Appeal a school admissions decision

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

Appeals must be based on evidence, not personal preference or disappointment.

If you do not have evidence that supports your reasons for appealing, it is unlikely that the appeal panel will reach a different decision.

If you decide to appeal, you should include all relevant evidence with your appeal. The deadline for submitting an appeal is 31 March.

Most appeals are not successful

Parents have a statutory right to appeal against a school place refusal.

However, appeals are only successful in a small number of cases.

Local data shows that, on average, around 96% of school admission appeals have not been upheld over the past 3 years.

This is because appeal panels must follow the law and the School Admission Appeals Code (2022). 

They cannot allow an appeal simply because a parent prefers another school or is unhappy with the school offered.

Before you submit an appeal, you should consider whether you have evidence that supports your case.

When an appeal may be upheld

An independent appeal panel can only uphold an appeal if it is satisfied that:

• the admission arrangements were not correctly applied, or an administrative error directly affected the outcome of your application
• where the school is full, your reasons for wanting your child to attend outweigh the prejudice caused by admitting another pupil

Every appeal is considered individually based on the evidence provided.

Examples of reasons that may support an appeal

Appeal panels consider each case on its own merits. Here are some reasons when an appeal may be upheld.

Exceptional medical or social need

Evidence that only the preferred school can meet your child's specific needs.

For example:

• consultant letters
• medical reports
• social care assessments

The evidence should explain why another school would not meet your child's needs.

An administrative error

For example:

• your address was recorded incorrectly
• a sibling criterion was not applied correctly
• the admissions criteria were applied incorrectly

A significant change in circumstances

For example:

• your child has since received an EHCP
• your child has become looked after or previously looked after
• another significant change occurred after you applied that could affect the admissions decision

You should provide evidence of any change.

Reasons that are unlikely to result in a successful appeal

The following reasons, on their own, do not usually meet the legal test for an appeal to be upheld.

Personal preference

A preference for a particular school is not usually enough on its own. Examples include:

• the school was your first preference
• you believe it is a better fit
• your child enjoyed the open evening
• your child's friends will be attending
• your child would prefer to attend that school

Travel and convenience

The convenience of travelling to a school is not usually enough on its own. Examples include:

• the school is nearer to your home
• the journey would be easier
• another child in your family attends the school but is in Year 11

Concerns about the school place offered

Being disappointed with the school place offered is understandable, but these reasons alone do not usually provide sufficient grounds for an appeal. 

Examples include:

• you are unhappy with the school offered
• your child did not receive any of your preferred schools
• your child is upset or disappointed
• your child is well behaved or hardworking

Other reasons

These reasons, on their own, are also unlikely to result in a successful appeal such as:

• you think the admissions arrangements are unfair
• you missed the application deadline
• your child has anxiety, finds school difficult or has SEND without an EHCP
• your child would rather attend with friends
• another school is closer to home
• the preferred school is not a specialist SEN school