Appeal a school admission decision

The guidance below relates to appeals received after 24 January 2025. If your appeal was submitted before this date, please contact the education appeals team if you require a copy of the guidance by calling Customer Service Centre on 0300 500 8080. 

Appeal a school admission decision

If you have applied and been refused a place at a school you wanted, you can appeal (please wait until you receive a refusal letter or email before you submit your appeal). The information on this page is a summary of what’s provided within our guidance. Please remember to also read the guidance on the different types of appeals.

Your appeal will be heard via a video call (using Microsoft Teams). Details of how this will work are set out below. If you do not wish to attend your hearing it can be heard on the written information you have sent us. Please remember though, that attending will mean you will hear the school's case, and have an opportunity to ask questions and speak directly to the panel about your case. It also gives the panel the chance to ask you any questions they might have.

Appeals summary

If you have been refused a place at a school you wanted, you can appeal. You cannot appeal against the school you have been given.

The appeals process is run by the Education Appeals Team within Democratic Services, who are a separate department to and independent of the Admissions Team.

Your appeal will be heard by a panel of three members (the appeal panel), and wherever possible you can attend the appeal hearing to tell the appeal panel why you would like a place at the school for your child.

The appeal panel will look at how the places at the school were given and why you could not be offered a place including any relevant law (the admission authority’s case). The appeal panel will also consider your individual circumstances (your case). 

The decision of the appeal panel is binding on both parties which means that this is your only appeal against the original decision, and whatever decision the appeal panel makes will be final. 

Once we have received your appeal, we will arrange your appeal hearing as soon as we can. There may be a while before we contact you once we have received your appeal as it takes time to set up a hearing. More information on the deadlines is in the Timetables section.

You can still appeal after you accept the school place you’ve been offered. Rather than risk having no place at all, you should secure a school place for your child in case your appeal isn’t successful.

How to appeal

We’re responsible for appeals for all schools run by Nottinghamshire County Council (community and voluntary controlled schools). We also hold appeals for the own admission authority schools in this list:

All other academies, voluntary aided, foundation and free schools in Nottinghamshire have their own arrangements for appeals and you need to contact them directly about how to appeal.

When making an online appeal on our system, if the school you want to appeal for isn’t on the drop down list it means we don’t hold the appeals for them and you should contact the school directly about how to appeal. 

You can appeal by one of the following options:

Please make your appeal online if you have internet access and an email address. You will first be asked to set up an account and will need to verify your details in an email we will send you, and then you can appeal online. The benefits of appealing online are that you can easily upload additional evidence to go with your appeal/s and you can receive updates such as when your appeal is scheduled and resolved.

If you are unable to submit your appeal online, please download, complete and return the printable appeals form.

Appeal Portal - making an appeal online

Before you can give us the details of your appeal, you will be asked to set up an appeals account using your email address and a password. You will be sent a verification email which you will need to read and click a link to activate your account. You will only need to set up an account once. After this is done, you will be able to sign into your account and make your appeal and view the details you have given. In the future you will be able to sign into your account to find out how your appeal is progressing and submit further information if you wish.

If you are appealing via the post, we will send you an acknowledgement letter once we've received and logged your appeal. If you've not received an acknowledgement letter after 2 weeks, please contact 0300 500 80 80 to check we have received your appeal form. Please note this process takes longer than an online application due to the additional processes being required.

What to include with your appeal form

Please complete your appeal carefully, making sure all contact information included is correct, as we will use this information to tell you when your appeal hearing is and what the appeal panel's decision is. The address you put on the form is the address we will send the appointment letter and paperwork to, so please make sure this is correct. Please provide at least one phone number and an email address so we can contact you quickly if we need to and send the meeting invite.

If you move during the appeal process, remember to let both the Education Appeals Team and Admissions Team know by calling 0300 500 80 80.

