Secondary school offer day 2025: How to appeal if your child doesn't get into the school you want

• National secondary school offers day is now just days away

• If your child gets rejected from your family’s school of choice, there are options available to you

• You have the right to appeal the admissions team’s decision

• While you can appeal for any reason, the Government does have some advice on what to focus on

The day recent primary school leavers and their parents find out which local state-funded secondary school is able to offer them a place in the new school year is almost here. 

National secondary school offers day will fall on Monday, March 3 this year, in just one week’s time. While typically, most families will secure a spot at their first choice of school - or at the very least, in one of their top three - this unfortunately isn’t always the case. 

But parents do have the option to push back if they truly believe another school would be a better fit for their child. They can ask to be put on the school’s waitlist, if it’s oversubscribed. Or, they can choose to appeal against the school’s admissions team’s rejection. 

However, this process isn’t always simple, and there’s no guarantee of success. Here’s what you need to know about the school admission appeals process:

When offers day arrives, you’ll receive a letter or email confirming which school is able to offer your child a place. This will have more information on what your options are at that point, as well as the next steps.

If you haven’t been offered a place at your school of choice, this letter should also give the reason why. If you decide you’d like to appeal its decision, you’ll need to contact the school’s admission authority. 

Parents can find it by visiting their local council’s website. There will most likely be a dedicated webpage with contact details (these may also be in the letter or email you received). Although what exactly this looks like can vary by council, most will have a form you need to fill in to begin your appeal.

The admission authority - which may be the local council, the school’s governing body, or an academy trust - will be responsible for organising an independent appeal panel to hear you out. It will be made up of people with no connection to either the school or the admissions team.

What you’ll need to do next is set your appeal out in writing, making sure to include all of the reasons you believe your child should be offered a place at a school you applied to but didn’t get an offer for. You’ll need to make sure to submit this and any supporting documents to the appeals clerk before the deadline you were given.

You’ll soon be invited to attend an appeal hearing to make your case, usually with at least 10 days notice. This may be either in person or a video conference. You and the admissions authority will each take turns making your case, and you’ll be given plenty of instructions by the clerk to make sure it all runs smoothly.

The panel will consider what both of you have to say, before making a decision on whether the school should admit your child.

Official government advice warns that going through the appeal process can “prolong the period of uncertainty for parents and children” about which school they will be going to come September, “so it’s important to be realistic about your reasons for appealing and the chances of being successful”.

It also advises that you consider accepting the school offer you did receive, to make sure your child has a place locked down just in case your appeal doesn’t work out. Accepting another offer will have no bearing on your appeal, it continues, and the appeals process won’t limit the other options available to you.

Before you make an appeal it will also be helpful for you to learn about how the school in question allocates its places. Admissions criteria for all state-funded schools should be available on either the school or local council’s website. This will let you know whether they prioritise children coming from particular catchment areas, feeder schools, or potentially even factors like faith if they’re oversubscribed.

It is also worth noting that the appeals process also does not apply in some situations. These include if your child has an Education, Health & Care Plan in place recommending they attend a particular school, but the school refuses admission (in that case, you should reach out to the council that issued the EHCP for help).

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The independent panel’s decision will be legally binding. If your appeal is upheld, your child will be offered a place at the school. However, most appeals fail. The BBC reports that 2024 government data showed that on average, just over 20% of appeals were successful.

Government advice says that while you can make an appeal simply because you want your child to attend one particular school over another, the stronger your reasons, the better chance there is of your appeal being successful.

“Wanting your child to go to a particular school because it’s the best in the area is not likely to convince the panel that your child should get a place at the school over another child,” it continues. Instead, it recommended parents focus on what your chosen school can offer that specifically meets your child’s needs.

This can include what the school can offer that other schools cannot, the advice continues, as well as what the impact will be on your child if they don’t get to attend your preferred school. 

The official advice says that you can also appeal if you believe that the admission authority did not apply their admission arrangements properly - especially if they had applied them properly, you think they would have offered your child a place.

Have you or someone you know been able to successfully appeal a chosen secondary school not offering your child a place? Share your story will others by leaving a comment below.