DannyBoy Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Heard today that we didn't get our daughter into the local primary school, despite the fact that we live in the catchment and our medical and transport situation (all documented at the appeal) make it impossible to get her anywhere else. So God knows what we do now. We are absolutely devastated. To anyone considering appealing over a school place, my advice is - don't bother. They have made up their minds before you step in the room, pretty much. "Parental choice" - what a joke in Sheffield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igm1 Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 Would this be loxley or wisewood primary school?? If you can't get in one try the other Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onedizzybird Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 sorry to hear that, don't give up though your child has a right to be educated so surely there must be some other way of appeal process or changeing of their minds... perhaps you could go to the newspapers, this sort of story would be right up their street and it may encourage the school to re consider. you could also try citizens advice and writing to the politicians. good luck and keep your chin up, i hope you can sort something out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyBoy Posted December 4, 2004 Author Share Posted December 4, 2004 Originally posted by onedizzybird sorry to hear that, don't give up though your child has a right to be educated so surely there must be some other way of appeal process or changeing of their minds... perhaps you could go to the newspapers, this sort of story would be right up their street and it may encourage the school to re consider. you could also try citizens advice and writing to the politicians. good luck and keep your chin up, i hope you can sort something out Thanks for the advice folks (although I'm not quite sure why the title of this thread was changed). There's no other right of appeal. It's the end of the line. Another appeal is only allowed in the same academic year if you have new evidence to present - otherwise not until the next academic year. In practice, we will have even less evidence by then because they will just ask us what we are doing now, and the truth is that we will probably be managing somehow - although I don't know how. The head made it quite clear that she didn't want us. She was concerned about the financial implications for her school. If there are still 32-plus pupils at the end of Reception, they'll have to get another support teacher and that may change things, but by then our daughter will have had two terms at Rivelin and that could weaken our case. The really infuriating thing is that I think they are in breach of the DfES guidelines which specifically state that families moving into the catchment are an exception to the 30-pupil limit rule (Appeals Admissions Procedure section 4.54, if anyone's bothered!!). We stated this at the appeal panel and it seems to have been ignored. Yes, she has a right to be educated - in Sheffield. The LEA only have to demonstrate that there are places available, not necessarily places within the catchment. In practice, they will never find themselves unable to do this: all they have to do is show that there are spare places *somewhere* on this side of the city. They don't have to prove that they are easy to get to or in desirable schools. They just have to play a numbers game. Wisewood's on the road up behind us, and just a bit nearer than Rivelin, but it makes no sense to send her there - it's still a bus journey (or a 20-minute walk) and it is still outside the catchment and we don't know anyone there. Plus its results are nowhere near as good as either Loxley or Rivelin; it's not a school we would have chosen. Why go out of catchment for a worse school?? Doesn't make sense. And we want our children to go to Bradfield when they are 11, not Wisewood or Myers. It's our catchment secondary. It seems reasonable. The thing that makes me really ANGRY is that there are people who appeal for purely snobbish reasons - e.g. so that their kids don't have to go to the same school as the kids from the estate (this is why so many appeals centre around such schools as Dobcroft, Lydgate and Dore - people are trying to get in from out of catchment). We're not doing that - we want our children to go to the local school. The one 2 minutes round the corner. The one in the catchment. We don't want them getting up at the crack of dawn to go bussing across the city. (I can't drive, for medical reasons.) The process is utterly belittling and humiliating for parents and I would now advise anyone thinking about appealing not to bother. Right now, I feel more covered in s*** than Kilroy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted December 4, 2004 Share Posted December 4, 2004 I was recently told that if you take your child to the school of your choice on the first day of term that they HAVE to accept her. I don't know for sure but it's something I heard this week, which has allegedly happened. Perhaps an internet search of legal practice could help you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyBoy Posted December 4, 2004 Author Share Posted December 4, 2004 I have never, ever heard of this, Zebra! Sources? Sounds highly dubious to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Maiden Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 Danny I would seek advice from a solicitor because I do know parents who have forced the hand of the school into admitting pupils...on one occasion the school managed to drop themselves in it with little help from legal team. This isn't the end of the line that is simply what they tell you so you will give up. Moon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat1978 Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 You should right to your MP Danny, stating all the facts and you feel that vital evidence was ignored at the appeal. It has to be worth a try. Good Luck Mat:thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WallBuilder Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 I've often heard the comment 'the parent's choice', if I understand this correctly then a parent has the choice to put their child in a school that can be miles from where they live purely because they want their child to go to a 'good' school. In todays day and age there should not be 'bad' schools and rather than allowing parents to scamper towards the so called 'good' school they should be saying to the government and the LEA, we want our local school to be as 'good' as say the one at Dore or wherever. All kids deserve to be in 'good' schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToryCynic Posted December 5, 2004 Share Posted December 5, 2004 Originally posted by mat1978 You should right to your MP Danny, stating all the facts and you feel that vital evidence was ignored at the appeal. It has to be worth a try. Good Luck Mat:thumbsup: Hmmm... you could always write to your MP... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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