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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.

Infant class size appeals 

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.

Community and voluntary controlled schools

Walsall Council is the admissions authority for the following schools. If your school is on the list below, you should send your appeal to us:

Abbey Primary Alumwell Infant Alumwell Junior
Barcroft Primary Beacon Primary Bentley West Primary
Blackwood Blakenall Heath Junior  
Butts Primary Castlefort JMI Christ Church CE JMI
Chuckery Primary County Bridge Primary Delves Infant
Delves Junior Elmore Green Primary Greenfield 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 New Invention Junior 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
Walsall Wood Watling Street Primary Whetstone Field Primary
Whitehall Junior Whitehall Nursery and Infant

Academies, foundation schools, and voluntary aided schools

Appeals are arranged by the governing bodies of these schools.

Check the list below, and contact the school direct for an appeal form. They will tell you about their appeals procedure and the deadline for submission.

Foundation schools
Manor Primary 0121 353 1738
Voluntary aided schools
Blue Coat CE (A) Infant 01922 720740
Blue Coat CE (A) Junior 01922 720921
Cooper & Jordan CE VA Primary 01922 743765
St Anne’s Catholic Primary 0121 353 5114
St Francis Catholic Primary 01922 682583
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary 0121 568 9496
St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary 01922 743411
St Mary’s the Mount Catholic Primary 01922 720711
St Patrick’s Catholic Primary 01922 720063
St Peter’s Catholic Primary 01922 710872
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary 01922 720712
Academies
All Saints National Academy 01922 710210
Birchills CE Community Academy 01922 721063
Bloxwich Academy 01922 710257
Brownhills West Primary 01543 452766
Busill Jones Primary 01922 710700
Caldmore Primary Academy 01922 721359
Croft Academy 01922 720689
Edgar Stammers Primary Academy 01922 471390
Fibbersley Park Academy 01902 366220
Goldsmith Primary Academy 01922 710182
Jubilee Academy 01922 710357
Lodge Farm Primary School 01902 368587
North Walsall Primary Academy 01922 720822
Park Hall Infant Academy 01922 721443
Park Hall Junior Academy 01922 720761
Pheasey Park Farm Primary 0121 366 6183
Reedswood E-Act Academy 01922 721323
Rough Hay Primary Academy 0121 568 6421
Ryders Hayes School 01922 830008
St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary 01543 452921
The Rivers Primary Academy 01922 710164
Woodlands Academy of Learning 01922 710613

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 school contact details and how to appeal for a year 7 place (September 2023 start) in our information sheet 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.

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.

​​​​​​​The deadline for you to submit your appeal form is 13 June 2023. Appeals received after this date may not be heard until the new school year, which starts 4 September 2023.

Appeals will take place during term time, up until late July 2023.

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 current contact details for all Walsall schools in the education 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 the admissions and appeals team.

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 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 2023 primary school admissions must be received by 17 May 2023. These appeals will then be heard between 10 June -19 July 2023.

Appeals received after 17 May 2023, and mid-year admissions appeals, should be heard within 30 school days of submission.

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