What happens during the appeal hearing

Locations for appeal hearings

Appeal hearings may be held:

The clerk will ask for your preference when they contact you.

Who attends the hearing

You and your representatives

The clerk will invite you to attend the hearing, and you can bring a:

  • family member, friend or advisor for support
  • representative to present your case (this cannot be someone from the school you're appealing against)
  • legal representative

You can ask the clerk before the hearing date if you’d like them to arrange help for you from a:

  • translator
  • sign language interpreter

If you cannot attend the hearing, you can:

  • ask a family member, friend or other representative to attend on your behalf
  • let the panel make a decision based on your written statement alone

The appeal panel

The appeal panel is independent of the council.

It has 3 panel members including one person: 

  • who has never worked in schools or education (other than in a volunteer role)
  • with experience of schools or education, such as a teacher or a parent
  • from either of the 2 categories above

Panel members will not:

  • have any direct connection with the school you’re appealing against
  • work in our education department

All panel members are trained, and the lead panel member will be experienced in that role.

Other attendees

Other attendees are:

  • one or two council employees
  • the appeal clerk (who will take notes and advise on law and procedure)
  • the school’s headteacher (who is only there to answer questions about the school)

What the hearing will cover

Appeal hearings are held in private. The appeal panel make it as informal as possible to put you at ease. But the hearing has a legal function and follow a standard format.

  1. Welcome and introductions.
  2. Case for the admissions authority.
  3. Questions from you and the panel.
  4. Your case for appeal.
  5. Questions from the admissions authority and the panel.
  6. Summary from the admissions authority.
  7. Your summary.

Appeal papers and additional information

The clerk will send you a copy of the appeal papers that outline the reasons why your child was not offered a place at the school.

Keep these papers safe and bring them to the hearing.

You can submit additional information to support your appeal case at any time before the hearing takes place. If you provide new information too close to the hearing date, it may be postponed so that everyone has time to consider it.

Presenting your appeal case

We recommend that you prepare your case before the day and refer to your notes in the hearing.

Panel members:

  • will each have copies of your written statement and supporting documents, and the local authority's published admissions arrangements
  • will encourage you to say as much as possible to help your case
  • can ask either party questions at any point during the hearing 

When presenting your case you can:

  • refer to points in your written statement
  • expand on your written statement and give new reasons
  • ask your representative to speak for you or add to what you’ve said

When presenting your summary, use the opportunity to emphasise points you made earlier.

The admission authority’s case

The admissions authority representative will demonstrate the reasons why your child was not offered a place. This is usually because:

  • the school reached its admissions limit
  • admitting more pupils will reduce the quality of education they can provide