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Appeal an admissions decision

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Overview

If your child has not been offered a place at any of your preferred schools, it is because the year group you applied for is full to capacity. You can find out more about how schools allocate their places in the determined admission arrangements document.

You have a statutory right to appeal against this decision.

Make an appeal

You can appeal at the standard points of admission (reception, year 3 or year 7), or mid-year if you’ve applied to move schools at a non-standard point.

For appeals for schools outside Walsall Borough, you’ll need to contact the relevant local authority.

It’s important to be realistic about your reasons for appealing and the chances of being successful. An appeal can prolong the period of uncertainty for you and your child.

To make an appeal, you will have to set your case out in writing and attend an appeal hearing.

In reception, year 1 and year 2, the class size is limited to 30. Your application can be turned down if all the classes already have 30 children.

GOV.UK has further information about infant class size appeals.

Walsall Council is the admissions authority for community and voluntary controlled schools. If your school is on this list, you should download the appeal form below and send your appeal to us:

  • Abbey Primary
  • Alumwell Infant / Alumwell Junior
  • Barcroft Primary
  • Beacon Primary
  • Blakenall Heath Junior
  • Butts Primary
  • Castlefort JMI
  • Christ Church CE JMI
  • Chuckery Primary
  • County Bridge Primary
  • Delves Infant / Delves Junior
  • Elmore Green Primary
  • Hillary Primary    
  • Holy Trinity CE Primary
  • King Charles Primary
  • King’s Hill Primary
  • Leamore Primary
  • Leighswood
  • Lindens Primary
  • Little Bloxwich CE Primary
  • Lower Farm Primary
  • Meadow View JMI
  • Millfield Primary
  • Moorcroft Wood Primary
  • New Invention Infant
  • Old Church CE Primary
  • Palfrey Infant / Palfrey Junior
  • Pelsall Village
  • Pinfold Street JMI
  • Pool Hayes Primary
  • Rosedale CE Infant
  • Rushall JMI
  • Salisbury Primary    
  • Short Heath Junior
  • St Giles CE Primary
  • St James
  • St John’s CE Primary
  • St Michael’s CE Primary
  • Sunshine Infant and Nursery
  • The Radleys Primary
  • Watling Street Primary
  • Whetstone Field Primary
  • Whitehall Nursery and Infant / Whitehall Junior

Download list

Complete your form, save a copy, and send it back to us by email AdmissionAppeals@walsall.gov.uk

You can also attach copies of evidence to your email. We accept scans and photos of original documents.

The deadline for you to submit your appeal form is 2 June 2025. Appeals received after this date may not be heard until the new school year, which starts 1 September 2025.

Appeals will take place during term time, up until late July 2025.

Appeals are arranged by the governing bodies of academies, foundation schools and voluntary aided schools.

If your school is in the list below, you'll need to contact the school direct for an appeal form. They will tell you about their appeals procedure and the deadline for submission.

You can find contact details in the Walsall schools directory.

  • All Saints National Academy
  • Bentley West Primary
  • Birchills CE Community Academy
  • Blackwood School
  • Bloxwich Academy
  • Blue Coat CE (A) Infant
  • Blue Coat CE (A) Junior
  • Brownhills West Primary
  • Busill Jones Primary
  • Caldmore Primary Academy
  • Cooper & Jordan CE VA Primary
  • Croft Academy
  • Edgar Stammers Primary Academy
  • Fibbersley Park Academy
  • Goldsmith Primary Academy
  • Greenfield Primary
  • Jubilee Academy
  • Lodge Farm Primary School
  • Manor Primary
  • New Invention Learning Academy
  • North Walsall Primary Academy
  • Park Hall Infant Academy
  • Park Hall Junior Academy
  • Pheasey Park Farm Primary
  • Reedswood E-Act Academy
  • Ryders Hayes School
  • St Anne’s Catholic Primary
  • St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary
  • St Francis Catholic Primary
  • St Joseph’s Catholic Primary
  • St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary
  • St Mary’s the Mount Catholic Primary
  • St Patrick’s Catholic Primary
  • St Peter’s Catholic Primary
  • St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary
  • The Rivers Primary Academy
  • Walsall Wood School
  • Woodlands Academy of Learning
  • Woods Bank Academy

Secondary schools in Walsall Borough

All Walsall secondary schools arrange their own appeals and you should contact them directly to ask for an appeals form.

You can find contact details in the Walsall schools directory.

