Appeals

An appeal is the legal mechanism by which parents can challenge a refused school place at an independent panel.

You have the right to appeal any refusal, but appeals only succeed if you can show one of the following:

• The school’s admissions policy was applied incorrectly to your child.
• The policy itself breaches the School Admissions Code.
• The harm of the refusal outweighs the harm of admitting another pupil (a "balance of prejudice" argument). For infant classes (Reception - Year 2), this third route is largely closed because of the 30-pupil legal cap.

Appeals are heard by an independent panel organised by the admissions authority. You don’t need a lawyer; many parents represent themselves.

Roughly 1 in 5 secondary appeals succeed nationally, but rates vary sharply by local authority. Appealing also doesn’t remove you from the waiting list - in practice, places often become available between offer day and the autumn term as families relocate.