About us

We decide on objections and variations to admission arrangements, appeals from schools directed to admit pupils, significant changes to schools and ownership of school land.

If your child has not been offered a place at your preferred school and you want to appeal, contact the admission authority for that school. Find out how to appeal a school’s decision.

Our responsibilities

School admissions

We’re responsible for:

  • ruling on objections to and referrals of the admission arrangements for publicly funded schools in England – this includes community, voluntary and foundation schools, academies and free schools
  • considering requests from admission authorities to vary the admission arrangements of community, foundation and voluntary schools in England
  • deciding on appeals from the governing boards of foundation and voluntary aided schools in England if they are directed to admit a pupil
  • providing advice to the Secretary of State for Education

School organisation

We’re responsible for making some decisions on:

  • the opening or closing of community, foundation or voluntary schools in England
  • major changes to community, foundation or voluntary schools in England

This is usually when it has not been possible to reach a decision locally.

School land

We make decisions on the ownership of non-playing field land on school sites in specified circumstances.

Reporting

We report annually to the Secretary of State on the work of schools adjudicators. This includes a summary of reports from local authorities on school admissions.

Who we are

The schools adjudicators work independently from the Department for Education but are appointed by the Secretary of State for Education.

They are impartial and may not have any connection to the cases they examine.

They’re supported by a small team based in Darlington.

Adjudicators

The Chief Schools Adjudicator is Ms Shan Scott.

The schools adjudicators appointed by the Secretary of State are:

  • Ms Shan Scott - Chief Adjudicator
  • Dr Bryan Slater
  • Mrs Deborah Pritchard
  • Mr Thomas Brooke
  • Dr Marisa Vallely
  • Dr Rob Cawley
  • Ms Jane Kilgannon
  • Mrs Jennifer Gamble
  • Mr Clive Sentance
  • Mrs Catherine Crooks
  • Mrs Tess Gale

Corporate information

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Jobs and contracts

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