Starting primary school
Apply to start in the reception year at a primary or infant school, or in Year 3 at a junior school.
Children born between 1 September 2012 and 31 August 2013 are due to start school in reception year in September 2017.
Children born between 1 September 2010 and 31 August 2014 are due to transfer to Year 3 in September 2018.
If your child has a statement of special educational needs or an Education, Health and Care Plan you don’t have to go through this admission process.
Appeal
You have the right to appeal for any school named on your application that hasn't been able to offer your child a place.
You will need to complete an appeal request form (this will be available after offer day) and return it to the school you're appealing for, addressed to the 'Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel'.
The deadline for submitting an appeal is X.
Remember:
- You can only appeal for schools named on your application.
- You can appeal for more than one school at the same time.
- You must complete a separate request form for each school you're appealing for.
- Each school won't know you have appealed for another school unless you tell them. The appeals for each school are completely independent of each other.
After you submit your appeal
After you submit your appeal, the school will set up a hearing and let you know the date and time.
You should be given a deadline to submit any further evidence you wish to provide.
Your child's current school may also provide evidence (e.g. letter from the headteacher) to support your case, but aren't obligated to. You will need to discuss this with them.
Any evidence submitted after the deadline may not be considered at the hearing.
The hearing
Your appeal will be heard by an independent panel who have no connection to the school.
The panel will decide if your appeal for a school place is successful or not.
You will be invited to the hearing to explain why you think your child should be given a place and the school will be invited to explain why a place can't be offered.
There will be a clerk present, who makes sure correct procedure is followed throughout and keeps a full record of proceedings.
You have the right to bring a friend or family member to the hearing to support or represent you. However, this person must not have a connection with the school being appealed for (e.g. a member of staff from the school).
What happens at an appeal hearing
- The admission authority will explain why they turned down your application.
- You’ll be able to give your own reasons why your child should be given a place.
- The appeals panel must decide if the school’s admission arrangements were properly followed and are legal according to the school admissions appeals code.
- If the arrangements are legal and were properly followed, the panel must decide if they were followed fairly and thoroughly.
- If the arrangements weren’t properly followed or are illegal, your appeal is successful and your child must be granted a place.
- If your appeal isn't successful yet, the panel will decide if your reasons for your child receiving a place outweigh the school’s reasons for not admitting another child.
- The panel will send you and the admission authority their decision within 5 school days.
The decision
The panel will make their decision after all appeals have been heard.
The decision is final and can only be overturned by a court. If there’s a change in your circumstances which could affect the decision, you may be able to appeal again.
Full details of the admission appeals process and regulations are available in the School Admissions Appeals Code.