If 2nd choice on CAF is given can you appeal for 1st choice?

[ecstaticmum]

If 2nd choice on CAF is given can you still appeal for 1st choice without having to give up the 2nd choice place? As you still might loose appeal for 1st choice? Oh dear hope that makes sense!

[yoyo123]

I'll move this to appeals ecstatic mum...

[Alex]

Yes, you can appeal for any school for which you expressed a preference. Many people appeal for a higher choice school than was allocated to them. The advice is to accept the offered school and then appeal for the desired school(s) (there are, after all no guarantees of success). If your appeal is upheld the place at the desired school is yours and the other offer lapses (even though it has already been accepted) as LAs co-ordinate the whole process right through to the start of the new school year.

[yoyo123]

make sure that in your appeal you say why you want preference 1 not why you don;t want preference 2

[ecstaticmum]

Thank you Alex and yoyo123

[Etienne]

It all depends on how good your reasons are, of course, but an appeal panel might possibly be less sympathetic if you've already got the school you applied for as a 1st preference.

Clearly you have to put forward reasons for the school you're appealing for, but I'd advise you to be discreet about your change of mind - until you see the appeal papers, anyway.

A LA appeal panel will probably get a copy of the CAF form (and, if they do, you will know, because you must receive the same paperwork).

A foundation school panel, on the other hand, might not get a copy of the CAF form, in which case you might not have quite so much explaining to do!

Of course, it might still be possible for them to work out that you would have got a place if the school had been a 1st preference - but wait and see if you're asked about it.