11 Plus Exams Forum

We have just been told that even though we are in the catchment it has been oversubscribed and we are the furthest away from the school. more than 15 of us have been effected from within catchment. We have lived in the same house for over 10 years. Two older children at the school and at no time did we envisage our youngest not getting into the school. We have been allocated a school almost double the distance away, with a lousy reputation and in a very different catchment to the school we were expecting to get into. We've been told because it is catchment that siblings and feeder schools don't come into it. I have a child at home crying - all of the class are going to the school, same friendship links since nursery. Any advice or help, sample appeal letters, would be gratefully received. We have two weeks to get an Appeal ready.

Thank you.

susieq wrote:We have just been told that even though we are in the catchment it has been oversubscribed and we are the furthest away from the school. more than 15 of us have been effected from within catchment. We have lived in the same house for over 10 years. Two older children at the school and at no time did we envisage our youngest not getting into the school. We have been allocated a school almost double the distance away, with a lousy reputation and in a very different catchment to the school we were expecting to get into. We've been told because it is catchment that siblings and feeder schools don't come into it. I have a child at home crying - all of the class are going to the school, same friendship links since nursery. Any advice or help, sample appeal letters, would be gratefully received. We have two weeks to get an Appeal ready.

Are the siblings still at the school, and on the admissions criteria that you'll have had back in September, does it mention siblings at all? If it does have 'Sibling' as one of the criteria, is it above or below 'distance from school / catchment area', and is the catchment area defined? Is it a grammar / selective school?

Several years ago this happened to our local popular 11-16 comprehensive when the 1989 - 1991 "baby bulge" passed through. The first year the LEA was taken by by surprise and had to put an extra class in (270 rather than the usual 240) because there were so many in catchment who had been offered (and accepted) places automatically. The next year they tried to cut back to 240 using "distance within catchment" as the deciding factor, although they did still give preference to siblings. At the first cut, over 50 children (mostly from my local primary school, as the comp is not central within its catchment) were initially sent elsewhere, despite a vigorous local campaign. Some accepted it, went private or took the other places. - the numbers also reduced as some of the original offers were declined. However a number went to appeal and all 8 (i think) were given places (including the son of friends of mine, whose older siblings had attended the school but would have left) The basis for the appeal was friendship groups, the longstanding assumption within the junior school that the local comp was the standard next step (all the transition work in year 6 was built around this assumption, the secondary head would come to the 4 local junior schools and give them a "when you come to our school next year" pep talk etc etc) The admission number has remained at 248 ever since.

Followeing these appeals the admission criteria were revised the following year to put "feeder schools" as a new decider if oversubscribed within catchment, recognising the importance of friendship groups and the benefits of a smooth transition to secondary when the vast majority (90%??) of children move up together from a few primaries which means lots of close working between primary/ secondary teachers. Of course there is now a problem for people who move into the area too late or keep their children at other primaries....

I don't know if that helps at all but in my opinion you should have a good case at appeal. I'm very surprised that siblings isn't right at the top of the criteria for a local school though

susieq wrote:We've been told because it is catchment that siblings and feeder schools don't come into it.

Feeder schools, no - there is no link. On the sibling question, you must look at the published Admissions criteria.

I believe you are in Bucks (from your other post on that section)? If so, and either of the siblings is currently in Years 7 - 10, then there is a sibling link. If it is your catchment school, then siblings have priority over those living closer to the school and you should have been given a place.

Which is the alternative GS you have been offered?

Sally-Anne

Are any of the sibling still at the school? If so, which school year are they in?

Thank you for your replies this information is useful. We are in catchment. Two children in YS3 and 4 respectively. RBWM local borough however we pay our council to Bracknell Forest and it is Bracknell Forest who have allocated the only school in the borough with places to us. This school is not a good school, and is 4.9 miles away rather than the 2.9 which is our local catchment school. Very different catchment to where our child has schooled since he was three. The siblings criteria only comes into account when out of catchment but in catchment criteria is simply distance. Our worry is that there are 15 ahead of us and some of these poor families have sibling issues too. How do we make our argument for appeal any stronger than their argument ....

Dear susieq

Have you read the Q&As?
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/11plus ... nswers.php

See section C.
In particular, C2.