How to Appeal a School Place Decision

Transfer to junior school timetable 2022/23

  • Round opened – 9 November 2021
  • Round closed – 15 January 2022
  • National Offer Day when school place decisions are made available – 19 April 2022
  • Appeals closing date – 29 April 2022
  • Mini admission round to consider changes – 16 May 2022
  • Appeals hearings – June/July 2022
  • Waiting lists maintained until 31 December 2022

If your application for a place at Lionwood Junior School is rejected, you have the right to appeal the decision. You will find all the information that you need on the Norfolk County Council Appeal Admissions Appeals page:
Norfolk County Council School Admissions Appeals

Here is how to Appeal:

If your child is refused a place at any school, Norfolk County Council will keep the child’s name on a waiting list for that school until the end of December 2022. If all the schools have been unable to accommodate any of your preferences an alternative school has been offered.

You have the right of appeal if your child is refused a place. Find out more about your right of appeal at school admission appeals in Norfolk.

If you wish to appeal you need to state your intention in writing to Norfolk County Council (or by emailing admissions@norfolk.gov.uk) telling them which school(s) you are appealing for.
You need to state your intention to appeal to Norfolk County Council by Friday 29 April 2022.

If your child has been refused a place at Lionwood Junior School the appeal request will be forwarded to the Headteacher who will send the appeal form to you. 

This is the form and guidance: 

Appeal Form – Prejudice appeal – Own Admissions Authority

Appeals Guidance – Own admission auth sch&acad Feb 19

The completed appeal form must be returned to the admissions authority by Friday 13 May 2022.

Further information on the appeals process will also be provided on receipt of your written request.
Appeals will be heard by the end of the summer term (22 July 2022).

All appeals are being conducted by video conference (MS Teams), telephone or on the basis or written submissions.

If you miss the closing date, they will try to hear your appeal with the on-time appeals for that school, or as soon as possible.

The Government recently made some temporary changes to school admissions appeals due to coronavirus. You can read the full guidance on the GOV.UK website.

When the appeal hearing will take place

For transfers to junior school the appeal hearing will take place within 40 school days after the final date for lodging appeals.

If you applied to change schools during the school year and the application was refused, the appeal hearing will take place within 30 school days of the date you lodged your appeal.

Before the appeal hearing

You will receive a written summary of the case for refusing your child a place before the hearing.

We will tell you when and where the appeal will be heard 14 days before the hearing.

Your appeal will be heard in private. You can bring a friend, relative or representative if you would like to. You can also decide whether to bring your child to the hearing or not.

You should try to come to the hearing in person, but the panel will consider a written appeal case if you decide not to attend.

The appeal hearing

At the moment, hearings can be in person, by telephone, video conference or in writing.

At the hearing there are usually three panel members who make the decision. The panel members are volunteers and are independent of the school and the local authority.

There will also be a clerk who will record the proceedings and advise on law and procedure.

The school will be represented by a presenting officer who will give the reasons for refusing your child a place.

The panel will firstly decide whether the admission authority has shown why it cannot admit more children. If they agree that the case has been made, they will then consider all the points you have made. You will be given opportunity to explain to the panel why you want your child to go to the school.

The panel’s decision is based on balancing the needs of your child against the effect of admitting another child to the school.

After the hearing

Wherever possible we’ll tell you the decision by email by the next working day. We’ll also send you a letter within seven days explaining the decision and reasons for it.

Decisions of the appeal panel are binding on both the parents and the school.

You have no further right of appeal in the same academic year unless there is a significant change in circumstances. This would include a new medical problem, or a house move, where this was not known about and considered at the original appeal hearing.

If your appeal is unsuccessful, you may decide you want to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Read more about how to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.