Parmiters Appeal/Continuing Interest List

[Wellwellwell]

Actually this is getting quite messy - at the end of the day, all I wanted to know from anyone out there was whether there was anything they knew of as a good reason to go to appeal!! I fully appreciate that fair's fair and you either get in or you don't on whatever criteria and in no way would I put my special needs child's education at risk just for another child of mine, it was a scenario that I was saying you could very well use if you really wanted to "play the system". I also totally agree with a previous posting that some siblings would indeed get in on their own merit. Everyone in the area is fully aware of the well balanced, family ethos and fantastic education Parmiters offers to everyone who gets in there, on whatever criteria, so why, as a parent would I not give it everything I can for my child. I have no real opinion on the siblings rule, one way or the other - at the end of the day, in the next two consecutive years my other two children will become "siblings" themselves. If anyone does have any ideas on appealing, please just let me know, I am not out for an out and out argument on what's right or wrong especially as so many of my child's class mates have been given Bushey Hall - so I really am thankful for what I have got!

[watfordmum66]

wellwellwell

As Ive said before we are in a similar position and have been thinking about appealing, having read posts from Watdad I just do not think we would have strong enough grounds.
there is a feeling that I knew that I had tried everything I could but realistically am I just setting myself and my ds up for more heartbreak.

My ds was bullied prior to the test documented by school and this is the only thing I think I could use.

It seems unfair that in other countys you are able to appeal on lots of different issues , for the schools we wish you can not.

At the end of the day I have a child who would flourish at parmiters teachers words not mine but for whatever reason he fluffed it on the day
and I have to accept that and ensure with support that he does the best he can at another school.

There is no easy answer and if by a miracle I find grounds for appeal Iwill certainly post on this site so all can use it if they wish.

[watdad]

wellwellwell My ds was bullied prior to the test documented by school and this is the only thing I think I could use.

Not unreasonable grounds but I would say you need evidence, meetings with the head letter from the school and medical report you may have from a visit to the doctor etc....

IMO you would also have a much better case if you could prove it is likely to happen again if she went to her allocated school i.e. is this where the other child is going?

Again IMO you would probably need to back this up with why the other school is the right one and not another.

WellWellWell…… did you read my post? If you want to PM me do but as I have stated you really need to prove either the rules were not applied properly or that the rules unfairly prejudice your child.

I only know of one successful case otherwise, WGSB, where a single parent mum who did not drive, argued, and won, that as she did not drive her child would not be able to participate in any after school activities / clubs due to the logistics. She would also struggle to attend parent evenings, school plays etc and hence this would impact on school life and could lead to a social exclusion. The school they had been allocated was a bus journey away, they lived a 15 minute walk from WGSB.

[watdad]

because Parmiters really have left no room for appeal, everything they have done is impeccable

I think it's clear appealing because the published rules are "bizarre" won't get anyone anywhere - so long as those rules have been applied correctly. Should anyone be considering appealing I strongly recommend popping over to the appeals section of this site - lots of good advice there.

You are not wrong but they have practically zero experience of the Herts consortium and only give general advice.

[Looking for help]

It is definitely worth looking at the appeals section. There is a wealth of invaluable advice there and since all appeals have to follow an appeals code of practice, although there might not be advice specific to your area, there will be lots of general advice on relevant issues which might help.
There’s the appeals question and answer section which might give you some pointers, too.
Good luck
LFH

[Etienne]

Assuming that the secondary school has a case, every oversubscription appeal must consider:
1. Whether there has been maladministration.
2. Whether the parental reasons for wanting a place outweigh the prejudice to the school.

The first of these should be an entirely objective exercise: was a mistake made in the admission arrangements as a result of which the child was deprived of a place to which s/he would otherwise have been entitled?

The second is a more subjective judgement!
"Over in Appeals" we give advice about the sort of arguments commonly put forward, but we do state very clearly in the Q&As:

All appeals are basically the same in that they must conform with the law and Code of Practice. The main differences are (1) how strict the panel is [success rates vary enormously] ......

There are huge variations in different parts of the country.

There is a link in the Q&As, A6b, that takes you to the last available DCSF statistics.

The following newspaper article discussed the widely different success rates in different areas:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/200 ... s.schools1

[Sally-Anne]

You are not wrong but they have practically zero experience of the Herts consortium

I would mention that in certain "difficult" areas of the country, Etienne and I have undertaken many hours of research into the Admissions criteria and the application of the Appeals Code. Hertfordshire consortium schools have been among those areas in the past.

and only give general advice.

I would say that Etienne's Appeal Q&As, which now runs to almost 150 pages, amounts to somewhat more than "general advice".

Added to that, a specific question on the Appeals section will always get a specific answer, provided the member has given us sufficient detail to allow us to answer the point, such as the area, type of school, nature of the appeal, etc. Where that information is given, we often research the local situation as necessary before replying.

Sally-Anne

[Etienne]

Watdad

What would be very helpful is if you would be willing to file a report on your experience of the process:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... php?t=9205

[watdad]

Sally-Anne, Sorry but I am speaking from experience! I am not trying to undermine any of the advice on here it is very useful but as far as Watford schools go, yes it is ‘general’.

I came on here about a year / 18 month ago, for me the advice helped me construct my case. It helped me understand the process and the advice was very useful. In addition the support I got from mods (Etienne in particular) and also form other users was invaluable and helped keep my spirits up.

However did I learn anything about the SW Herts consortium appeals, what might and what might not work? NO! If anything reading the experiences and also the stories of others it actually raised my hopes as I thought I had a bolt on case but unfortunately I failed.

Happy to post my case/s when I have more time but there is zero experience on this board from any of the mods with regards to the Watford schools and other posters need to understand that. I’m sure you have all researched the process and know chapter and verse but there is no knowledge greater than experience and sorry there is a lack of that on here with regards to Watford area.

If you read my posts I have said you will get good advice on here but there but there is a lack of understanding of Watford, so if the word general is misleading or sounds harsh I apologise but whilst useful there is no magic or in my opinion reasonable logic to what will work in this area. The Watford process is a shut door IMO unless somebody can prove otherwise?

Etienne should vaguely remember my case but happy to share it and you all and you can all make your own judgement. Please all do appeal but be realistic it IS the best way. Look for alternative if you want but do not get your hopes up.

EYES WIDE OPEN!

[watdad]

Point one – Appeal for WGSB & Parmiters – Basis oversubscription

My wife’s family are Spanish they only speak ‘broken’ English. I appealed for two local schools in the area, there are only three in total, that teach Spanish as part of the basic curriculum.

We tried to prove that being able to speak Spanish would help improve DS family and social life and that he already had a basic (very) understanding of the vocabulary. One of the schools in question WGSB actually has a specialism in Spanish.

Our allocated school did not teach Spanish in fact it had never had an a single pass at GCSE grade A-C at any language!

Evidence – Yes Grandparent birth certificate

Result – rejected!