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SCHOOL PLACE APPEALS HAVE SLIM’ CHANCE, PARENTS TOLD

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By Rayhan Ahmed Topader :

Desperate parents who are unhappy with the primary school their child has been allocated were warned to think twice before appealing. Thousands of London parents are expected to
be disappointed when the places are announced.

But the good Schools Guide said the chance of success at appeal was “Incredibly slim”and urged parents to properly consider the School they had been given before rejecting it. Bernadette John, adviser for the Good Schools Guide, said that bad Ofsted reports, distance from home and having siblings at other schools were not considered grounds for a appeal.

Elizabeth Coatman, specialist in state education for the Guide,said; Many children will again be placed in schools which parents feel to be unacc- eptable.These could have over-sized classes, bad Ofsted reports and might also be a conside- rable distance from home, making the logistics of the School run harder.While there is an appeals proc- ess,the chances of success are tiny for infant
classes.

The Guide said parents whose children were allo- cated unwanted schools should take a moment to check out the School in greater detail. It might be better than you fear”.It added, Even if the

[[ London pupils take Most Language GCSEs:— Inner London is the only place in the country were the number of children taking langu- age GASEs is growing,New figures show. The study, published by the British council and Education Development Trust, found foreign language lessons are thriving in London but dropping in the rest of the country.

Nine of the 10 local authorities with the highest proportions of pupils taking a language GCSE are all in the capital, and at A-level nearly a quarter of all language exams in the country are taken by London pupils.Experts have said it could be because London children are exposed to many different cultures and see the value of speaking another language. It can’t simply be explained by the number of London children who speak a foreign language at home and take a GCSE in I,
the report said.

In inner London the proportion of children taking a language GCSE rose from 62-64% between 2014 and 201. The proportions in outer London 60%, the South-East 51% and East 49% stayed the same but fell everywhere else. Kensington and Chelsea has the country’s top rate, which is 74%, with Stoke-on-Trent lowest at 36%. ]]

local reputation of the School is bad, that could
be based on out of date information. Speak to parents at the School. Find out how young the teaching staff are,having a core of long-serving, older teachers may tell you something about how the staff are treated and how experience is valued.

In Bristol, some 4.4% of applicants or 251children were left without any of their preferred schools.

Essex Country Council said it had created 3,000 new places this year but still had not been able to offer first-choice schools in 12.6% of cases.

In Leeds,13% of parents didn’t receive their first choice, though this was better than last year.

It said parents could get on waiting lists at other schools, while accepting the original place as an insurance policy and urged them not to criticise the allocated school in front of their children. Parents who do appeal will have to prove a mista- ke was made in the admissions process, that the admissions policy is unlawful or that no reaso- nable person would come to that decision.

The Government and local authorities pointed out that the vast majority of pupils were allocated places at one of their three preferred schools.But while the day brought relief for many, others were left contemplating entering the appeals system or accepting a longer journey with their four-year-old in September.

Professor Raihan Ahmed Topader  raihan567@yahoo.co.uk