Preparing your admissions appeal

The following notes may assist you in preparing your school admissions appeal case. This is not a definitive list – it is intended to help the thought process.
If you are considering appealing for a school place, we suggest you contact the Education Advisory Team (EAT UK) for guidance via email at: [email protected].

What does the appeal panel do?

The appeal panel decides whether:

A) it is more prejudicial to the school to make another place available
B) it is more prejudicial to the child not to have a place in the school.

What to consider when making your appeal case

Your child and the preferred school

You will need to present why your child should be offered a place at your preferred school and why the needs of your child outweigh the potential impact upon the school of accepting an additional child. Consider your child and relate the circumstances to the preferred school:

  • What is your child good at and why does this matter when related to your preferred school?
  • What does your child like to do and why does this matter when related to your preferred school?
  • Are there any past or present exceptional health problems which may be relevant to your child and the location of the preferred school?
  • Any family circumstances affecting your child (bereavement, divorce, medical, deployments)? If so, how will your preferred school be able to meet your child’s needs and support them appropriately?
  • Any emotional challenges (anxiety, self-esteem)? If so, how will your preferred school be able to meet your child’s needs and support them appropriately?
  • Any social challenges (shyness, bullying, difficulties making friends)? If so, how will your preferred school be able to meet your child’s needs and support them appropriately?
  • Any difficulties with accessing learning? If so, how will your preferred school be able to meet your child’s needs and support them appropriately?
  • Any historical challenges at school which may be alleviated by attendance at a specific school?
  • Has your child experienced difficulties following recent changes? If so, how will your preferred school be able to meet your child’s needs and support them appropriately?

Personal family circumstances

Note: you may wish to seek localised advice about disclosing Service connections if you are located in Northern Ireland.

  • Were you able to choose the location and timing of any postings?
  • How many schools / settings has your child attended previously?
  • How much notice did you have of this posting?
  • Have you encountered challenges accessing preferred school places previously?
  • If the child has any siblings, where will they be educated?
  • How will your child get to / from school?
  • Do you have any relevant links with the area such as family living nearby, familiar peer groups, previous postings?

About the school

  • What are the admissions criteria of the preferred school – do you fulfil them?
  • Distance from where you live to the school?
  • Is the journey easy? Could the child walk? Could your child be eligible for school transport?
  • Does the child have friends or know other Service families attending the school?
  • What facilities / extra-curricular activities are on offer e.g. breakfast/after school clubs/particular sports or musical opportunities? How may this impact your child / family?
  • Curriculum – does the school offer subjects that cannot be taken elsewhere (e.g. – German, Single Sciences, Law)? Why is this important to your child?
  • Is it a specialist college in a subject that your child is interested in?
  • Is it a faith school- what is the relevance to your child?

Points for your case relevant to Service personnel

  1. Service families are posted at the needs of the Service. They have limited input into the timing of the posting or its location and may have little choice of where they live. Moving dates may not easily align with admission deadlines or school terms.
  2. The family can be subject to frequent moves and may not have the support of friends / or extended family. There may be a reliance on the Service community to support at times.
  3. The Serving member of the family can be away from home for weeks or months on military duties, so the family can be a lone parent family part of the time. How might this impact the child if the preferred school is not offered?
  4. Support of siblings may be very important to a Service child, as they could be one of the only stable influences in a mobile lifestyle. Does the child have siblings at the preferred school?

Relevant literature for reference

You may wish to refer to published findings in relation to best practice and recommendations in relation to meeting the needs of children from Service families to support your personal circumstances:

How can the Armed Forces Covenant help?

The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge that those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect. The Armed Forces Covenant Duty will not automatically secure you a place at your preferred school, but it may help in ensuring that you have been treated fairly and without disadvantage in comparison to civilian families.

You can also refer to the emotional cycle of deployment which is referenced in the following report and applicable regardless of where you serve:

Further sources of information:

England

School admissions in England are governed by the Schools Admissions Code 2021. Section 2.21 has guidance for admissions authorities regarding the families of Service personnel with a confirmed posting and highlights that admissions authorities must “ensure that arrangements in their area support the Government’s commitment to removing disadvantage for Service children.”

Northern Ireland

For those personnel being posted to Northern Ireland or within Northern Ireland, it is recommended that local advice is obtained through the Children’s Education Support Officer located within 38 (Irish) Brigade who can be contacted on: [email protected]

Scotland

The Scottish Government has produced some useful resources for Service personnel and their families moving to Scotland which includes information on applying for school places.  Forces Children Education also provides useful information and resources on education on Scotland.

Wales

Admissions to schools in Wales are governed by the Welsh Schools Admissions and Appeals Code. Further information is available on the Welsh Government website and from Supporting Service Children in Education Wales (SSCE Cymru)

MOD Support

Further information about admissions and appeals can be requested from the Education Advisory Team via email at: [email protected].