Search Mobile

collapse

already registered?

Please sign in with your existing account details.

Email address

Password

need to register?

Register to access exclusive content, sign up to receive our updates and personalise your experience on brownejacobson.com.

Privacy statement - Terms and conditions

Forgotten your password?

collapseSign

Browne Jacobson home

Home

Insights

Blogs

Shortage of places leads to more primary school appeals

shortage of places leads to more primary school appeals

5 October 2012

The number of appeals by parents challenging decisions not to award their child a place at their primary school of choice has risen for the fifth year running. A total of 46,905 appeals were made against primary school admissions, compared with 42,070 the previous year.

A new School Admissions Code was published by the Department for Education this year. Parents can appeal to an Independent Appeal Panel against a decision not to award their child a place at their preferred school. However, parents need to overcome a high hurdle to be awarded a place in infant class size appeals, as they must show the admission authority acted unreasonably. Although the number of appeals rose, under one in five parents were successful.

The problem is exacerbated by a severe shortage of primary places in some parts of England, especially London. Academies and schools who are their own admission authorities will no doubt be considering increasing their published admission number to admit more pupils to their schools.

related opinions

Lateral flow daily contact testing paused

Following last week’s Guardian article about the concerns over lateral flow daily testing for those identified as having been a close contact of a person testing positive for Covid-19, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS Test and Trace (NHSTT) have published a position statement to recommend that daily contact testing in schools will be paused.

View blog