The School Appeals process
The new Appeals Code allows appeal hearings to be held remotely by video conference. Staffordshire County Council conducts appeals using Microsoft Teams. Full and clear instructions will be provided with the appeal invite.
A new School Admission Appeals Code was implemented on 1 October 2022. You can view this here School Admission Appeals Code 2022.
The FAQ’s will assist with more details on how the hearings will operate.
There are two types of appeal:
Ordinary
For all secondary and middle schools and some primary schools.
Infant class size
For reception, year 1 and year 2 in primary schools where a place has been refused as, by law, the class may not contain more than 30 children with a single qualified teacher. For further guidance on infant class size infant class size please see the infant class size page information.
There is no right of appeal for admission to a maintained nursery.
When we receive your appeal, we will contact you with more details about when it will be heard. In the meantime, the FAQs explain the appeals process in detail. Please ensure that you read these before appealing.
Further information
If you are appealing for a reception, year 1 or year 2 place we suggest that you research 'infant class size initiative' so you are aware of the restrictions or take a look at our infant class size guidance.
You can only appeal for a place if you have had a refusal. If you have not received a school offer, please speak to the Admissions Team on 0300 111 8007 who will be able to tell you which schools may have availability in your area.
Admission policies
We recommend you take a look at the admission policy for the school you are appealing for so you are familiar with their admissions criteria - these are found via our school search online tool
Waiting lists
For information on where your child is on the waiting list, please contact the Admissions Team on 0300 111 8007
Correspondence
All correspondence concerning your appeal will be sent via email so please make sure that the email address you give us is for an account that you have access to and monitor.
Appeal date
You will be given at least 10 school days’ notice of your appeal date.
Supporting information
Start to gather any supporting information you would like the independent appeal panel to see and submit either with your appeal form or by the deadline that we will give you when we notify you of the details for your appeal hearing.
Refusals
We will send you a statement from the relevant admission authority as to why the refusal was made at least 7 days before your appeal hearing date. This will give you the opportunity to prepare any questions you would like to ask the admission authority on the day of the appeal hearing.
Decisions
Decisions are sent within 5 school day's of the appeal date. We are not able to give the outcome over the telephone.
Withdrawing an appeal
Should you wish to withdraw your appeal at any point, you will need to notify us in writing to schooladmissionappeals@staffordshire.gov.uk
For further information on appeals for the School Admissions and Transport Service please call 0300 111 8007
How do I appeal?
Please note that you will need to complete one form per school appealed.
All mid-year appeals will be considered by an Independent Appeals Panel within 30 school days from receipt.
For further information on how we collect, use and store your personal information, please take a look at our privacy notice.