Admission Appeals
Despite promises of ever greater parental choice when it comes to choosing schools for our children many families fail to secure a place at their chosen school. In some areas of the UK less than one in five families secure the school place they want for their children. Some accept the decision of the Admissions Authority and consider alternatives but for many the only option is to Appeal. Nationally in 2010 up to 100 000 families will go through the Admission Appeal Process; only around 23% will win.
But don’t be disheartened; admission appeals can be time consuming, stressful and won! In the past year we have won Infant Class Size Appeals, Grammar School Selection Appeals and transfer Appeals to both Primary and High Schools - whatever Admission Appeal you currently face we can help you give your child the best possible chance of attending the school you want.
We have an unrivalled knowledge of the School Admissions Appeals Code of Practice and the Law relating to School Admission Appeals; we know what to ask of the Admissions Authority and how to present your case to maximise your chance of winning a place for your child at your first choice school.
Exclusion Appeals
In law a Head Teacher has the power to exclude a child for breaches of school discipline; this can either be for a fixed period or otherwise permanently. As a parent you can appeal against exclusion decisions, first to the schools Governing Body and then to an Independent Exclusion Appeal Panel who will make a final decision on your child’s exclusion. We can help you through the minefield of legislation relating to school exclusion appeals to get your child’s exclusion reversed, to have them reinstated into school as quickly as possible or to have the exclusion removed from their school records if an alternative, more appropriate school placement has been found. Initial consultations are free and without obligation to proceed.
SEN Appeals
If your child has Special Educational needs and you have not been able to reach agreement with your Local Educational Authority as to how best to meet these needs you may be able to appeal to SEND Tribunal (The Special Educational Needs and Disability Discrimination in Schools Tribunal) There is a two month time limit for making your appeal and this starts when the LEA provide you with their final written decision although our involvement often begins much before this stage. LEA decision makers often react very differently to fellow educationalists than when dealing directly with parents. We would always seek to negotiate an agreement without recourse to SENDIST but if and where this becomes necessary we can make sure you are fully prepared for what is an anxious and emotionally draining process.
Transport Appeals
The Local Education Authority has a legal duty to provide free school transport for certain pupils and to all pupils when the nearest suitable school to the child's home is more than the statutory walking distance. The statutory walking distances are defined in The Education Act 1996 as being two miles for a child less than eight years old and three miles for a child aged eight to school leaving age. The walking route may take into account footpaths and crossing points and may differ significantly from the distance recorded in a car. Recent case law has extended the scope of transport appeals to consider the suitability of school within a two and three mile radius of your child’s home address and this allows for considerable scope for more appeals to be successful.