There's further information about how to appeal for a year 7 place in the document below.

Download list

Secondary schools outside Walsall

For appeals against decisions made by schools outside Walsall, you should contact the relevant local authority.

Community and voluntary controlled primary schools

Walsall Council is the admissions authority for these schools. You can download an appeal form below.

Download list

You should complete your form, save a copy and send it back to us by email to AdmissionAppeals@walsall.gov.uk You can also attach copies of evidence to your email. We accept scans and photos of original documents.

All appeals must be heard within 30 school days as specified in the School Admissions Appeals Code 2022. This means that some appeals that are submitted late in the academic year may not be heard until the start of the new school year in September.

Appeals will take place during term time, up until late July 2025.

Primary and secondary academies, foundation schools, and voluntary aided schools (normally Roman Catholic or Church of England schools)

Appeals for these schools are arranged by their governing bodies.

Contact the school for an appeal form. They will tell you about their appeals procedure and the deadline for submission. You can find contact details in the Walsall schools directory.

For appeals against decisions made by schools outside Walsall, you should contact the authority to which the school belongs:

Get support for your appeal

You can download the information booklet, or contact us.

Before the appeal hearing

Send your completed appeal form to AdmissionAppeals@walsall.gov.uk

We will write to you and tell you the date of your appeal hearing. We’ll also explain the reasons we have not offered your child a place at one of your preferred schools.

You are be responsible for presenting your case. This means you need to decide what to say at the hearing.

If you want to attend the hearing, you'll be able to tell the appeal panel your reasons for wanting your child to go to a particular school.

If you don’t want to attend, you can send a written statement instead.

You might have some documentation that supports your case. For example, if your case is that your child has a medical condition, the appeal panel will expect to see some supporting evidence of the condition. This could be a letter from your GP. You should send copies to the admissions and appeals team before your hearing. You can do this by email or by post.

The appeals clerk will make sure that the appeal panel has all the forms and evidence you’ve submitted, whether you attend the hearing in person or not.

When are the appeal hearings?

Appeals are heard throughout the school year. The summer term is the busiest time. 

You’ll receive 10 days’ notice of the date and time of your hearing. In special circumstances, and if you agree, we can waive the 10 days’ notice.

There are a lot of appeal hearings, so it's not always possible to change your appointment.  If you have special needs that make it difficult for you to attend, let the appeals clerk know as soon as possible. 

Where are the appeal hearings?

They are usually held at the Council House, Lichfield Street, Walsall.

Who will be at the appeal hearing?

The appeals panel (comprising three independent members), the presenting officer, the appeals clerk, and you. You can bring a friend or family member if you need support, or you can ask them to represent you.

All hearings are held in private, and the details are confidential. 

What happens at the appeal hearing?

Each appeal takes around 20 minutes. The chairperson will introduce everyone and explain what is going to happen. 

The usual order is: 

  • Case presented by the presenting officer
  • Questions to the presenting officer from the parents/carers and the panel
  • Parents'/carers' case
  • Questions to the parents/carers from the presenting officer and the panel
  • Summing up of the case by the presenting officer
  • Summing up of the case by the parents/carers. 

What can I say? 

You can say whatever you think is relevant to your case. If you have any supporting evidence for your appeal, for example a letter from your GP to support a case based on a medical condition, you can explain this to the panel. 

Is it like a court? 

No. The appeal is as informal as possible.

The Government believes that legal representation should be the exception rather than the rule, so you don’t need to arrange this. If you decide that you do want legal representation, you will need to tell the appeal clerk before your hearing. 

May I bring my child to the appeal? 

You can, but it’s not necessary. You should think about if you want your child to miss school, and if they can cope with the experience. The appeals panel makes the final decision about whether a child should be present. 

How does the appeals panel make a decision?

The appeals panel will consider all the information available, then make their final decision. If the panel is hearing several appeals for one school, they will not make their decision until they’ve heard all the appeals for that school.  This can sometimes take several days.

What happens after the appeal hearing?

The panel will let you know their decision as soon as possible. The decision is binding on the local authority, the school and you. 

You won't be able to apply again for the same school in the same school year unless there has been a significant change in circumstances.

Appeals timetable

Appeals for September 2025 primary school admissions must be received by 2 June 2025. These appeals will then be heard between 19 May and 21 July 2025.

Appeals received after 2 June 2024, and mid-year admissions appeals, should be heard within 30 school days of submission.

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