After a long wait, we were finally notified of which senior school my eldest will be going to in September. To say I am aggrieved at the decision is putting it mildly. They have given us a school that wasn't even in my top 3 choices, it wouldn't have even been in the top 50.

Back in my school days we used to call it pramland as the majority of girls were pregnant by the time they were 14.

Apart from the school being one of the worst in Hull, it is also some distance away and a complicated route with a lot of busy roads to cross. As those of you who have read my blogs before will know that my daughter has ADHD and other behavioural/ emotional and social difficulties. She isn't very good at crossing roads, she'll remember to look one way get distracted and step into the road. Scary.

So apart from the fact the school is difficult to get to, has a bad reputation, the other downside is she won't know a soul there and that is a horrific situation to foist on someone with the difficulties that she has. She finds any kind of change and unfamiliarity very hard to deal with and the fallout from such unfamiliarity will lead to her displaying the very worst of her behaviour (biting herself, tantrums, refusal to do just about everything).

The school of my choice is a 15 minute walk away down a straight road, she knows where it is and is confident about going there. Lots of people she knows already go there and lots will be going in September. The comfort of seeing familiar faces and having some older kids there who will look out for her will make the transition from primary to senior a much smoother affair.

If anyone has gone through an appeal and can give me any tips on how to go about facing a board of officials, I would be more then grateful!