one of them. Up in Durham it is very rare we get a parent who doesn't get at least one of their chosen schools, but I know in the big cities like London and Birmingham it happens quite often.