School Appeals and School Admissions

Your School, Your Choice: an essential guide to school appeals and the school admission process.

Find out how parents can choose and apply for the school of their choice ...
and how they can make a successful appeal against the school admission authority's decision.

Make sure that your school appeal is a success.

Every year 100,000 concerned parents lodge an appeal against the admission authority that has refused their child a school place at the school of their choice.

Unfortunately, two out of every three are unsuccessful.

If you need to know what you can do to make sure that you win your school appeal, then Your School Your Choice will help you understand the secrets behind successful appeals, the laws governing appeals and the admission authority's process.

With so much variation in the quality of schooling in the UK, securing a school place for your child at a good school is vital for their future.

Your school, Your Choice is your guide to school admissions and school appeals.
This book explains exactly what parental choice means and on what grounds schools can, and cannot, offer school places to children. This information is crucial to making a successful school appeal.

This book takes the reader through the different school admission procedures of England, Wales and Scotland, and it explains how you can increase your chances of getting a school place for your child. It also details how you can use the statutory appeal process, if you don't get a school place first time round.

Written by John Chard, who has organised over 2,000 appeals in the last ten years and provided training for appeal panel members, this book is a must for any parent wanting the most up-to-date information on gaining a school place at a selected school for their child.

About the author

John Chard worked in local government for over 25 years and for the last ten has worked almost exclusively on school appeals. In the course of organising over 2,000 appeals, he has given advice and guidance to both sides of the appeal: to the admission authority and to parents/guardians. He has also given advice to appeal panels in his capacity as Clerk. 

In 2002, John launched School Appeals, a business established to help parents through the appeal process that has helped thousands of families. His website, www.schoolappeals.org.uk, attracts well over 100,000 visitors each year. John represents parents successfully at appeals, as well as providing one-to-one services, and he is often approached to give lectures to existing and prospective panel members across the country. John has also been invited by admission authorities to check that their admission criteria meet current legislation.

Other information

• 10 tips on how to make an appeal
• How the appeal process works
• The key terms that are used for school admissions and appeals
• Changes to the Code on School Admissions

External information

• Directgov - Appealing against a school place decision
• Guardian - Make your appeal a class act
• The Sun - Appealing tips to finding the right school

Your School, Your Choice Contents: