High View Primary School Admission Appeals Process

If your child is refused a place at High View Primary School, you have a legal right to appeal against this decision. In accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code, the school will use an independent appeal panel to hear all appeals.

How to Lodge an Appeal

• Requesting a Form: If you wish to lodge an appeal, you must contact the school at admissions@highview.school to receive an official appeal form.
• Written Grounds: You must set out your grounds for the appeal in writing. You should provide as much detail as possible as to why you are seeking a place at High View specifically.
• Nursery Exception: There is no right of appeal against a decision not to offer a nursery place as this is a non statutory provision.

Timelines

To ensure the process is fair and transparent, High View adheres to the following strict timeframes:

• Deadline to Lodge: You must be allowed at least 20 school days to prepare and lodge your written appeal from the date the decision letter was sent.  
• ​​​​​​​Notice of Hearing: The clerk of the appeal panel will provide you with written notice of the date and time of your hearing at least 10 school days in advance.  
• Hearing Deadline (Normal Admissions Round): Appeals for the standard September Reception intake must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals.
• Hearing Deadline (In-Year Admissions): For applications made outside the normal intake, the appeal must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal form being received.
• Notification of Decision: You will be sent the panel's decision in writing within 5 school days of the hearing.

What happens next?

Once your form has been received, you will be invited to attend an appeal hearing. You will be given at least 10 school days notice of the date and time of your appeal hearing and advised of the names of the panel members. You will be provided with a 'case statement' which explains why your child was not given a place at the school and a deadline date by which to submit any extra information.

The Independent Appeal Panel

The appeal is heard by a panel of at least three trained volunteers. To ensure complete impartiality, panel members have no connection to the school or the local authority. Before the hearing, you will be advised of the names of the panel members to ensure there is no conflict of interest.

The Appeal Hearing

Format: Hearings are private and confidential. Most hearings now take place virtually via video conference.
Case Statement: Prior to the hearing, you will receive a "case statement" from the school explaining the specific reasons why your child was not offered a place.
Representation: You have the right to attend the hearing and may be accompanied by a friend or representative.
Evidence: A deadline will be set for you to submit any additional information; evidence submitted after this date may not be considered by the panel.
Infant Class Size Appeals (Reception, Year 1, and Year 2)
For these year groups, the law limits classes to a maximum of 30 pupils per qualified teacher. Because of this, the independent panel can only uphold an appeal if:

1. Admitting the child would not breach the class size limit. 
2. The admission arrangements were not legal or were not correctly and impartially applied.
3. The decision to refuse admission was "perverse" or "unreasonable" in a legal sense.

Binding Decisions and Complaints

• Binding Nature: The decision of the independent appeal panel is legally binding on both the school and the parents.
• Waiting Lists: The appeal panel has no influence over your child's position on the school's waiting list.
• ​​​​​​​Further Recourse: If you believe there was maladministration in how the appeal was handled, you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.