If your child is refused a place at any school that you have put as a higher preference, you have the right to appeal against the decision to an independent admission appeals panel. Even if you are intending to appeal, we always advise parents to accept the school place currently being offered.
The School Admission Appeals Code sets out a strict timetable for the hearing of appeals.
- main round appeals (to start R, yr 3 and yr7): 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals
- in year appeals (application during the school year for R, 3 and yr 7 and all other year groups) 30 school days from the appeal being lodged. It is very important that parents keep a copy that is date stamped of the submission of the appeal
Parents must be advised of the right to appeal when refused a place at a school.
How to appeal
Appeals for primary, infant and junior schools
If you are appealing for a school place for a primary, infant or junior school you can download the form below, type your information on the form, save and email to the Admissions Team or print off the relevant downloadable form below and return to:
School Admissions Team, Southend-on-Sea City Council, Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend, SS2 6ER.
or print off the relevant downloadable form below, fill it in, scan and email to the Admissions Team.
Appeals must be submitted in writing on the forms above.
Appeal forms for secondary schools
For all other Secondary schools please visit the respective school websites for information on how to appeal or if you are struggling to find the forms you can email the Admissions Team and we will send you a general form and support you with the appeal.
When can I appeal?
Secondary
Parents can apply anytime for in year admissions. Parents/applicants have a right to appeal to any school that refuses admission. Appeals must be heard within 30 school days from submission.
Appellants are notified of their appeal date and time once appeals have been submitted.
Primary
Parents can apply anytime for in year admissions. Parents/applicants have a right to appeal to any school that refuses admission. Appeals must be heard within 30 school days from submission.
Appellants are notified of their appeal date and time once appeals have been submitted.
Infant size class appeals
This applies to reception, year 1 and year 2 classes where classes are limited to 30 children. If you’re appealing an infant size class limit, your chance of a successful appeal is limited.
This is as you would need to have a case that is overriding the pressure on the school to keep to the class size limit. The class size limit is set in law.
The appeals for Infant Class Size are a two-stage process at the same appeal.
The first stage is looking at the decision to refuse you admission to the school and if this was keeping to the schools published policy, if there were any errors in processing your application and if the policy was applied impartially.
Once this is confirmed the appeal can move on to the second stage.
The Second stage will look at your case and consider if your case is greater than the duty to comply to the Infant Class Size Limits.
There is a duty placed on us to inform you that there are limited cases were appeals can be in the applicants favour due to these limits. The reason for is it to give you information to assist you in making an informed decision if to appeal or not.
Further information on appeals and in particular infant class size appeals, can be found on the Gov.uk website.
Do I have to attend the hearing?
You should make every effort to attend so you can explain your case. Appeals can be heard remotely, and you can inform us if this is a better way for you to be at the hearing. However if you decide to not attend your appeal will be considered on the basis of your written evidence only.
You have the right to be represented or accompanied by a friend and you can also request an interpreter. In both these situations you must inform us at the time of submission of your appeal.
When will I be informed of the decision?
If your appeal is one of a number for the same school the panel will not make decisions until all of the appeals have been heard. In these circumstances it may not be possible to advise you of the outcome of your appeal for some time. If your appeal is the only one for a particular school the clerk will write to you within 5 school days.
If my appeal is turned down when can I appeal again?
If you have already appealed you cannot appeal again for the same school in the same academic year. However in rare circumstances you may be able to appeal again if there has been a significant and material change in either your circumstances or the circumstances of the school.
For further information please contact the School Admissions Team.
How is my information used and how is my information protected?
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - We are committed to protecting your privacy when you use our services. It is important to us that you can trust us to keep your information safe and to use it in ways that you will think are reasonable and ethical. Southend-on-Sea City Council are the data controller for the information we have about you, this means we control how your personal information is processed and for what purposes.
The School Admissions Privacy Notice, available in full on the council website explains how we use information about you and how we protect your privacy. We have a Data Protection Officer who makes sure we respect your rights and follow the law. If you have any concerns or questions about how we look after your personal information, please contact the Data Protection Officer via email or by calling 01702 215000.