You will be asked whether or not you want to attend your appeal. We recommend that you attend the appeal hearing is possible so that you can hear the case from the school, present your case to the panel, and answer any questions the panel may have to help them make their decision. Further information on these options is set out below. Please note, if during the process you change your mind about whether or not you would like to attend your appeal, we may need to rearrange your appeal hearing to a later date.

Please remember that you are appealing for a place at the school you have been refused, rather than against the place you have been offered. Please make sure you name the correct school on your appeal form. On the online form, there is a drop down list of schools to choose from. If the school you are appealing is not on the list, we do not arrange appeals for them. A list of the schools that we administer appeals for that are not community schools can be found under 'How to appeal' above.

You need to make sure that you include all of your reasons for wanting a place at the school and explain your reasons as fully as possible in the space provided in the form. The information you include here is very important as this information will be sent to the appeal panel, clerk and presenting officer from the Admission Authority in advance of the hearing and is part of your case to the appeal panel. More information on who will be at the appeal can be found under 'the appeal hearing'.

You should include copies of any written supporting information which you would like the appeal panel to consider at your appeal hearing (for example, a doctor's letter). If you apply online, you can upload these at the same time as you make your appeal. If you haven't already given this information to Admissions, you should also send it to them to consider as part of your application, as we will not share the information with them until later in the process.

Submitting additional information

If you wish to submit any information which wasn't included with your appeal form, please send it at least ten days before your appeal hearing. If you have applied online and have an appeals account, you can do this by signing on to your account. Information can also be sent by email or post. This helps us get the information to the panel members and the presenting officer before the hearing, so that they can read it in advance. If significant information is received less than ten days before the appeal, we may have to move your hearing to a later date.

Please send your information to us by using the account you set up when you first made your online appeal. You can submit a photo of a document if that is easier for you. If you are unable to do this, please email. Please note there is a 10MB limit on attachments per email. If you send more than this limit, we will not get your information and will not know that you have tried to send it to us. If you need to send more than 10MB, please either split it across more than one email, or contact us to discuss an alternative way it can be submitted.

If you send information by email or post, we will acknowledge that we have received it. If you do not hear from us within three working days, please call us on the number in your appointment letter or on 0300 500 80 80 to make sure we have received what you have sent.

Please note that if you submit written information to the appeal panel on the day of the hearing, the panel may decide they need to rearrange your appeal hearing to another date so they have time to read and consider it before continuing with the appeal.

Please ensure your submission and any supporting evidence does not give any personal information about someone else who is not relevant to your appeal. if you have any doubt about the details of someone else being provided with your appeal, please contact us for advice. The council is committed to protecting you privacy and ensuring all personal information is kept confidential or safe.

Disabilities

Do please let us know if you have any disabilities and need assistance. We will try and meet these requests as far as possible.

Interpreter or signer

If you need an interpreter or signer you can have one at your appeal hearing. If you would like us to arrange this for you please tell us which language you require on the appeal form. Or, you may wish to arrange your own interpreter. If you are doing this please let us know as soon as possible before the hearing.

Waiving your right to 10 school days' notice

On your appeal form you will be asked whether or not you are willing to waive your right to 10 school days' notice of when your appeal hearing is and who will be hearing your case. If you waive your right to 10 school days' notice, we may be able to schedule your appeal earlier. We'll normally only opt to do this where we feel it to be in your best interests.

Appeal for more than one school

You may want to appeal for more than one school. You will get a different appeal hearing for each appeal which may be on different days sometimes a few weeks apart. You will also need to complete a separate appeal form for each school. 

Timetable for admission appeals

2025/26 Admissions round

For appeals for your child to start primary school (Reception year), move up from an infant to a junior school (year 3) or from a primary / junior to a secondary school (year 7), you should return your appeal form by the following dates.

2025/26 Admissions appeals deadline

 

Offer date

Appeals lodged by

Appeals to be heard by

Primary

16 April 2025

20 May 2025

22 July 2025

Secondary

3 March 2025

31 March 2025

18 June 2025


Appeals received after these dates will be heard by the same deadlines if possible. If not, they will be heard within 30 school days.

