Lottery slashes successful school place appeals (From The Argus)

Lottery slashes successful school place appeals

9:44am Wednesday 13th August 2008 in

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The number of parents successfully overriding their children's school allocation on appeal has been slashed by two-thirds since the introduction of a new lottery system for deciding places.

In recent years families had increasingly found ways of getting the secondary school they wanted for their child, often by employing the services of professional experts, but it appears Brighton and Hove's new admissions scheme has closed most of the loopholes.

Very few parents have managed to overturn an allocation made by the lottery itself.

The city's two most oversubscribed schools, Dorothy Stringer and Blatchington Mill, had been forced to take around 30 extra pupils in each of the past few years.

This year, the first since a new admissions system was introduced, the number of families successfully winning places at the two schools for their children on appeal was around 10.

Due to other changes to regulations appeals are still being held and final figures are not yet known.

Parent Tracey-Ann Ross, of Exeter Street, Brighton, was one of those who was unsuccessful in her first appeal. She wanted her son to go to Blatchington Mill, in Nevill Avenue, Hove, rather than Hove Park School, in Hangleton Way, Hove, which he was initially allocated.

She was among 65 whose appeals for Blatchington Mill places were rejected.

Mrs Ross said: "We had a very strong case based on medical grounds which could be better met by the school but we were turned down because it obviously didn't meet the criteria they were judging by. Very few people have ."

Brighton and Hove City Council, which is responsible for school admissions, said it had heard 145 appeals about secondary school allocations so far this year and that of them only 38 had been successful.

The council used a new admissions system for the first time this year. It was introduced following a string of high profile political debates and demonstrations by parents both supporting and opposing the plan.

Parents were allowed to choose their three preferred schools but priority at oversubscribed schools was given to children living in newly created catchments. Two of the six catchment areas contained two schools and a lottery was used to decide which children gained places at the more popular of each pair.

The old system had given priority places to children living the shortest walking distance from the schools. It was scrapped because some areas of the city were too far from their nearest schools for children to have a chance of gaining a place.

Parents are entitled to appeal against the allocation made by the council if they feel their child has a special reason to be at a particular school.

Expert Sam Murray, from the Advisory Centre for Education, said: "It could be that part of the reason for the drop is that there are fewer grey areas. In the past parents would have been able to appeal if they believed the council had measured the distance from the school to their home wrong. That option is not there anymore."

Councillor Ted Kemble, deputy to education cabinet member Vanessa Brown, said: "We believe that the new admission arrangements have opened up fairer access to secondary schools for a greater part of the city.

"We are aware that there are still many parents and carers who have not been able to secure a place at their preferred school for their child, and we are sorry that is the case. Realistically the council must use all of its schools to meet the demand for secondary school places and will plan to provide for school places where they are needed.

"We remain committed to making all of our schools equally attractive to parents and pupils and will continue to monitor how the new admission system operates in the coming years."

Have you been through the appeals process? Post your comments below.