Guidance for parents and guardians on school admission appeals

Your appeal will be heard by the Appeal Panel remotely by video conference.

At least 10 school days' before your appeal, the Appeals Team will email you the date and time of your appeal hearing and other information. One appeal may involve two separate hearings which may be on two different days.

There may be one hearing where you are the only person appealing for a place at the school. Where there are multiple parents appealing, one appeal may involve two separate hearings, (a Stage 1 hearing and a Stage 2 hearing), which may be on two different days. At Stage 1, the admission authority explains its case for refusal to all parents appealing for the school. At Stage 2, you are invited to explain why you are appealing and no other parents attend the hearing.

A friend or representative can attend the hearing to support you. Tell the Appeals Team the name of the person and their role.

About a week before your appeal hearing, the Appeals Team will send copies of the appeal papers to you, the Appeal Panel, the Clerk to the Appeal Panel and the Admission Authority. The appeal papers will include:

• your appeal form and the written evidence you submitted by the deadline date; and
• the admission authority’s written case explaining why you were refused a place at the school

Check that the evidence you submitted by the deadline is included in the appeal papers. Read the appeal papers before your appeal hearing.

The Clerk to the Appeal Panel will email you the invitation (or invitations) to your appeal hearing (or hearings) a few days beforehand.

If you don’t receive the invitation/s to your appeal hearing/s, check you included the correct email address on your appeal form and check your junk folder.

At the appeal hearing, the admission authority will explain why it refused your application for the school place. The Appeal Panel and you can ask the admission authority questions about its case. You will be invited to explain your reasons for appeal. The Appeal Panel and admission authority may ask you questions.

The Appeal Panel will make its decision after you and the admission authority have left the hearing.

The Appeal Panel will uphold or dismiss your appeal depending on whether it decides you or the admission authority have the stronger case.

You should let the Appeals Team know, as soon as possible, if:

• you are not attending your appeal hearing. The Appeal Panel can make its decision after considering your written information
• you want to cancel your appeal. Appeals are very expensive for schools and time-consuming for schools and volunteer panel members. Time and costs can be saved if you don’t want to continue with your appeal
• you want the Appeals Team to arrange an interpreter
• you want help with accessing your remote appeal hearing