Attending the Appeal Hearing
Who will be at the appeal hearing?
The appeal panel is made up of 3 people. The panel members are independent; they are not councillors or employees of the council.
Someone will also be present on behalf of the admission authority to put forward the school or academy case and to answer any questions about the admissions criteria and process.
There will also be an appeal clerk who will make sure that the appeal process is followed and fair.
Everything that is said in the appeal is strictly confidential.
Only the 3 independent appeal panel members and the appeal clerk will be present when the decision is made. The independent appeal panel members decision is legal and binding on all parties.
What will happen at the hearing?
The appeal will be structured, but conducted as informally as possible. It will usually follow this order:
- Case presented on behalf of the admission authority.
- Questions to the admission authority from the parents and the appeal panel.
- Parent/carers’ case.
- Questions to the parents from the representative of the admission authority and the appeal panel.
- Summing up of the case by the representative of the admission authority.
- Summing up of the case by the parents.
You should feel free to say whatever you think is relevant to your argument. You will always have the opportunity for the final say at the appeal (summing up). If you choose to sum up, you should use your time as an opportunity to remind the appeal panel of the main points of your case and tell them anything you forgot to say earlier on.
The appeal clerk and the appeal panel will want to make sure that you do not leave the appeal thinking things have been left unsaid.
Page last updated: 29 September 2023
