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| Secondary school places: How to appeal a school admissions decision | Secondary school places: How to appeal a school admissions decision |
| (1 day later) | |
| Children starting secondary school in England and Wales in September 2023 have been offered school places. | |
| What are the options if parents are unhappy? | |
| When was offer day for secondary school places? | |
| Children starting Year 7 in England and Wales in September 2023 found out about school places on 1 March. | |
| In Northern Ireland, emails about post-primary school places are issued on 20 May. | In Northern Ireland, emails about post-primary school places are issued on 20 May. |
| In Scotland, no offers are made, as councils decide where children are placed. | In Scotland, no offers are made, as councils decide where children are placed. |
| Primary school offers will be made in England and Wales on 17 April. | Primary school offers will be made in England and Wales on 17 April. |
| BBC Bitesize: Starting secondary school | |
| How do parents and carers accept a school offer? | How do parents and carers accept a school offer? |
| In England and Wales, parents who applied online received an email on 1 March with details of how to accept the place, and the deadline. | |
| Those who did not apply online were sent a letter. | |
| If parents do not accept by the date specified, the offer could be withdrawn and the place given to someone else. | |
| Across London, three in 10 children missed out on their first choice secondary school for September 2023. | |
| Figures aren't yet available for the whole of England, but in 2022, 83.3% of applicants were offered a place at their first preference secondary school. That percentage has been broadly static since 2014. | |
| How are places decided? | How are places decided? |
| Looked-after children are given top priority, but beyond that, schools can set their own admissions criteria. Some give priority to children from a particular religion, or those who pass an entrance exam. | |
| Research from the University of Bristol about how 3,250 secondary schools in England admitted pupils in September 2020 found: | |
| 96% gave precedence to those whose siblings already attended | |
| 88% were more likely to give places to local children | 88% were more likely to give places to local children |
| Only 5% prioritised poorer pupils | Only 5% prioritised poorer pupils |
| The Nuffield Foundation charity said prioritising local children "reinforces geographic inequalities by excluding those who can't afford to live close to the top-performing schools," and urged a fairer approach. | |
| What if you did not get the school you wanted? | |
| In England, if your child is not offered a place at your preferred school, you are usually offered another school listed on your application. | |
| If none of your chosen schools have spaces, your child may be offered a place somewhere else. | If none of your chosen schools have spaces, your child may be offered a place somewhere else. |
| You can join the waiting list for your preferred school(s) - and these must remain open for at least the first term of the school year. | You can join the waiting list for your preferred school(s) - and these must remain open for at least the first term of the school year. |
| You can accept a place after being on a waiting list even if your child has already started at another school. | You can accept a place after being on a waiting list even if your child has already started at another school. |
| In Wales, any child not given a place at their first preference school is added to a waiting list. | |
| In Northern Ireland, if your child is not offered a place at any of the schools you wanted, you will be asked to choose a new preference from a list of schools that still have places. | In Northern Ireland, if your child is not offered a place at any of the schools you wanted, you will be asked to choose a new preference from a list of schools that still have places. |
| In Scotland, the council decides which school in your local catchment area your child will attend. You can request a place at a school outside the catchment area, and the council must allow this if there is space - but it is not guaranteed. | In Scotland, the council decides which school in your local catchment area your child will attend. You can request a place at a school outside the catchment area, and the council must allow this if there is space - but it is not guaranteed. |
| How to appeal against a school admissions decision | How to appeal against a school admissions decision |
| You can appeal against the decision no matter where you are in the UK. | You can appeal against the decision no matter where you are in the UK. |
| In England, you can appeal within 20 working days, and the case must be heard within 40 days. | In England, you can appeal within 20 working days, and the case must be heard within 40 days. |
| The final decision is made by an independent panel at a hearing where the council or school explains why the application was rejected, and the parent makes the case for why their child should be accepted. | The final decision is made by an independent panel at a hearing where the council or school explains why the application was rejected, and the parent makes the case for why their child should be accepted. |
| To appeal successfully, parents must show that the proper admissions process was not followed, or that relevant circumstances about their child were not considered. | To appeal successfully, parents must show that the proper admissions process was not followed, or that relevant circumstances about their child were not considered. |
| Parents and carers should be informed of the panel's decision within five days. | Parents and carers should be informed of the panel's decision within five days. |
| If the appeal is successful, the child will be given a place, but if it is unsuccessful, the child can still be added to the school's waiting list. | If the appeal is successful, the child will be given a place, but if it is unsuccessful, the child can still be added to the school's waiting list. |
| There were 28,687 appeals (3.9% of new admissions) for the 2021-22 academic year. Of those, 6,055 (21.1%) were successful. | |
| The percentage of appeals made has not changed significantly in recent years, although the proportion which were successful has dropped from 26.3% in 2016. | |
| Official guidance on admission appeals for school places in England | Official guidance on admission appeals for school places in England |
| Wealthy biggest winners from school appeals | Wealthy biggest winners from school appeals |
| In Wales, parents can challenge the admission authority's decision during an initial appeal hearing. | In Wales, parents can challenge the admission authority's decision during an initial appeal hearing. |
| If the panel does not find in the child's favour at this point, the appeal can move to a second stage where parents set out their argument, and the admission authority responds. | |
| Parents should have the panel's final decision within five days. | Parents should have the panel's final decision within five days. |
| Can I get help with school transport? | Can I get help with school transport? |
| Parents and carers across the UK may be able to get free or lower-cost transport if their child's allocated school is far away. | |
| Applications need to go through the relevant local education authority. | Applications need to go through the relevant local education authority. |
| What if my child has special educational needs? | What if my child has special educational needs? |
| If your child has special educational needs (SEN) in England, their Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) will specify their school. The school must give the child a place. | |
| In Wales, a child's statement of SEN will set out a particular school the local authority thinks is appropriate. | |
| Special educational needs children to get more help | |
| What if you applied after the 31 October deadline? | What if you applied after the 31 October deadline? |
| If you applied for a place after the deadline in England and Wales, your application will not be considered until after the first round of offers are made. | If you applied for a place after the deadline in England and Wales, your application will not be considered until after the first round of offers are made. |
| This means your child is less likely to get a place at your preferred school. | This means your child is less likely to get a place at your preferred school. |
| However, your child can still be added to the waiting list of the school you wanted. | However, your child can still be added to the waiting list of the school you wanted. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Schools | Schools |
| Secondary education | Secondary education |