In-year admission appeals

In year admission appeals

If you have made an in-year application and your child was not offered a place at a preferred school, you can make an in-year appeal. It’s important to be realistic about why you are appealing and the chance of your appeal being successful. Please note that most schools are already full mid-year, so securing a place through an appeal can be very difficult. The majority of school admission appeals are refused. When considering your options, you should also look at schools close to your home address that may be in other local authorities (LAs), as this could increase the chances of finding an available place.

Appeal statistics 

The following statistics are for LA maintained schools or academy schools who use the school admissions appeal service. 

Academic year 2024/2025

Stage 1 – Reviewing the Decision

• The Chair welcomes you and explains the process
• The Admission Authority explains why your child was refused a place
• You and the Panel can ask questions about this decision
• The Panel checks whether the school followed the admissions rules correctly and if admitting another child would cause problems

Stage 2 – Your Case

You only move to Stage 2 if the Panel agrees the school followed the rules and that admitting another child would cause difficulties.

At this stage:

• You present your reasons for wanting a place at the school
• The Panel and Admission Authority may ask questions
• Both sides sum up their cases
• The Chair checks you’ve said everything you want to
• You and the Admission Authority leave while the Panel makes its decision

In-year appeal dates for 2026

Please note that from the date in which we receive an appeal form, it could take up to 30 school days for the appeal to be heard.