Offer withdrawn after two weeks - general discussion

[mad?]

I've just came across this feed and I am horrified to say the least. My heart goes out to Here_goes and Andypandy. I'm just lost for words. All the best. It appears that you both are in a very good place for help. Once again this Forum unites for a worthy cause.

+1 on all counts, BIG HUGS and huge cyber moral support being sent your way Andypandy and Here_goes

[Ricky74]

I've just seen this and my heart goes out to you. It is such a low punch for them to pull - these are children for goodness' sake!

As you will have sees, our place was withdrawn last year after 15 weeks and we had one week to appeal. It nearly brought me to a break down with what Walsall Council did. But we won our appeal, thank God common decency prevailed, and we went in armed with a water tight case, thanks to hours of work from both us and others on here- I salute Etienne and Sally-Anne.

I know you will be feeling sick and in despair right now, but believe me, survival mode will kick in and you will find the strength to put forward your case. I will message you, but here is an overview of what we did:

We never told our son what was happening.
We had lots of help and support off complete strangers whose kindness will never leave me.
We exhausted every avenue of complaint: councillors, MP, school, LA, CEO, regulatory bodies, chair of governors (apart from the media).
We tried to park emotion and somehow focus on wronging a right.
We gathered evidence, supporting material and references to other cases. We prepared a tight appeal in very little time.
We went into our appeal in the strongest position we could be on paper (I was exhausted) and we could see that the clerk and the panel were aghast at what had happened.
Despite the fact that we thought they (the school and LA) were morally and legally wrong, we still had to put forward a case for why this school was the school that suited our child (arguing for the school) and this was something we had included heavily in our case to give them no grounds in which to dismiss us. Never overlook the importance of arguing 'for' the preferred school (not against the other school).
We presented our case, bearing in mind that we had already been through one very different appeal to our unsuccessful gs appeal, which was very business like and positive. For this one, I read out our statement (it was important for me to do this). But then the emotion came, as I was spent. Don't be afraid to show this genuine emotion, just make sure the factual side is presented too.
We won!
He started the school in September - and after all that......he was offered a different grammar school place and left(but that is another story).

I am really happy to share with you anything that might help, in terms of our case or any advice.

[Ricky74]

sorry, meant he was offered a different grammar school place so left the comp we had fought so hard to appeal.

At one point in July we had no school place!
I didn't go to the media as I was saving that card for if the appeal failed (though I did allude to it in the hope that the headteacher would reinstate the place). Also, that would have meant my son finding out and I would advise you not to tell your children.

[mad?]

Fantastic advice Ricky74, it is SO RIDICULOUS that 'they' cannot get this right.

[Andypandy]

Thank you so much for your advice Ricky74. We are st the beginning of fest I feel may be a difficult process ahead - so all the support and help we get is much appreciated

[Wildfuture]

If the council have offered say 10 places incorrectly, the 10 children that should have been offered in the first place have also been let down and deserve the place. The school are in the middle of it really, I'm sure the decent thing to do would be to let everyone keep the offer but the school may not be in a position to have that number of extra children.
The places can be withdrawn in light of an error, so they've done nothing wrong 'legally', so put emphasis in your appeal on the prejudice to your child and the moral side of it. They may argue that by withdrawing the places they have applied the admission criteria correctly. Good luck

[Here_goes]

I've just seen this and my heart goes out to you. It is such a low punch for them to pull - these are children for goodness' sake!

As you will have sees, our place was withdrawn last year after 15 weeks and we had one week to appeal. It nearly brought me to a break down with what Walsall Council did. But we won our appeal, thank God common decency prevailed, and we went in armed with a water tight case, thanks to hours of work from both us and others on here- I salute Etienne and Sally-Anne.