2024/25 Academic Year – In-Year Transfers

For appeals within the 2024/25 academic year (for your child to move from one school to another between September 2024 and August 2025), please return your form within four weeks of the date of your refusal of the school place, wherever possible.  Once we receive your appeal we will endeavour to arrange and hear it within 30 school days.

Before the appeal

You will be sent a letter telling you when your appeal hearing will be, at least 10 school days before it (unless you have agreed to a shorter period than this). If you appeal for more than one school, you may get a separate date for each appeal hearing, which can be some weeks apart.

Before your appeal we will also send you the paperwork relating to your case, which will include all of the written information we have received from you and all of the written information the admission authority have submitted to us. We do not expect you to provide a written response to the admission authority’s case as you will have the opportunity to ask questions of their representative at the hearing. This information is often sent to you at the same time as your appointment letter, or it may be sent out a few days later.

The letter will also give you the names of the panel members who will be hearing your appeal. If you think you have a connection with any of them, please let us know as soon as possible. Your appointment letter will also include a flowchart to show the procedure your appeal will follow at the hearing or hearings.

Your appointment letter will also tell you which type of appeal yours will be heard as (Infant Class Size, Prejudice or Behavioural/Under PAN) and will include a flowchart to show the procedure your appeal hearing or hearings will follow.

Types of appeals

There are three different types of appeals:

  1. Infant Class Size Prejudice/Future Infant Class Size Prejudice
  2. Prejudice
  3. Behavioural/Under PAN

Please read the guidance about the different types of appeals before completing your appeal form. If your child is of infant school age (Reception, Year 1 or Year 2), then Infant Class Size Legislation may apply for your appeal. Be aware that you are less likely to be successful in an Infant Class Size appeal than a non-Infant Class Size appeal.

During the school year 2023-24, only 1% of Infant Class Size appeals were upheld (allowed).

The appeal hearing

Appeals can be heard via video call, using Microsoft Teams. You may also select not to attend your hearing. If you choose this option, the panel will consider your appeal based on the written information you provide.

As well as an appointment letter, you will be sent a separate email with the Microsoft Teams link you will need to join the hearing. The link will be sent to you the working day before your hearing date. Please use this link to join the meeting five minutes before the time you have been given. You will be put into a virtual waiting room and the clerk will let you in to the hearing when the panel are ready.

If you lose connection to the appeal hearing, you will need to re-join using the link again. If you have problems re-joining, you will be able to contact us for help. Full details will be in the guidance we send you.

Single appointment appeal

If you have received a single appointment for your appeal hearing, the panel will hear both the case from the Admission Authority and your case before making their decision.

Group hearings: stage 1 hearing

If you have received an appointment letter with two appointments, this will be for a group hearing. The stage 1 hearing is to hear the school's case only and will involve all those who have appealed for a place at the school. There is no discussion of your reasons for appealing or your circumstances (this is done in stage 2 which is confidential to your case). Your appointment letter will explain how we expect you to join your appeal hearing.

Group hearings: stage 2 hearing

The stage 2 hearing is to hear your case only and will be confidential to your circumstances only. No other people who may have appealed for the same school are involved. Your appointment letter will explain how we expect you to join your appeal hearing and how to do so.

The clerk, at the appeal hearing, will tell you when to expect to get the letter with the outcome of your appeal.

The people in the hearing

Your appeal will be heard by an independent panel of three people and their decision is binding on all parties.  

Also in the hearing will be someone from the Admission Authority known as the presenting officer, who will be telling the appeal panel why a place could not be offered to your child. 

There will be the clerk to the appeal panel present, who will be taking notes of the hearing (for the appeal panels use only), a note of the decision of the appeal panel and to advise all parties on any legal or procedural matters which may come up during the hearing. 

If technical support is required, the hearing may include a facilitator from the Education Appeals Team who will be responsible for the technical aspects of the hearing.

