Appeals

You have the right to appeal for more than one school if you wish to.

An appeal request form will be sent to you with your allocation letter; you will need to complete this form if you wish to request appeal papers and return it to the Admissions Team using the address at the bottom of this page.

You will then be sent an appeal form to be completed and returned to the Admissions Team. You will need to complete one form per appeal per school.

The decision of the appeal panel is final and legally binding upon both the parent and Local Authority (LA).

In nearly all cases, further appeals will not be possible. This is because it is the policy of the LA not to consider repeat applications in the same academic year, unless there has been a significant and material change in circumstances relevant to the application.

There are very strict guidelines as to what may be considered as a significant and material change in circumstances relevant to the application.

Examples could be a serious medical condition which has arisen since the time the original application was made, or that the family has moved into the catchment area.

Where the Admissions Manager determines that this is the case, and the LA again cannot admit the child to the school, the parents will have the right to a fresh appeal.

If the Admissions Manager determines that there has not been a significant and material change in circumstances, then no fresh decision on the application will be made and a new appeal will not be permitted.

Please note that Independent Appeal Panels are not able to consider appeals against the level or type of provision in mainstream schools where pupils are subject to a statement of special educational needs, which specifies provision in a mainstream school.

For pupils who have a statement of special educational needs, appeals against the provision or placement named by the LA, on the child’s statement of special educational needs, should be referred to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.

This Tribunal is established separately under the terms of the Education Act 1996, through the Tribunals Service which administers these appeals. Appeals can only be made within two months of the issuing of the final statement.