Introduction
'Admission arrangements' is a term we use to describe the overall procedure, practices, criteria and supplementary information used by a school admission authority in deciding on the allocation of places in a school.
Timetable for deciding school admissions arrangements
The school admissions system operates on a two year cycle. The admission authority - which can be a governing body of a school or a local authority, depending on the category of school - are required to ‘determine’ their admission arrangements by 15 April of year one, for admission to that school in September of year two.
Parents will be notified of the school where their child has been offered a place; after the published 'offer' dates for primary schools, or, on the ‘national offer date’ for secondary schools. If the place is accepted, the child would start at that school in the September of the same year.
Not offered a place at preferred school
For those parents wanting to appeal against not being offered a place at their chosen school, please see the link to guidance for parents provided on Directgov.
Free Schools and academies
Parents wishing to object to admission arrangements of an academy or Free School should contact the EFA. The EFA will seek the advice of a schools adjudicator before making a decision themselves.
Who can object to admission arrangements?
Any parent, carer or guardian, can object to published admission arrangements, who;
- has a child who has reached two years old, but is not above compulsory school age
- has been, or will be eligible to apply for a school place
When can I object?
You must complete the parental objection form on the left-hand side of this page to object. This form needs to be submitted between the school admission arrangements being decided, and by the 31 July in that year.
It is advisable for you to object as early as possible as any delays up to the deadline will impact on the determination date. If you miss the deadline, the adjudicator may still consider the objection - but only if there is good reason for not sending it earlier.
Why might I object?
There are many ways in which school admission arrangements could potentially be in breach of the mandatory elements of the School Admissions Code (the Code). The Code is published by the Department for Education.
Some examples of legitimate objections:
- When a school gives preference to siblings of former pupils, this would be unlawful as the Code states school places must not be allowed on the basis of a sibling being a former pupil.
- If you think the school has the physical capacity to accommodate a certain number of pupils and that it should admit up to that number; then you could object to the published admissions number.
What happens next?
The schools adjudicator will consider all evidence provided to them before reaching an independent decision within the law.
Once made, a ‘determination’ will be published on this website. The determination will contain the decision and the reasons behind that decision.
Right of appeal
Once the determination is published it can only be challenged by a Judicial Review through the Administrative Court (a division of the High Court), and must be made within three months from the date of the determination.
The Judicial Review can only be made on the basis of the process followed in making a determination, and not the determination itself.