Primary school admissions 2021: appealing against a decision First published on Tuesday 7 February 2017 Last modified on Thursday 15 April 2021
As it's National Offer Day in England on 16 April 2021, what happens if you don’t get the school you wanted? Hopefully, it'll be good news. If that's the case, just remember to accept the place by the deadline given in the letter or email so you don't lose out on a space. 'There are a number of things you can do and remember: even if you haven’t got what you want in April, try and stay calm – it’s a long time until September.'
According to the latest Department of Education figures, 12,465 infant class appeals were heard in 2019/2020. Of these, just 2,310 were successful and decided in the parents’ favour. 'The best thing you can do as a parent is to make sure you understand how the appeal panel are going to reach their decision and what they can take into account, because it is limited.
If you turn down the place you might find that you have no school place for your child in September, or that you have another school allocated by the LEA. This can be due to people moving out of the area or choosing to go to a private school instead, which means places become free in time for the new term.'Sometimes I speak to parents and they say they didn’t get any of their schools and feel it’s unfair they are lower down the list than someone who got at least one of their schools.
There are usually two rounds of continuing interest lists: if you're successful at the first continuing interest run you'll usually find out in May 2021. This year, the deadline for appeals is in May 2021 – the actual date varies depending on where the school is, so do check to make sure you appeal in time.
A panel’s decision 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. If you are unsuccessful, you can’t appeal to the same school again but you can still put your child’s name on the school’s waiting list.What happens if my appeal is unsuccessful?There are further legal routes you can consider pursuing.