If none of your applications have been successful or if your child is not offered a place at your preferred school you have the right, by law, to appeal to an independent appeals panel. 

Details of how to make an appeal will be included in the local authority’s letter outlining your offer.  The letter will also specify a deadline that you must meet if you want to appeal.

Appeals for community secondary schools, community primary schools, Parish Church CE and St Marks CE can be submitted online here.  For all other schools you must appeal directly to the school.

Appeals are heard by an independent appeal panel of three to five members of the public. You can only make one appeal for each school that does not offer a place. If more than one school declines to admit your child, you can make separate appeals.

The school will explain to the panel why a place could not be allocated for your child. 

You will need to persuade the panel that there are special reasons why your child should be given a place despite the fact that the school is full.

Infant class admission appeals

For infant classes of five, six and seven year olds the number of pupils is normally limited by law to a maximum of 30.

Admission applications can be refused if all of a school’s infant classes have reached their legal limit. In this type of appeal, the panel is only allowed to look at whether:

the child would have been offered a place if the admission arrangements had been properly implemented

a place would have been offered if the arrangements had not been contrary to criteria set out in the School Admissions Code

the decision to refuse admission was not one which a reasonable admission authority would have made in the circumstances of the case

Appeal timelines

The admission authority for the school must write to you at least 10 school days before the hearing to confirm the date.

At least 7 working days before the hearing, the clerk will send you all the appeal papers.  At least 3 working days before the hearing, the admission authority must give you details of the panel members and clerk, all the information you have reasonably asked for, and details of any witnesses who will give evidence.

Secondary school - Appeals for on-time applications (decisions sent on national offer day) must be heard by 6 July. If 6 July falls on a weekend then it must be heard on the next working day.  

Primary school - Appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the appeal being lodged, or before the end of the summer term, whichever is sooner.

Late applications - Such appeals should be included with those being heard for the same admissions round. However, if this is not feasible, appeals for late applications must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.

School sixth form - Appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the appeal being lodged.

In-year admissions - For applications made outside of the timetabled admissions process, hearings must be held within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.

The Hearing

Step one

The admission authority's representative explains to the appeal panel the reasons for turning down your application.

The panel must first consider whether the school's published admission arrangements comply with the mandatory requirements of the School Admissions Code. They must also decide if they were correctly applied in the individual's case.

Step two

If the panel decides there was good reason for turning down your application, you will still have the chance to state why you are appealing against the decision. You will be able to:

explain why you believe that the school would be the best place for your child

tell the panel about any special circumstances that might justify your child being awarded a place

submit additional evidence or documentation that might be relevant to your appeal, like a medical note from a doctor to support an application on the basis of social or medical need

Step three

If the panel decides that your case is the stronger, it will uphold your appeal and your child will be awarded a place at the school. If it finds that the admission authority’s case is stronger, it will uphold the decision not to offer your child a place.

The Decision

The panel's decision is binding - both on you and on the school's admission authority - and can only be overturned by the courts.

The panel will let you and the admission authority know by post within seven days. If your appeal is successful your child will be offered a place at school. If you are unsuccessful you can put your child's name on a waiting list.

Croydon school admission appeals - Appeal Online
(Community secondary schools, community primary schools, Parish Church CE and St Marks CE only. 
For all other schools you must appeal directly to the school.)

Croydon school admission appeals - Parents Guide (Feb 2009)

Croydon school admission appeals FAQs

For free independent advice and information on admissions and appeals visit ACE (Advisory Centre for Education)

School Admissions Code 

School Admission Appeals Code