Appeal a school decision

You can appeal at any time during the school year. However, you need to lodge your appeal by the deadlines below so that if your appeal is successful, your child can take up their place at the start of the academic year. 

An independent panel will hear your appeal. The panel will be made up of people who have experience in education and people without personal experience of school management or education provision. The panel’s decision is final. 

How to appeal 

Islington community schools (schools we manage directly); City of London Academy; Highgate Hill; City of London Primary Academy, Islington; and William Tyndale Primary School

Appeal online

Other Islington schools, eg Voluntary Aided, Free Schools or Academies 

Contact the school directly to make an appeal. Find contact details for Islington schools.

Schools outside Islington 

Contact the local authority where the school is located or the school directly to make an appeal. 

What happens next 

Your appeal will be considered by an independent panel, who must consider whether: 

• the admission arrangements for the school comply with the legal requirements of the School Admissions Code and Part 3 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and
• the admission arrangements were correctly and impartially applied  
• the decision to refuse admission was unreasonable given the circumstances of the case

The panel must then decide whether the admission of additional children would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources. 

The decision made by the appeals panel will not be influenced by the acceptance of a place at an alternative school. 

Class size 

Reception, year one and year two classes must not contain more than 30 pupils with a single school teacher. 

Where a child has been refused a place because of a concern that the class would be too large, an appeal panel can only offer them a place if it is satisfied that either:

• the child would have been offered a place if the admission arrangements had been properly implemented or
• the child would have been offered a place if the arrangements had not been contrary to mandatory provisions in the School Admissions Code and the School Standards and Framework Act (SSFA) 1998 or
• the decision to refuse admission was not one which a reasonable admission authority would have made in the circumstances of the case 

Timetables  

Secondary School Admissions 

Timetable for appeals for secondary transfer admission (11+) in September 2019 to Islington community schools: 

• 1 March 2019: you'll get an offer by email in the evening
• 1 April 2019: deadline for appeal forms to be submitted
• Appeal hearings to be held in the Summer Term (May/June 2019) 

Primary School Admissions 

Timetable for appeals for primary reception admission in September 2018 to community schools 

• 16 April 2019: you'll get an offer by email in the evening
• 16 May 2019: deadline for appeal forms to be submitted
• Appeal hearings to be held in June/July 2019 

If you have been refused a place at a voluntary-aided school or academy, get an appeal form directly from the school. Each school will publish their own arrangements for appeals. 

Further Advice 

If you would like independent advice about making an appeal you can contact Coram Children's Legal Centre. It offers free advice on the admissions process and a range of education issues, including bullying, exclusion, SEN and attendance. 

Coram Children's Legal Centre

Phone: 0300 330 5485, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm