Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Landmark school admissions ruling for Haringey mother.

Pupils cannot be denied a place in their preferred schools simply because they are full, a court ruled yesterday.

The landmark High Court judgement is likely to give hope to thousands of families who challenge the schools they are allocated each year before independent appeals panels (IAPs).

In the case, the mother of an 11-year-old girl took her battle to London's High Court after an appeal panel rejected her choice of secondary school because it was full.

The mother - referred to as M - wanted her daughter (MC) to be educated away from her London inner city neighbourhood and its problems of crime and bullying. The mother had applied to a popular and oversubscribed school but she was rejected by Haringey's schools council admissions service.

The ruling means M and her daughter are entitled to a fresh hearing before the IPA.

This was the first High Court case to examine provisions of the new schools admissions appeal code 2009. It will provide guidelines for parents and education authorities in the future.

More on the ruling here.

Tags for Forum Posts: haringey heartlands, school funding

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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on November 2, 2009 at 12:06

Fascinating word "partnerships". It attributes common interests to different groups of people, agencies and organisations who quite often have conflicting goals and values.

Kate Macintosh recently wrote an interesting letter to The Guardian about the RAF Nimrod crash. She pointed out that describing BAE Systems as the Government's "partners" shows how the blurring of boundaries between the public interest and corporate interest has become "so all-pervasive that it goes unnoticed in Whitehall".

A similar process has happened in local government, where contracts are awarded to businesses and agencies large and small - who are routinely referred to as "our partners".

Some are invited onto so-called "partnership boards" which make or influence key decisions about policy and the award of future contracts. Some individuals move seamlessly across public, private and non-profit agency boundaries. The move to privatisation in Education ownership and management has been followed with similar developments in Regeneration and in Social Housing agencies.

The issue is not about working with private or non-profit sector agencies as such. But the vanishing boundaries; and a lack of clarity about the overall public interest

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Permalink Reply by Susan on November 1, 2009 at 19:29

When school age children I always say 'pardon, could you repeat that please'. They usually shuffle off then. Alternatively, try 'would you like me to mention to your mother you said that when I next see her?'.

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on November 3, 2009 at 15:27

From Adam Coffman in Westminster (by carrier pigeon):

There will be an adjournment debate in the House of Commons, in WESTMINSTER HALL at 4pm, WEDNESDAY, 4th November on the need to fund Haringey schools fairly.

For more information on the issue of underfunding in Haringey schools see www.fairdeaiforharingeychildren.org

Headteachers, teachers, parents and school governors are invited to attend this debate, and to take part in a photo-call afterwards at 5pm.