School admissions 2023: How to appeal if you are not happy with the decision

It can be a daunting time for families when they wait to find out whether or not their child got a place in their chosen secondary school.

March 1 is National Offer Day – the day that all Year 6 students find out the secondary school they have been allocated.

If you find yourself unhappy with the choice of school your child has been offered, you can appeal the council’s decision.

Experts believe the number of children getting their first choice school will be at an all-time low due to a birth rate spike in recent years.

You are entitled to appeal against the council’s decision - refusing the school they have allocated to your child. You can do this online on your council’s website, where an online admission appeal form should be available.

Details of how to appeal should also be included with the letter you received, and sometimes an appeal form is automatically included.

It is also worth checking with the school your child has been placed in, as some schools handle their own appeals.

Your local council should list all schools with their appeal process on their website. If you have been refused a place at one of these schools, you may have to contact the school directly.

Local councils recommend accepting the place you have been offered, and then appealing if it isn’t for the school you were hoping for.

Even if you want to appeal for a place at another school, you must accept the place you have been offered - doing so will not affect your appeal.

If your child has been permanently excluded from two or more schools, you cannot appeal for two years from the date of the latest exclusion.

All local authorities and schools urge parents to submit their appeals as soon as possible. They usually set a deadline towards the end of March but it could be earlier so make sure you check.

Local authorities can hear appeals between April and July. Most appeals are generally heard by the end of June. Councils’ deadlines are on their websites.

If you miss the deadline, your hearing could be pushed back to the summer holidays or even September or October. It can be difficult to arrange some appeal hearings while schools are closed for the summer.

Appeals are handled by an independent education appeal panel. Your appeal will be heard by three people including at least one lay person. If they decide you have a good case, they can give you a place.

The school will present its case for why it cannot take extra children and why it would be bad for the school if it had to.

You must present your reasons for why your child must go to this school and why it would be bad for your child if they had to go to a different school. Try to support your case with evidence if you can. The panel listen to both cases, ask questions and then decides which case is stronger.