Admission appeals: a how-to guide

Parents can appeal admission decisions. If you're the admission authority for your school, you need to know how to handle these appeals. You can use our template appeal outcome letter, and see how other schools approach appeals.

Last reviewed on 21 October 2025

School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 30325

Contents

Be clear on who the admission authority is
All parents have the right to appeal
Timetable for appeals
Membership of appeal panels
The hearing
Reaching a decision
Template appeal outcome letter
Examples of appeals processes

Be clear on who the admission authority is

This article is aimed at governing boards who are the admission authority for their school.

This is because they'll be responsible for arranging an appeal:

Type of school	Admission authority
Academy	Academy trust (the board of trustees)*
Foundation school	Governing board
Voluntary aided school	Governing board
Community school	Local authority
Voluntary controlled school	Local authority

This is outlined on page 6 of the school admissions code.

* If you sit on a local governing body in a multi-academy trust, check your scheme of delegation to see if you have any responsibilities regarding admissions.

All parents have the right to appeal

This is covered on page 8 of the school admissions code, and under ‘academy admissions appeals’ in this

Be clear on who the admission authority is

All parents have the right to appeal

Want to continue reading?