Number 49 – Mon 17th March 2014

T is number 49 on the waiting list for his first choice of secondary school. I found that out today. 48 people ahead of us, that is a whole class and a bit more.

I don’t know. Part of me feels that this isn’t worth it, the stress and waiting for an appeal. We aren’t going to know until mid June (at the earliest) the decision as appeals are made directly to the school and not via the LEA.

Then there’ll need to be transition over and above the bog-standard one day visit. It’s a lot to ask of T, more uncertainty and indecision for 3 more months over something as important as secondary school.

But it is important, vital for T that he’s in a setting that he’ll comfortable in.

Bizarrely even though we are classed as out of catchment area – but within borough – the school we’re appealing for is quicker to reach than the school he’s been allocated. There is a school bus service to the preferred school, a very direct service that would be ideal for T, whereas the school he’s been placed in has no bus service, it’s way off main roads and would be at least 1.5 hours walk each way. He doesn’t have a statement so school transport would not be provided (in fact the SEN department would not advise me at all once they knew he was Unstatemented). And it just didn’t “feel” right, whereas preferred school had a lovely community feel about it. Which is probably why we are number 49 on the waiting list.

I’ve answered my own question haven’t I, blogging is soooooo good for that sometimes.

I need to carry on with this appeal to know that we’ve tried our best to get a setting where T will be able to continue to flourish. He deserves it and I don’t think T would expect anything less from me.

Despite all the above rattling around in my head, T and D have both had a good start to the week.

D happily recounting her weekend in News to class (in mainstream she couldn’t even get through the door most days, much less speak up) and T enjoying his busy Monday of school, after school football club and then football training. Football is his fascination and his passion, if he’s not playing then he’s compiling statistics and gathering facts. I guess to anyone else, it may seem like a busy, tiring day but a sunny Monday packed full of football sets him up for the week…and being Number 49 he’s going to need plenty of sunny Mondays in the next few months.

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