You have a statutory right to submit an appeal for a place at your preferred school when your application for a place has been unsuccessful.
2018-2019 admission appeals
If your child isn't offered a place at your preferred school, you have the right to appeal against that decision to an independent appeal panel. Details of the appeal arrangements will be included with the letter notifying you of your offer of a place.
You cannot appeal unless you have made an application for a school place and have been notified in writing of the reason why your child could not be admitted into the relevant year group.
The appeals panel may only uphold an appeal if:
- The admission arrangements were not correctly and impartially applied.
- The decision to refuse admission was not one which a reasonable admission authority would have made in the circumstances of the case - this threshold is extremely high.
This does mean that the circumstances in which an appeal can be upheld by the panel is very limited. When taking account of the class size criteria you should consider looking at alternative schools.
Primary school allocation and appeals procedure
Primary school allocation and appeals procedure 2018-2019 (2.2MB pdf) - more information on the primary school appeals procedure.
Secondary school allocation and appeals procedure
Secondary school allocation and appeals procedure 2018-2019 (1.5MB pdf) - more information on the secondary school appeals procedure.
Appeals timetable
Below are the dates for appealing a decision for the September 2018 entry, this includes in-year transfers.
| School type | Offer date | Appeals to be lodged by | Appeals to be heard by (within 40 school days) |
|---|
| Secondary | 1 March 2018 | 16 April 2018 | 18 June 2018 |
| Primary | 16 April 2018 | 18 May 2018 | 20 July 2018 |
Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline or within 30 school days of being lodged, whichever is the later date.
You'll be sent notification of your appeal hearing along with a copy of the school’s case at least 10 school days in advance of the hearing.
If you wish to submit further evidence which was not included with your initial appeal, you must ensure that we receive it at least 3 working days before the hearing date. Any additional evidence or information received after this date might not be considered at the appeal hearing.
The appeal panel will then decide whether it should be considered, taking into account its significance and the effect of a possible need to adjourn the hearing.
Lodge an appeal
The appeal form should only be used when appealing the decision to refuse admission to your preferred school in the Rochdale borough. A separate form is required for each child. If you’re appealing decisions for more than one school, you must complete one form per school per child.
School admission appeal form (opens in a new window)
The date of your appeal will be arranged by an officer of the governance and committees services team, who will give you at least 10 school days notice in writing of the date of your appeal. You’ll be sent a copy of the admission authority’s statement, together with your appeal statement and any other papers.
Guide to school admission appeals (169kb pdf)
What happens if your appeal is unsuccessful?
If your appeal is unsuccessful, you can't appeal for that school again in the same academic year, unless there is a significant change in your circumstances, such as a change of address. But you can remain on the waiting list for that school.