Best Practice

School admissions appeals: How to support parents and carers

It can be distressing for the minority of parents who do not secure a place at their chosen school – and they often approach their current school for help. Nabil Dance discusses common pitfalls that parents and school staff can encounter and tips for how to support parents
Image: Adobe Stock

On April 16 most parents of pupils moving on to primary school received the news as to whether their child has secured a place at their chosen school.

This comes hot on the heels of the secondary school offer day which this year fell on March 1.

In the last academic year, 92.5% of applicants in England and Wales received an offer of a primary school place for their first preference, while the equivalent figure for secondary school places is 82.6% (DfE, 2023a).

However, according to the Department for Education (DfE), in 2022/23, 14,900 primary school admission appeals were lodged, with 9,628 reaching the stage of being heard by an Independent Appeal Panel. At secondary level, 38,186 appeals were lodged with 30,379 heard by a Panel (DfE, 2023b).

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