Admissions appeal services

Admission authorities (local authorities, governing boards or academy trusts) have responsibilities under the School Admissions Code 2021 and the School Admission Appeals Code 2012 (until 30 September 2022) and the Appeals Code 2022 (in force from 1 October 2022). A key responsibility is to act in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code and ensure that appeals for places at a school are heard within the specified timeframe by an independent panel in a fair and transparent manner.

The changes in the School Admission Appeals Code 2022 are designed to assist admission authorities meet that responsibility by offering the option of virtual hearings as well as physical hearings to hold appeals.

Our team of legal experts are on hand to help you prepare for, and if required support you, with any appeals that come your way. In addition to advice on issues arising from the operation of appeals such as prejudice statements, parental complaints or investigations by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman or the ESFA, we are also able to offer:

• Training sessions for clerks, admissions officers and those with responsibilities for school admissions or appeals
• Clerking services

Training sessions for clerks, admissions officers and those with responsibilities for school admissions or appeals

The Admissions Appeals Code requires you to undertake a number of steps when preparing for and hosting an admission appeal hearing. To help admissions officers, clerks and those with responsibilities for school admissions or appeals prepare we are able to offer training on admissions and appeals which goes beyond the requirements laid down in the School Admissions Appeals Code 2022.

Clerking service

Put your mind at ease by arranging for one of our fully trained legal experts to manage your appeals via our clerking service.

Historically we have delivered this service in person, but in line with the new Appeals Code we will Clerk your appeals in person or via your in-house video or teleconferencing platform.

The clerking service include:

• Preparing for appeal hearings
• Clerking of hearings
• Drafting and sending decision letters to appellants.

Cost

The cost of the appeals training is £950 plus VAT for a virtual session or £1,250 plus VAT and travel expenses for a physical training session.
The training takes around 2 hours to deliver and is fully interactive.

The clerking service is £700 plus VAT per half day whilst involved in the appeals.
To give you an example of the likely costs you would incur we would assume that:

Where a school had 10 appeal hearings these could be completed in one day, with an additional half day required for the writing of the decision letters (£2,100 total).

Where a school’s appeal hearings lasted a half day, a further half day would be required for writing the decision letters (total £1,400).