School appeal for NT child

[justine1]

Hi

 

Wasnt sure whether to put this under here or further down the page as its not really ASD related..not directly anyway.

 

So my 4 year old Eli has attended school full time since september. We used to live just a 15minute walk from his school however we recently moved and we are 2.6miles from his school.

 

Originally I decided to continue sending him to his school,dropping him at the childminder before work(7am) and fetching him after(4pm) however I do not get much help financially and its costing me £60p/week to send him to school.

I decided to apply to a nearby school (0.5 miles) it is a Cof E school and we have started attending church(prior to applying) the boys have always attended church with their father anyway, however he is a jealous selfish man so won't get his priest to sign the supplementry form. Luckily the school is not voluntary aided so we do not really need the supplementry form.

 

We were rejected the school place two weeks after applying as they state the class has already got 30 children. I am now going to appeal. here are my arguments,which I have given evidence for:

 

1. I work part time and I am a fulltime student nurse(I do 37.5 hours a week uni or placement) I start as early as 7am and get home around 4.30..sometimes later. My partner is at home full time however he has to be at home for Sam and Dan taxi's..which come at 8.15am and arrive at 3.20pm after school. Neither of us drive.

 

2. The bus that does go to the school gets to the school 9.10am (which my partner would not make anyway if either of the other taxis dont arrive on time...happens at least twice a week) and then after school there is one at 2.30pm or 3.30pm( that means my partner will be too late for the other two boys) The bus station is also 0.9miles from our home...further than the school I have applied for. He also has our baby daughter with him and the bus is not flat,has stairs.

 

3.We are on a low income so cannot afford to pay for a taxi for him. In fact I already pay for Dan's taxi as he has no statement just diagnosis and he has always done well where he is.

 

So I am wondering what to do now. I informed his current school that I could no longer bring him,after half term. They are insisting that he should be in a school,despite the fact I said I am going through appeal and that it is really not a viable option to send him there. They did enquire about transport but apparently he is not eligible until after his 5th birthday(he turns 5 in July.)

 

What are my rights and where should I turn?

The government build these houses not thinking about where children will go to school and they want people to work which I do but do nothing to help, very frustrated!

 

Any advice will be appreciated.

Edited May 18, 2013 by justine1

[caci]

I don't have any personal experience of appealing for a place for a NT child, but I know someone who has tried.

 

The NT child had a disabled sibling, and the family situation was a bit like yours (someone needed at home to meet taxi for disabled child, parents could be needed at short notice for appointments with disabled child etc) and the appeal commitee ruled that NONE of those issues were relevant to the appeal.

 

What they want is proof that this is the right choice for the child you are applying for the place for.

 

If it is not too late, can you re-word things a bit ?

 

Things like ...leaving your son long hours with a childminder is distressing for such a young child, and point out how much better it would be for HIM to be taken to and from school by his parents

 

Basically you need to be seen to put this child's interests first (which I know you are)

[justine1]

Thanks for the reply. Yes my brother is disabled and also could no longer walk the 1.4miles to his son's school, his catchment school(0.1mile!) was supposedly fil. They also sent him to appeal but the stress of it all got to him and he did not appeal three months later they offered him a place anyway. So I am hoping for the same.

 

My only concern is not too much the appeal but more the fact that I cannot get him to school right now and wondered where I stand on this issue. As I say if my partner could drive this would not be an issue but we can't. The only other option would be to use the bus but as I say he will be late everyday and have to finish early to,thus he would actually only be getting about 4 hours of education(if you take off lunch/play time) I obviously do not want to be fined for not taking him to school but what option do I have. I was also under the assumption that although the lengthened the school day for under 5's in 2009 the law still remains that a child does not legally have to attend school until the term following their 5th birthday which will be september,so instead of appealing for a reception class place I would be asking for a year 1 class,which is exactly the situation my brother was in.

 

Forgot to add that my four boys currently go to four different schools and Eli is not the youngest. My daughter will be going to school in three years time and she is more likely to be accepted to the school I currently want for Eli,so in that case I will have five children and five different schools??? I do like his current school and if they could provide transport that would be great but it still makes things very complicated.

Edited May 18, 2013 by justine1

[cathcart3303]

You could contact the local authority transport department and ask them regarding transport to school. As you have exceptional circumstances. Worth trying. If your child is 5 in July the LA have an obligation to provide education in that term (and surely transport but check LA policy).

[nicadh]

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