Appeals
You have the right to appeal at a school where you have applied and been refused admission.
If you are considering submitting an appeal, read the advice regarding appeals on the school admissions website carefully.
You can only appeal against the refusal of a place at a school that is currently one of your live preferences.
Appeals are heard and decided by panels that are completely independent of the council and the school you may appeal for.
It is important that you consider the likelihood of your appeal being successful. For example, whether you were realistic with the preferences you submitted for your child.
Appeals are generally only successful if you or your child have exceptional reasons for needing admission to a particular school.
There are no guarantees that any appeal will be successful. The table below shows the number of heard and successful appeals which were administrated by Birmingham City Council in the last 3 years.
| School year | Number of appeals heard | Percentage of successful appeals |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary transfer in 2024 | 476 | 2.9% |
| Secondary transfer in 2023 | 427 | 6% |
| Secondary transfer in 2022 | 582 | 5% |
If you wish to appeal, the closing date for submitting your written appeal is 31 March 2025.
If you submit an appeal after this date, it will be classed as a late appeal and will be heard after the on-time appeals. It may not be heard before the beginning of September 2025.
You will be able to access the appeal form online from 9:00am on 3 March 2025.
Page last updated: 16 January 2025