How long the appeal hearing will take

Appeal hearings vary in length but usually take no more than an hour. However, we do not have a fixed time so if you need longer this will be allowed. As the appeal panel will be considering a number of cases each day this might mean that the hearings are running late so we ask that you understand that we will be with you as soon as we can and you will not be limited in your time even if your appeals starts late. 

Decision making

After your appeal has been heard, you and the Admission Authority representative will be asked to leave the hearing and the appeal panel will make its decision in private. Decisions are taken by simple majority. The decision is binding upon the Admission Authority if your appeal is upheld.

For group appeal hearings, the appeal panel will only make its decision on your appeal after all cases in the group hearing have been heard. The clerk, at the appeal hearing, will tell you when all of the decisions are due to be made, which could be a number of days after your hearing has taken place.

How you’ll receive the decision

You will be sent the decision by email, which will set out the decision and the reasons for it. This will be sent within five school days of the panel making its decision wherever possible. We do not give decisions over the telephone so please do not call the office to find out the appeal panel's decision. If you haven't received your decision letter two weeks after the decision was due to be made, please contact the Education Appeals Team.

Remember to read the guidance on different types of appeals before completing your appeal form.

Frequently asked questions

If the school you want to appeal for is not in the list that means we don’t arrange their appeals. You will need to contact the school directly about how to appeal. The school should have its admission policy on its website which will include information on how to appeal.

Children are not usually encouraged at appeal hearings, however, if your child(ren) will be present in the background of the hearing, please let the clerk know when they check you are in a quiet area for your hearing so that they are aware.

Yes, a friend, family member or professional can attend the appeal with you. Please note this on your appeal form. If you have already submitted your appeal form, please email the Education Appeals Team and we can send them a separate link to the meeting if required.

Appeals for your child to start primary school (Reception year), move up from an infant to a junior school (year 3) or from a primary / junior to a secondary school (year 7), will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline as set out in the timetable above. Appeals received after the appeals deadline will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline, if possible. If not, they will be heard within 30 school days from when they were received. Appeals for your child to move from one school to another within the school year will be heard within 30 school days from us receiving your appeal form.

You should include copies of any written supporting information which you would like the appeal panel to consider at your appeal hearing (for example a doctor’s letter). If you apply online you can upload these at the same time as you make your appeal. If you haven’t already given this information to Admissions, you should also send it to them to consider as part of your application.

If you move home during the appeal process remember to let both the Education Appeals Team and the Admissions Team know by calling 0300 500 80 80.

The decision letter will set out the decision and the reasons for it will be emailed to you within 5 school days of the panel making its decision wherever possible. If you haven’t received your decision letter two weeks after the decision was due to be made, please contact the Education Appeals Team.

We are unable to provide the outcome of your appeal over the phone so please don’t call the office to find out the appeal panel’s decision.  

If you feel there was a problem in the way your appeal was heard, you can submit a complaint to either the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (for maintained and Voluntary Aided schools) or the Department for Education (for free schools, academies, university technical colleges and studio schools). Please be aware that these bodies can only examine how your appeal or application was processed, this is not a further right of appeal if you are unhappy with the panel’s decision.

Details about how to make a complaint about the way your appeal was conducted can be found at on the government's website.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has the following factsheets which provide some general information about the most common types of complaints which you may find useful:

If anyone concerned with the appeal (you as the parent/carer, or the Admission Authority) believes that the decision of the appeal panel was legally in error, they can seek to challenge the decision of the appeal panel by means of what is known as judicial review. If you wish to consider this course of action you should take independent legal advice.

 

Further information

  • Democratic Services Team: If you would like any further information about the process, please email education.appeals@nottscc.gov.uk or call 0300 500 80 80.
  • County Council Admissions Team: If you want to find out about where places are available at alternative schools, please speak to Admissions by calling 0300 500 80 80 or email admissions.ed@nottscc.gov.uk
  • Coram Children's Legal Centre: Coram Children's Legal Centre provide free, independent advice on all areas of child, family, and education law.

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