Anyone know much about schools pan and appeals?

School pans can change from year to year often when the LA ask a school to take extra children for a year or for several years. This pan can then drop back to the original pan if not needed, the extra children were a challenge to far or if the PAN has been altered by the correct process.

The presenting Officer will cover the PAN and the various numbers accepted in each category and may well answer your query in this process. You will be given the opportunity after they have completed their presentation on the paperwork to ask any questions. This is your time to query any differences. Then the panel will ask the PO questions on the presentation and the same data you will have been given.

I'm still so confused about that. How can they publish the upper number is they only can fit 1320 like they say? I wi question it for sure.

Do u know anthting about the fair access Protocol for in term admissions?

FAP is for those children without a school place.

This may be for a range of reasons and is a separate process to appeals. You need to qualify as a hard to place child first and this doesn't mean you will get the desire place as hard to place children are accepted above the PAN but generally limited to 3 per year group or less if a smaller school.

Each year may have a different pan number and the number on the appeals paperwork should be the latest but you can check on the councils school application brochure.

Thank you for replying Linda. I will call the LA to ask about this if we don't get a place via appeal as I truely belive my son comes under the eligibility criteria 🙏

Has a place been offered?

Well this is when I am very confused. Technically yes, it was offered for our old address. We were rehoused because we are in social housing for my sons medical needs. We bidded on the house on 16th Nov, and the deadline for preference change was 30th Nov. I have proof that I was calling and emailing the council for a response on if we had the house as i needed to know for my sons high school place and they failed to let me know until 8th Dec. A week after the deadline shut. They have not offered us a reasonable school place at the new address. When we received our letter to state we haven't got a place at this school they did not offer the nearest school with a space to him so he now doesn't have a school place. The allocated school was declined as due to my sons medical needs it is completely unreasonable and not possible for him to go there. He will be out of education if he doesn't win the appeal and he also have special educational needs without an ehcp. I know it's difficult but I am going to press on at the council with the evidence I have as I feel my child who is already recognised as vulnerable has been completely put to the bottom of the pile due to his social and medical needs. We had to move because of his medical needs, we had absolutely no say in where or when. I will speak go the council 🙏

If the council had let me know in time he would absolutely have place at the local school as its a feeder for the area and his new primary school

He was offered a place and would be unlikely to fall under hard to place but do check.

Do you have a medical report naming the school and the reasons why? You will need a named medical statement for any appeal or the Fair access panel.

Have you spoken to the Council travel to school team because the appeals panel will ask you what you have found out and also ask the PO about the travel distances and routes. Likely someone on the panel will have looked at bus routes and travel times too.

I would also get a letter from his old school to clarify what support was in place for him when he was there.

I do get what you mean but I feel it is unfair as because of the housing situation he was given an unsuitable school place for his special needs. I can only speak to the council about our individual circumstances and see what they say. I have a named medical statement with his diagnosis on but not the school. I've tried and tried no one is getting back to me with what I need.

I have spoken to the travel team because the allocated school was 7.8 miles away it was above the walking distance, he could get a free bus pass but again, this would be 2 public buses not to mention the walk alone without peers to the bus stop and then around the local town to the other bus, then from where the bus drops him off to the walk up to school and back. With his medical needs he would not be able to do this safely, his doctors note backs this up. If he was a neurotypical child I agree that travel grounds are unreasonable but this would actually be unsafe for him. I asked travel about a taxi they might provide, which is true they could. Again I would worry about my child's wellbeing and resilience as he wouldn't be able to attend any extra curricular activities with peers as it states taxis provided by the la are set jobs and come when school starts and ends. This is just another reason for segregation as well as the fact he would be going to school with absolutely no one from his area or school, I can confidently say not 1 child from that school will be from our area. I'm on it with they old school in going in on Monday to speak to the head to get copies of all his iep

If the medical report is clearly the doctors opinion along with the medical reasons for the named one and only school this will likely carry a lot of weight.

If the letter reflects the parents views it is of little value.

Thank you If I am honest I don't think the appeal will go out way. So I really hope I can fight and advocate for my son for the FAP. I did speak with the education law website today and they said if I have proof I contacted the council to push to find out the house was ours ( which I do) and I can proof I would have been offered a local school had we known we had got the property then I have grounds for an discussion. I honestly feel for my son. I feel he is being penalised because of the system of social housing :( my poor boy. Appreciate your knowledge Linda. I will keep you updated with the result 🙏

The PO will cover this if you are raising this as part of your argument. The panel has to dig into whether the process was legal and accurate under the first part of the appeal.

Good luck

Thank you Linda. Can I just ask, for our old address, we weren't given any of out preferences we were put on the nearest school with space. Once I changed my preference to appeal school after offer day as we had moved, when they sent me a letter telling me he hasn't got a place they did not allocate him a school nearest to him with spaces. Should they have done this because on my la website I just keep saying that they should.

Because the school he has been allocated definitely isn't the nearest school with spaces, maybe now as all the local schools are full but at the time of receiving the refusal letter they weren't.