Secondary School places allocated today [sad]

Ankers, I think the family only moved to the area a year or so ago, so the situation is not what you're assuming.

So she didnt get a feeder school at 4/5 years old with the other children around her? They are in the same position?

Group together. I didnt know schools were like this nowadays. It must be happening the same up and down the country in certain oversubscribed places. Oh dear.

Yes Jalima

During the night I was writing notes as things pooped into my head and one of the points that kept going round and around was why invite a child to come and look around the school that is close to where they live when they already know that she (and no doubt others) have zero chance of a place. Its almost cruel.

I wish our LEA operated a strictly distance from school policy as she would have undoubtedly have got in. They work on:

1) sibling link
2) feeder primary
3) looked after children
4) distance

Homeschooling is def not an option for us as mum and dad both work full time (mum works shifts) I work and DH works too. Yes you do remember rightly that we were refused a place in the feeders (on appeal) which in a way sentenced her to this outcome.

The answer is not a flippant 'homeschool' from someone who does not care two hoots and probably has no authority anyway.

School refusal is serious and they will have to think again.

I hope your DGD has a nice birthday despite all this, gilly

There is a lot on FB today about this because I have a young friend whose older one is due to go to secondary school in September.
He has got the place he wanted as have his friends (much relief as the alternative school is not good). The point is that the LA seems to have operated a strictly 'distance from the school' policy so I can't understand why your DGD has been refused a place at a school she can see from her house to travel a long distance to another one.

I must say I had to travel a long way to school from the age of 7 but so did my friends so I was not alone and there was no alternative nearby.

I think the LA has discriminated against your DGD with its rigid interpretation of its policy of only allowing children from certain feeder schools to go to her secondary school of choice - and it was they who refused her a place at the feeder school anyway, if I remember rightly.

Try to enjoy her birthday

Gosh your poor granddaughter. She must be so upset. This school business is all new to me and nothing our family have experienced in recent times. My own senior school was a two bus journey, into and out of Leicester many moons ago. Can remember just how tired I was with all the travelling

I think the advice regarding safeguarding issues and your GD's bus travel are worth pursuing. Also the inevitable tiredness she will face with all t he travel is hardly conducive to good learning. I know it affected my education and I left school with few good results. Interestingly as an adult learner I now have 4 degrees of varying kinds. All self funded as an adult.

Put it all aside for today Gilly and just concentrate on DCD's 11th birthday.

You can take up the cudgels tomorrow.

I was on every website imaginable during the night Riverwalk . Having gone the appeal road before ( primary) there is nothing new. We honestly thought we had an excellent case the last time (especially for the oldest girl) but seems not. I have read and re-read everything and will obviously take it all onboard but honestly there is nothing new.

Thank you again everyone for your kind words of concern. Feeling very tired this morning and just as worried as I was yesterday. Not knowing what will happen is a very scary place to be for a newly 11 year old.

gilly did you go to Mumsnet?

This thread was started a month ago in anticipation of 1 March - if you flip it you'll see yesterday's posts. It's a very long thread and I've only skimmed it but there seems to be three members who are experienced in advising on how to appeal one is called 'tiggytape' can't remember the others.

I'd recommend you put your case on there for advice from those who seem to have a lot of experience.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/2845153-Is-it-too-soon-to-start-a-1st-March-secondary-school-allocation-day-support-thread

Can I ask though, how she ended up in a non-feeder school in the first place though?
Why her and not others too, if places in feeder primaries were oversubscribed.

Or are there others in her boat too, in which case, you might have more chance teaming up with others in the same position?

We have been given conflicting advice Jalima . The LEA say that no-one is obliged to accept a place that they don't want. We will not accept the place as the LEA have been totally unreasonable by making the offer in the first place

When they say that, unfortunately part of what they mean I think, is that a person can home-school, thereby not accepting a place that they dont want.

I would not accept the place either gillybob.

See section 3:6

Gilly take a look at the section on Transport to School 3:6

Just a thought, if all else fails ( which I sincerely hope it doesn't!)
You may be able to find a registered child minder to drive your granddaughter to school. Far from ideal though.. hopefully something can come from an appeal first though.

Hope you and your GD are feeling a little better this morning gillybob Things do have a way of working out so don't give up hope.

I can't sleep tonight. I am so worried about my little granddaughter. It is her 11th birthday today. She should be so happy .

Why can't I make it right for her? I feel so helpless, angry and sad.

So sad Gilly.

