Applying for secondary school for DS2

[PinkSapphire]

My middle son Daniel is now in Year 6 so I am at the horrible applying for secondary school stage again (My eldest Luke started last year!)

 

Daniel does not have ASD but does have Dyspraxia and also undiagnosed Dyslexia, he is not statemented.

 

I thought/hoped he would follow his older brother into the very good school he goes to, but I have just read the schools admissions criterias in detail and it says ;

 

"The sibling rule will NOT apply to any applicant who has a brother or sister admitted to the school if the sibling was admitted under exceptional circumstances arising from local agreements to comply with the statutory obligations of the Local Education Authority referred to in 4.3 above, unless the sibling would also have been admitted under one of the other admissions criteria."

 

Luke only got in because of his statement so now I am really worried/stressed

[Karen A]

Hi.In our area applications can be made to the LEA for particular schools on social grounds.Could you try saying that you would like your children to stay together as DS2 is a social support ?

I know your LEA are less than helful but thought it might be worth a try.Karen.

[PinkSapphire]

Thanks hun, our LEA do not have any clue about anything social lol.

 

I have just been looking at other secondary schools in my borough to see what their criteria are and have NOT found ANY other that says the sibling rule is not applied if an older sibling got in through "special circumstances"

 

Surely they cannot do this, why should it matter that my older son got in because he was statemented? seems like discrimination the more I think about it.

[pumpkinpie]

Have you had any indication from the school that the normal sibling rules will not apply? I just think its too early to worry about this if you havent had any indication this will be their stanse.

I would be interested saying that to hear what ipsea has to say about it?

[LKS]

Hi PSA how are you. My dd brought her applying for secondary school package home today, have looked through the criteria for school you are interested in, it says

Criterion i children who have a brother or sister as a student at *** at the date of application.

Parents are required to provide on the application form sufficient details of the brother or sister (who forms the basis of the application under this criterion) to enable governors to satisfy themselves that a valid qualifying relationship exists. It also goes on to say that you must send the applications officer a full version of the birth certificate of the brother or sister already at the school. I have looked very carefully through the info and can't see anything about siblings of students that got a place because they are statmented being excluded from the sibling rule. (Was the info you saw on their website?) I also saw for their 181 places they had 1154 applications last year. Hope some of this helps and good luck. Haven't got a clue what I'm going to do about my dd yet. The LA as usual have been their usual helpful self.

[PinkSapphire]

Hi PSA how are you. My dd brought her applying for secondary school package home today, have looked through the criteria for school you are interested in, it says

Criterion i children who have a brother or sister as a student at *** at the date of application.

Parents are required to provide on the application form sufficient details of the brother or sister (who forms the basis of the application under this criterion) to enable governors to satisfy themselves that a valid qualifying relationship exists. It also goes on to say that you must send the applications officer a full version of the birth certificate of the brother or sister already at the school. I have looked very carefully through the info and can't see anything about siblings of students that got a place because they are statmented being excluded from the sibling rule. (Was the info you saw on their website?) I also saw for their 181 places they had 1154 applications last year. Hope some of this helps and good luck. Haven't got a clue what I'm going to do about my dd yet. The LA as usual have been their usual helpful self.

 

 

Hi hun,

 

Yes it was on their own website, where they go into details of what happens when they are oversubscribed (which of course is every year lol)

It says,

 

5.3.4 The sibling rule will NOT apply to any applicant who has a brother or sister admitted to the school if the sibling was admitted under exceptional circumstances arising from local agreements to comply with the statutory obligations of the Local Education Authority referred to in 4.3 above, unless the sibling would also have been admitted under one of the other admissions criteria.

[pumpkinpie]

I think they would have difficulty arguing this rule as to me it really would be a breach of the disability discrimination act! Personally I dont think they would win!

[LKS]

I think a little call/e-mail to the admissions team is called for here and point out to them that the admissions criteria published on the schools website is not the same as the criteria published in the official starting secondary school in ***** 2008. Maybe our local rag would be interested as well he he.

[Frangipani]

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