First school place offer posted on ebay

The number of parents unable to secure a first choice school placement for their child is on the rise; with many parents becoming frustrated by local authority procedures warns Moore Blatch Resolve.

A Dad, Paul Day, who had attempted to negotiate with his local authority, eventually put his child’s offer of a reception place for September 2011 on eBay to try and obtain a different school place for his son.

Moore Blatch Resolve educational expert, Leena Hurloll, says that many parents are resorting to alternative solutions to try and find their child a school place, but there are set procedures in place that unfortunately cannot be circumvented by other means.

In Mr Day’s case, his application on behalf of his son was not timely and so he did not gain a place at his first choice of school.

Leena continues: “Although I admire Mr Day’s creativity, even if another parent were to offer an equivalent place at another school – places can’t be exchanged in that way.

“Most popular and oversubscribed schools will have a waiting list and those children would have to be offered a place first. Parents disappointed by the offer made to their child will need to appeal the decision with their local authority and follow the appropriate procedure.”

So exactly what are the options available for parents that are disappointed by the place offered to their child? Leena provides some advice below:

• Make sure you accept the place your child has been offered, as this will give you a failsafe should any appeal be unsuccessful.

• Contact your local authority and confirm their appeal procedure - this can vary slightly and it's important to ensure that you are aware of what is required in your area.

• Your appeal should be limited to one school which you ideally want your child to attend.

• If you want more than one school to be considered as an alternative choice, you may need to appeal individually for each preferred school. Bear in mind that different authorities can have different criteria and procedure.

• Any appeal will require parents to detail their reasons, which can be supported by a number of extenuating circumstances such as; proximity to the school, medical reasons, if there are siblings already attending. Parents must provide good reasons and supporting evidence for their child's appeal.