I mentioned this with my daughter this afternoon as I have spoken about your posts in the past as we were experiencing very similar experiences re obtaining a school place of our choice ( we too got knocked back by the appeal system ), DGD's age (10) etc.

We can't offer any words of help just understanding and genuinely appreciate how utterly devastated your poor little girl must feel , so unfair.

We haven't got to that stage yet but the senior school they are building will not take as many pupils as the present one and they are right on the border of the catchment area, which keeps being changed anyway.

What were the reasons given for not giving her a place?
Do you know of children from further away who have been allocated a place?

Oh dear

I certainly would not accept the place, that is an admission that it is OK even if not what you want, an admission of defeat.

I think if you can it would be worth it to get some good advice even if you have to pay a solicitor in the end.
www.familylives.org.uk/advice/secondary/learning-school/making-an-appeal-for-a-school-place/

We have been given conflicting advice Jalima . The LEA say that no-one is obliged to accept a place that they don't want. We will not accept the place as the LEA have been totally unreasonable by making the offer in the first place. We had a huge "evidence" file when we went to appeal for the primary school places but they barely looked at the evidence and even lied about empty classrooms and the use of them. The appeal was cancelled by the LEA (while they altered their evidence which we were not given) I could go on and on. I have challenged the LEA to a face to face meeting but they are very reluctant.

I am happy for those people who''s children and grandchildren have received good news today and can enjoy their last months in primary knowing that they will be going to a secondary school of their choice within a reasonable distance of home.

DDiL telling me that DGD saying there is just no point in working hard for her SAT's and might as well not go to school again. She loves school btw.

www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/help-and-advice/choosing-a-school/appealing-for-a-school-place
which says this:
You must accept the place at the school you have been offered, no matter how tempting it is to return the form with ‘Over my dead body’ scrawled on it. You would run the risk of having no place at all in September, and appeal panels will not take kindly to you doing this.
Well, I wouldn't accept it however unkindly an appeals panels took to it.

www.schoolappeals.org.uk/

I think I would be hesitant about going to the local paper and agree with Rigby that the publicity could result in teasing and/or bullying.

I would definitely go to appeal, investigate how to make the strongest case possible, what is the best aspect to focus on for a positive outcome and to take someone to the appeal with you who is qualified in some way to help you present your case to counteract all the panel's arguments.

If there is a list of children who want to go to that school but failed to get in is it possible to find out where she is on the list - you never know, someone may move away and a place become available.

www.familylives.org.uk/advice/secondary/learning-school/making-an-appeal-for-a-school-place/

www.theguardian.com/money/2007/mar/11/education.schooladmissions

mojomums.co.uk/top-tips-to-win-your-secondary-school-appeal/

If you look online there are lots of sites giving advice about appeals, so really might be worth taking a close look. I have posted 3 above and I know another poster has suggested one too.

It really is worth making sure you know your stuff - I did something similar with a health funding application and we got it because we had thoroughly researched it and had all the facts at out fingertips.

Good luck.

Having siad that one of my DDs had to take two buses to school and she did cope; so if all else fails, don't despair.

My GD is 'medium' happy having got 2nd choice. She is just waiting to see if her best friend ,who lives next door, but goes to a different primary, has the same school. Then she would be very happy.
It is such a stressful time for all concerned I really hope gillybobs GD gets a happy solution. Good luck

I agree with most of your points Rigby46, except the local paper bit.
Misreporting - I think they would get it accurate enough
Being outed - much better that in my opinion that not getting into the school in the first place
Authorities acting negatively - have you any evidence or know of instances where that has happened?

Hummmm - local paper? This can backfire - misreporting, child is 'outed' and can suffer from this by teasing and bullying, authorities react negatively to being put under pressure. The travel issue seems to be a strong point and if it were my dgc, that's what I'd focus on at appeal. Do the journey with her( or on your own) at the time she would be doing it, record and log time taken, waiting times etc, work out if and when it will be dark at the times she will be travelling. Get the written evidence of the bus time tables. It's irrelevant what anyone thinks of the admission criteria - they are what they are and unless there is evidence that they have not been followed properly, they can play no part in an appeal. As GB knows, the appeal process is tough and most are refused but there's loads of help and advice out there so at least the family can give it the best shot. I think issues of potential school refusal may be a double edged sword - any idea how many appeals happen each year Gb and what the success rate is? When I was helping with my dn's son's appeal I did use an online company that gave some advice - I'll try and remember its name and the costs. In those days I didn't know about MN but if I had, I'd have used them like a shot.