School Admissions

Secondary Transfer

If your application for a secondary school place is not as successful as you would have hoped, what can you do next? 

Should I appeal?

You do have a right to appeal but do you have a case?
You should be sent a letter or an email on 1st March 2019 with the decision about your application for a secondary school place for your child. You do have the right to appeal against the decision if your child was not offered your first preference. The letter or email will explain how to go about this and how to add your child to the waiting lists of other schools.
 
Please note that you are required to appeal against each unsuccessful school separately.
 
All schools have admission criteria to decide which children get places. The school or the local authority usually set these.
The admission criteria is different for each school. For example, schools may give priority to children:
• who have a brother or sister at the school already
• who live close to the school
• from a particular religion (for faith schools)
• who do well in an entrance exam (for selective schools, eg grammar schools or stage schools)
• who went to a particular primary school (a ‘feeder school’)
• in care or being looked after (all schools must have this as a top priority)
• who are eligible for the pupil premium
 
This information regarding the criteria and how to apply is available online through your local authority website or from the schools themselves.
  
If after having read the information from your local authority you still feel you need help to prepare an appeal against the decision to offer your child a place at any school, it is not necessary to contact a law firm.
 
Empowerment Focused have practitioners trained to provide advice and support to parents throughout the admissions and appeals process and have a track record of supporting parents across several London Boroughs.
There is no charge for the first conversation, so what do you have to lose?

Interested in our services? We’re here to help!

If the school your child attends did not provide a support service for parents applying for a secondary school. Please pass on our details because we are able to deliver workshops for next years parents with children in year 6 during September and early October to take the stress out of the process 
Book an appointment
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