"What if my child gets rejected from our first choice of schools? What happens when they don't get into any of them?"
It's a horrid thought that we all hope doesn't happen to us. 

Unfortunately, it's nearing that time of year again that many parents across the UK dread: The Admissions Appeal window for government-run schools. 

On average, tens of thousands of appeals are opened and discussed each year – with only 18-21% of them being successful across Primary and Secondary schools. 

We've collated some tips and advice below

 

Please note that there may be subtle differences between county councils and what their preferences are on appeal requirements.

Appeal Topics & Tips

  • Remember that any case needs firm, factual support. Whether that looks like a GP letter for any medical needs (for physical, mental or social support) or any extra-curricular accolades for specialised schools.
  • All appeals have to be made in writing within 20 school days.
  • Try to leave out reasons that come across as more emotional or biased reasons; reports of better behaviour at a certain school or wanting to get into a catholic-school etc unfortunately are more likely to be rejected.

  • In general, a case usually has a better outcome if the appeal is for educational needs. Educational specialisms must have a valid reason and be backed by evidence by you

    If a specific advanced science or language is offered, then this case must be backed as above. The more facts you can go into, the stronger the appeal.

Boost Years

A “Boost Year” is an exceptionally high number of students in one age group, a school may have to reject all appeals due to PAN (Published Admission Number), understaffing or building size restrictions.

 

  • When this happens, the panel reviews the resources the school has and weighs up that there are no allocations to be made, mainly due to health and safety or risks of a poorer education environment.

An Exception to the Rule

It's well worth mentioning that designated state grammar schools are the only schools in this bracket that are allowed to pick students based on their highest academic abilities. 

They do not have to fill student capacity if there aren’t enough pupils that fulfil the criteria set on their entrance tests.

While this can be frustrating, it's good to know when picking a Grammar school that's in your area. It could very well be a benefit with their often, smaller class sizes.