Admissions error with CAF handling

[54321109876]

Greetings,

We moved into the borough last year and submitted all documents required for that well before the deadline. The former council on their behalf requested CAF application to be taken over by the borough we moved in. I have called the admissions few weeks later and they confirmed over the phone that address change on CAF had actually taken place.

Unfortunately, we only came to know that this was not the case after the offers' day when we did not receive any letters. I called up the admissions, they did not have any details of my child's application, said they did not have right to discuss the details and "referred" me to the previous borough. I found out about this error from the former borough.

No communication from the present borough yet despite requesting call back. As the result, my child has not been considered for any local schools and missed out.

I have no idea how to go about this and what to do next, as offers have been sent, not sure how they are going to sort out this mess or if they are going to do anything about it.

Any comments/advises appreciated.

Thank you

[Etienne]

I have called the admissions few weeks later and they confirmed over the phone that address change on CAF had actually taken place.

Do you have the date, time, and name of person you spoke to?

If so, then armed with this information, you should write to the current LA, with the heading "Complaint", and give full details of what has happened. (Email will do, provided you keep a copy. If writing a letter, keep a copy and send by recorded delivery.)

What is the status of the schools you applied for - e.g. Are they controlled by the LA, or are they academies?

• • • If the LA is the admission authority,
    • and if it accepts that it has made a mistake,
    • and if you would have got a place but for the error,
    - then the LA ought to be able to put things right.
    
    However, if we're talking about oversubscribed academies, it could be trickier as they might take the view "We're not to blame! Why should we have to take an extra pupil?"

Your current LA will have to find you a school place, although it may well not be one that you want.
When they make an offer, you ought to accept it for the time being.

Meanwhile start preparing for an appeal in case it's needed. Ask for an appeal form for each of the schools you want. There will be a section on the form inviting your grounds for appeal. Obviously one of these should be an "error in the admission arrangements".
It would be a good idea too to give reasons for wanting the school in question - see:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... -school#c2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You don't have to submit any appeal before the end of the month, so there's a bit of time in which to see whether the LA can resolve the problem without the need for an appeal.
However, you ought to get your appeal paperwork ready, or there might be a mad panic when it's required!
(Technically you can't appeal until you've been formally refused - but we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it!)

Assuming you don't have this evidence already, can you get your previous LA to confirm in writing exactly when it forwarded the CAF?

Let us know if we can be of any further help.

[54321109876]

Thanks Etienne,

I do not have a name but I can figure out date and time of the call. Today I have received email from the previous borough with date they requested transfer. They also mentioned that the present borough contacted our first preference school which is grammar and would get back to us once they have response from school. I would imagine they are trying to negotiate to go over PAN, but I doubt it will work. Another option would be second round if we would agree to wait, but again chances are slim as we are talking about super selective one.

Basically we put all local grammar and comprehensive schools in CAF and got none of them as the result of this issue. The school 's main criteria is distance and I am sure we would have been offered place as another child from the class been offered place there and lives further than we do.

Yes, it has academy status, but according to the school, admissions are managed by LA.

I shall start preparing paperwork as advised. I wonder what is our legal stance if they try to fob us off.

[Etienne]

Sadly mistakes do happen from time to time. (Of little comfort, I know!)

The following case went to appeal:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... ilit=error" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These cases were settled without an appeal:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... -school#c3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 79#p500979" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yes, it has academy status, but according to the school, admissions are managed by LA.

I think that means the LA is simply co-ordinating admissions. In the case of a grammar school, it could also mean that the LA is handling the testing arrangements on behalf of the school.

However, an academy is its own admission authority, and not under LA control.

I shall start preparing paperwork as advised. I wonder what is our legal stance if they try to fob us off.

If the LA can't or won't resolve the issue, you need to go to an IAP (independent appeal panel), which is a quasi-judicial tribunal.
If the appeal were to be unsuccessful, you might - or might not - have grounds to take the matter further.
We would have to see what reasons are given, and whether the IAP has followed correct procedure.