DadTalk

Secondary School National Offer Day

ACE launch a new website to help thousands of families handle applying for a school and appealing

ACE launch new website

The Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) launch a website to help thousands of families handle applying for a school and appealing.

Monday 2nd March 2009 was Secondary School National Offer Day, when local authorities sent letters to thousands of families in England telling them what secondary school place their child has been offered. ACE, the leading charity providing free, independent advice on a wide range of school issues, launched its new website on the same day to enable parents and carers to easily access information on any part of the admissions process, including what to do if they wish to appeal.

Simon Hepburn, Chief Executive of ACE, said: “This is a very anxious time for many families and we hope our new website helps people to access information and advice. From January to March 2008, over 40% of the calls we received were on school admissions and appeals and over 39,230 admission appeals were heard from 2006 - 2007. Our message to parents and carers who have not been offered the school they want is: don’t panic, seek help, think about appealing, put your child’s name on waiting lists and go to visit alternative schools. It may feel like the end of the road but it is not - contact ACE for advice on what you can do.”

ACE provides information and advice on a wide range of school issues - from bullying to exclusions, disabilities and special educational needs to admissions and attendance. They also provide advice on the small questions that parents and carers may have about the education system - if they just want to check a fact, they can get in touch.

To contact ACE go to the DadTalk useful links page

ACE gives advice to all parents and carers of children educated in state schools. They have been advising parents and carers for over 45 years.