School appeals - Print version

Please find below the documents confirming the process to be followed by the local authority:

• General information on the school appeal process [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/33272/general_information_on_the_school_appeals_process]
• The order of the virtual appeal hearing (Infant Class Size [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/33273/the_order_of_the_virtual_appeal_hearing_infant_class_size]
• The order of the remote appeal hearing (two stage) [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/33274/the_order_of_the_remote_appeal_hearing_two_stage]

If it has not been possible to offer your child a place at your preferred school, the City Council will write to you to explain the reasons why it was not possible to offer you a place at your preferred school and the process for appealing against this decision. More information on timescales and ways to register an appeal [/info/148/school_admissions/122/school_appeals/2].

The School Appeals Team is responsible for administering the arrangements for appeals for Community Schools and ensuring that they are heard by an Independent Appeal Panel made up of people who have no connection at all with the original decision.

The responsibility for appeals for Academy, Trust and Voluntary Aided Schools rests with the individual schools. Parents who are refused places will be advised of the arrangements for making an appeal or should contact the school.

The following schools make arrangements for their own appeals and you should contact the school for details:

• All Catholic Primary and Secondary Voluntary Aided Schools and Academies
• Blue Coat Church of England School and Music College,
• Caludon Castle School
• Charter Academy
• Eden Girls School, Coventry
• Ernesford Grange Community Academy
• Finham Park School
• Finham Park 2 School
• Foxford Community School
• Leigh Church of England Primary School
• Meadow Park School
• Sidney Stringer Academy
• St Bartholomew’s Church of England primary School
• St John's Church of England Primary School
• St Laurence’s Church of England Primary School
• Stretton Church of England Academy
• The Westwood Academy

Please note: If your appeal for a school is unsuccessful, you may not appeal for the same school within an academic year unless there has been a material or significant change to your circumstances.

To register an appeal for other authority schools

If you wish to register an appeal for other authority schools, please contact them directly.

Birmingham City Council

• Telephone: (0121) 675 0555 - option 1
• Email: admissions@birmingham.gov.uk [mailto:admissions@birmingham.gov.uk]

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

• Telephone: (0121) 704 6693
• Email: admissions@solihull.gov.uk [mailto:admissions@solihull.gov.uk]

Warwickshire County Council

• Telephone: (01926) 414143
• Email: admissions@warwickshire.gov.uk [mailto:admissions@warwickshire.gov.uk]

How to make a school appeal

If you have not been offered a place at your preferred school(s) you have the right of appeal against the decision not to allocate your child a place. Accepting the place you have been offered does not affect your right of appeal.

Your case will be heard by an Independent Appeals Panel

• Details on how to appeal for a place starting at any time in the school year [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/school-appeals/3], including the timetable and the form you need to complete
• Details on how to appeal for admission into Secondary School 2025 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/school-appeals/4], including the timetable and the form you need to complete
• Details on how to appeal for admission into Primary School 2025 [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/school-admissions/school-appeals/5], including the timetable and the form you need to complete.

Please note: You must make an application and be refused a place at each school you stated as a preference before you can make an appeal for that school.

After completing the appeal form

You will receive 10 school days' notice of the time and date of the appeal hearing.

You will receive a statement before your appeal hearing saying how your application was dealt with, why your child has not been offered a place and why the school is unable to admit another pupil.

Any extra documents you wish to send in to support your appeal must be received by the clerk at least 3 days before the appeal hearing. Failure to do this may result in your appeal hearing being adjourned.

In year appeal form

A change of school at any time other than the normal intake to Primary starting Reception or Secondary starting Year 7.

How to make a school appeal

If you have not been offered a place at your preferred school(s) you have the right of appeal against the decision not to allocate your child a place. Accepting the place you have been offered does not affect your right of appeal.

Appeals received after the closing date will be heard within the schedule, if possible.

Further appeal dates will be published soon.

Appealing for a Year 7 place for September 2025

Offers of school places will be made on 3 March 2025. If your application for a school is unsuccessful, you have the right to have your case heard by an Independent Appeals Panel.

If your child is due to start Secondary School in September 2025 and you wish to appeal for a Year 7 place you should contact the school directly for details of their process as the responsibility for appeals for Academies rests with the individual schools.

Each school will have details of their deadlines and how to make an appeal on their websites

Appeals for the following academies are provided via the local authority and will be subject to the below dates.  The link to register your appeal will be available on this page from 3 March 2025.

• Barr's Hill School
• Coundon Court School
• Grace Academy
• Lyng Hall School
• President Kennedy School
• Seva School
• Stoke Park School
• West Coventry Academy

If the school you wish to appeal for is not listed above please contact the school direct for their appeals information. 

Appealing for a Reception place for September 2025

Offers of school places will be made on 16 April 2025. If your application for a school is unsuccessful, you have the right to have your case heard by an Independent Appeals Panel.

If your child is due to start Primary School in September 2025 and you wish to appeal for a Reception place for a faith school or an Academy school, you should contact the school directly for details of their process as the responsibility for their appeals rests with the individual schools.

Each Primary school will have details of their deadlines and how to make an appeal on their website.

All Community Primary Schools appeals are administered by the Local Authority and will be subject to the below dates.

Make a school appeal online. [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/School_appeals]

Reception and Key Stage One appeals - Infant class size legislation

Anyone considering an appeal for a place in Reception class or years 1 & 2, should be aware that the law states that infant classes must not contain more than 30 pupils with a single teacher. The school can therefore refuse admission on infant class size prejudice grounds if the number of pupils in the class would then exceed 30.

The only areas a panel can consider in this type of appeal are:

1. Whether the admission of an additional child would breach class size limit; and
2. Whether the admission arrangements comply with the mandatory requirements of the School Admissions Code and Part 3 of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998; and
3. Whether the admission arrangements were correctly and impartially applied in the case/s in question; and
4. Whether the decision to refuse admission was one, which a reasonable admission authority would make in the circumstance of the case.

Please note:

When considering (d) "reasonableness" the threshold for finding that an admission authority's decision to refuse admission was not one that a reasonable authority could have made is HIGH.

The panel need to be satisfied that the decision to refuse admission was "perverse in light of the admission arrangements" i.e. it was "beyond the range of responses open to a reasonable decision maker" or the decision was so outrageous in its defiance of logic or accepted moral standards that no sensible person who had applied his mind to the question could have arrived at it.

Given the limited nature of the possible grounds on which an appeal may be upheld, Infant Class Size appeals are rarely successful.

Become an Independent Appeal Panel Member

Do you like to make a difference?   Are you a decision maker? Have you got time to spare?

If so, why not consider giving some of your time to hearing School Admission Appeals?

The Coventry School Appeals Service is calling for new volunteers to join those Independent Appeal Panel members who already make a valuable contribution to the appeals service by making informed decisions relating to the admission of children to preferred local schools.

If you are interested in becoming an Independent School Appeal Panel Member, please read the information below before submitting an online application [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/application_form_to_sit_as_an_independent_school_appeals_panel_member]. 

• Background to School Appeals [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/39716/background-to-school-appeals]
• Panel Member Person Specification [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/39717/panel-member-person-specification]

If you require further information once you have read these documents, please email schoolappeals@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:schoolappeals@coventry.gov.uk] or telephone 024 7697 2642.