About school admission appeals 

When you can appeal 

If your child has been refused a place at a school you applied for, you have the right to appeal. 

You cannot appeal for a place at a school you have not applied for. 

It’s important that you do not decline the school your child has been offered. Declining an offer does not affect the outcome of an appeal against another school.  

Schools fill all their places from the admissions process and do not reserve places for successful appeals. If your appeal is successful, the school will have to admit your child by going above their admissions limit. 

Reasons your child has not been offered a place 

Your child has not been offered a place at your preferred school because the school received more applications than they have places, and other applicants were a higher priority. Priorities are set under the school's published admissions criteria. 

The main consideration is the distance between a child’s home and the school. This means that other applicants live nearer to the school. 

Before you submit an appeal 

Before you complete an appeal form, we recommend that you: 

  • consider the school's admission arrangements 
  • check where you need to submit your appeal to 
  • prepare your reasons and evidence