Appeal failed!

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Bexleymum
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:10 pm
Location: Bexley

Appeal failed!

Post by Bexleymum »

Found out this morning that our appeal was unsuccessful. :(

Very upset as the school we were appealing for had everything for our daughter. We are not very happy with the school we have been allocated neither.

For a school that is oversubsribed does the panel members have to be the same?

I ask this question as we were first given a date of 30th May for which we could not attend, we were then given 14th June 2007. However, the panel members were different for each date, and the panel who heard our appeal did not know much about the school we were appealing for even though our appeal was on the very last day! (17 appeals).
Guest

Post by Guest »

Hi bexleymum

I'm so sorry to hear your news, you must be very diappointed with the outcome. Were you appealing for Townley? If it's any consolation a friend of mine appealed for her daughter. She had passed the test well but did'nt get in as school was oversubscribed. unfortunately, like you her appeal has been rejected.

You have done all that you can do.

Kentmum
lucy

appeal failed

Post by lucy »

dear bexley mum
sorry about your news it is a real blow but beyond our control now how was your appeal do you think it was fair?
take care
lucy
Bexleymum
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2007 1:10 pm
Location: Bexley

Post by Bexleymum »

I'm not sure if I had a fair appeal - I think I will request the clerks notes, just to make sure and find out what they took into consideration when making their decision.

How about you Lucy - Do you think you had a fair appeal and are you going to request the clerks notes?

BM
Etienne
Posts: 8978
Joined: Mon Dec 12, 2005 6:26 pm

Re: Appeal failed!

Post by Etienne »

Dear Bexleymum

So sorry to hear your news.

In answer to your question, I think it depends how the appeals were organised .......
Bexleymum wrote:For a school that is oversubscribed do the panel members have to be the same?
I ask this question as we were first given a date of 30th May for which we could not attend, we were then given 14th June 2007. However, the panel members were different for each date.
For an appeal just against non-qualification, I see no need for the same panel to be involved as the case can be decided entirely on its own merits (should the child be deemed qualified or not?).
For an appeal against oversubscription, if you were part of a batch of appeals, all being heard around the same time (for example, starting late May and finishing mid-June), then I think the panel should be the same, because it may be necessary to compare the strength of different cases.
However, if there were two separate batches of appeals, one in May (at the end of which decisions were made), and a completely separate batch in June (at the end of which a second round of decisions were made), then the panel could be different.

The code of practice says:
Multiple appeals
4.68 Appeal panels will often have to handle appeals from a number of parents who all wish their children to be admitted to a popular school. In these circumstances, it is advisable to arrange appeal timetables so that one appeal panel comprising all the same members considers all the appeals.

4.69 Where multiple appeals for the same school are being heard, decisions should not be made on individual cases until all parents have been involved in both stages of the process, or an injustice could result. Note-taking by the clerk to the panel will be important in these circumstances. However, appeal panels will need to take
account of circumstances where a parent asks to be heard later than the time arranged. If the gap is significant, it might not be reasonable to hold up decisions for the majority.

4.70 If there are exceptional circumstances, and more than one panel has to consider appeals for the same school, each panel must make its own decisions absolutely independently, since decisions can only be taken by members who hear the appeals and only on the basis of the evidence put forward in the appeal hearing in the presence of both parties.

Procedures for dealing with multiple appeals
4.71 The following approach to multiple appeals may be used:

First, the panel should assess whether admitting all the pupils would cause prejudice to efficient education or the efficient use of resources (‘prejudice’), and whether the child would have been offered a place if the admission arrangements had been properly implemented. If the panel finds that admission of the appellants would not cause such prejudice, then their appeals should be upheld.
Second, if the panel decides that admission of additional children would result in prejudice, it should consider, for each individual case, whether the parent’s grounds for their child to be admitted to the school outweigh such prejudice. This involves no comparison between appellants’ cases.
However, if there are several cases which outweigh the prejudice to the school and merit admission, but the panel determine that the school could not cope with that number of successful appeals, the panel should then compare cases and decide which of them to uphold.

4.72 Appeal panels should deal with multiple appeals in one of two ways:

Grouped appeals: where the admission authority’s case in respect of a school is heard once for the first stage of the appeal.
In this scenario, the admission authority presents its general case (the factual stage) in the presence of all or groups of parents (and any representatives) who may question the case. If the panel concludes that prejudice exists, it will be necessary to move to the second stage. At this stage, the appeals of the individual parents should be heard without the presence of the others, including consideration of whether the admission arrangements were properly applied. No decisions should be taken until all the appeals have been heard.
Individual appeals: where the admission authority presents its case, followed by the individual parents’ cases, as in the order of the hearing set out in paragraph 4.48. In these circumstances, the panel will hear the admission authority’s case repeatedly. If there are large numbers of appeals, it may be better to hold grouped appeals.

Regards
Etienne
lucy

appeal failed

Post by lucy »

hi bexleymum
hope your now feeling a lot better think my appeal not very fair felt hurried they all shuffled the paper work one member said words which i knew he was not on my side your son is very able but he is not outstanding from all the evidence before him
must be exceptoinal for grammer.or words like that .no clerk we had a county solicitor did not seem to write a lot . chairman told us he is clerk to the governors brother clerk did all the paperwork ect before the actual appeal I wonder what etienne will say about that? not sure if i will take things further its all very draining. sorry for my rather awfull spelling
thinking of you
lucy
LBSWM

Post by LBSWM »

Dear Bexleymum

So sorry to hear that your appeal was unsuccessful.

Your alternative school does not seem promising from your previous post. I feel your utmost disappointment at the results and that things seem to be out of your hands.

I hope and pray that somehow you will find positive things about your situation and turn what is not a good time to a more bearable one.

Thinking of you very much,

LBSWM
cindy
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:27 pm
Location: somewhere in kent

Post by cindy »

Me too. Sad for you..............It all just seems so unfair.

thinking of you.


Cindy
Bexley
Posts: 128
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:13 pm

Post by Bexley »

:( Sorry, Bexleymum. That result must be very frustrating for you all.
Rosey
Posts: 345
Joined: Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:44 pm

Post by Rosey »

Bexleymum

I am so sorry. I can't think what to say that has not already been said.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do next. We will all suport you here.

Take Care

Rosex
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