I know you will be feeling sick and in despair right now, but believe me, survival mode will kick in and you will find the strength to put forward your case. I will message you, but here is an overview of what we did:

We never told our son what was happening.
We had lots of help and support off complete strangers whose kindness will never leave me.
We exhausted every avenue of complaint: councillors, MP, school, LA, CEO, regulatory bodies, chair of governors (apart from the media).
We tried to park emotion and somehow focus on wronging a right.
We gathered evidence, supporting material and references to other cases. We prepared a tight appeal in very little time.
We went into our appeal in the strongest position we could be on paper (I was exhausted) and we could see that the clerk and the panel were aghast at what had happened.
Despite the fact that we thought they (the school and LA) were morally and legally wrong, we still had to put forward a case for why this school was the school that suited our child (arguing for the school) and this was something we had included heavily in our case to give them no grounds in which to dismiss us. Never overlook the importance of arguing 'for' the preferred school (not against the other school).
We presented our case, bearing in mind that we had already been through one very different appeal to our unsuccessful gs appeal, which was very business like and positive. For this one, I read out our statement (it was important for me to do this). But then the emotion came, as I was spent. Don't be afraid to show this genuine emotion, just make sure the factual side is presented too.
We won!
He started the school in September - and after all that......he was offered a different grammar school place and left(but that is another story).

I am really happy to share with you anything that might help, in terms of our case or any advice.

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to share your story and your top tips. I am so overwhelmed by how supportive everyone on this forum is being. I would be really keen to hear what went in your appeal pack, as it were. What kind of evidence I will need to start gathering. However, for today, I am just going to wait to see what the letter says (I do hope it arrives today). I emailed them yesterday but had radio silence in return so they have, by default, forced me to wait for the letter - this is despite the email ending with 'if you would like to discuss this situation further then please do not hesitate to contact myself or my team using the details below.'

I am so unbelievably frustrated and angry at the way this has been handled. Their communication of this matter has been appalling. To send a circular email (I was blind copied) which didn't address me or my daughter by name, to start the letter with 'Good afternoon, I am writing to tell you........the place must be withdrawn from your child' (no wonder AndyPandy thought it was spam!!) and give no further information on what I am to do next, leaving my dd without a school or any helpful advice and to force me to sit and wait for 2 days for a letter (which may or may not shed further light) is cruel beyond belief. We have been hung out to dry.

My dd did everything the system asked of her, she learnt, she tested, she passed in the top 1.5% of all dc who sat the test. She fought hard for a place and for two weeks, we believed she had got it. But the system has failed her. In one flippant email, the lesson that she gets is this - 'Why bother trying hard because the system will just do you over.'

Of course, as parents we will do our absolute best to ensure she gets through this emotionally unscathed (starting by not telling her anything until we know categorically what is happening).

So please forgive me this outburst as, for now, in my anxiety, I just need to holler and yell and vent my frustration! I promise, Ricky74, when it comes to it, I will follow your advice and park those destructive emotions..... I just can't park them this morning!!

Ricky74, Etienne and everyone who is following this story, thank you again for your amazing support and words of advice. I will see what this letter says and then start on the battle plan. I will keep you posted.

[MelanieMac]

Oh my goodness I am utterly horrified to be reading they have rescinded places. We were at the other end of the issues as were not given a place when we should have been due to errors. We now have our place at KES but I understand the feelings of utter despair and frustration. The lack of communication and guidance is totally unnecessary and unfair. My DS spent a week incredibly stressed and upset whilst his friends were celebrating. We had to tell him as he wanted to know what school he had been given.

It is not fair on the parents or children at either end of this situation. It does seem odd that they leave no wriggle room for errors and offer all the places out leaving them little options.

I really hope you get this resolved. You really are in the right place to get the best advice in terms of what to do next.

Best wishes xx

[Here_goes]

Thanks MelanieMac. I'm so glad your son has got his place sorted - how I now crave that relief. Sadly, I have a horrible feeling that this isn't going to end so well for us. This is all just such a mess.

[Andypandy]

Here_goes. I feel the same. The whole matter has been dealt with appallingly. Am still waiting for the post, although I doubt it will give any comfort. We emailed WCC last night quoting the case and asking for lots more information - will share the response if we get one. Next job is to check she’s in the waiting list - she wasn’t as of yesterday, they’ve told me to call back Monday to check and to register our appeal. Thank you for offers to help prepare for appeal - think we are going to need it!