When the admission authority is unable to give you a place at your preferred school, we will be able to advise you about an alternative school. If your request for one of your preferred schools is refused you have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel. Appeals are heard by school admission appeals panels which are independent of the admission authority.

Further general information about the appeals process can be found here.

If the school appealed for is a community or voluntary controlled school the council is the admission authority and therefore responsible for the appeal process and you can find detailed guidance on the appeal process here.

For all other types of school (foundation, voluntary aided, trust and free schools)and academies the governors are the admission authority and they are responsible for the appeal process and you can find detailed guidance on the appeal process here.

If you are seeking a place for a 5,6 or 7 year old, you may have a more limited right of appeal. This will happen when the year group of full and the class already has 30 children in it. This will happen when the year group is full and the class already has 30 children in it. This is because the law says that infants (5, 6 and 7 year olds) should not be taught in classes with more than 30 children in them.

In these cases appeal panels can only allow your appeals if they find one of the following grounds apply:

• if the admission rules were not applied correctly and your child should have been offered a place and/or;

• your child should have been offered a place if the admission arrangements had not been contrary to the mandatory provisions of the School Admissions Code and/or;

• the decision to refuse admission was not one which a reasonable

admissions authority would have made in the circumstances of the case.

You can find detailed guidance on infant class appeals here.