Appeals
You have the right of appeal for a place at a school where you have applied and been refused admission.
If you are considering submitting an appeal, you should read our advice 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 schools you may appeal for.
You should consider the likelihood of your appeal being successful.
Appeals are only successful if you or your child has exceptional reasons for needing admission to a particular school.
There are no guarantees that any appeal will be successful.
Percentage of successful appeals from 2023 to 2025
|
School year |
Number of appeals heard |
Percentage of successful appeals |
|---|---|---|
| Secondary transfer 2025 | 422 | 4% |
| Secondary transfer 2024 | 476 | 2.9% |
| Secondary transfer 2023 | 427 | 6% |
If you want to appeal, the closing date for submitting your written appeal is Monday 13 April 2026. If you submit an appeal after this date, it will be considered a late appeal and heard after the on-time appeals. This means it may not be heard before September 2026.
You will be able to access the appeal form online from 4:00pm on Monday 2 March 2026.
Page last updated: 25 February 2026
