Breadcrumb Trail
Admissions Appeals
Any parent, whose child has not been assessed for grammar school has the right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel. This page explains how.
Appealing
The Hearing
- Do I have to attend the hearing?
- Who will hear my appeal?
- What happens at the appeal hearing?
- How does the appeal panel reach its decision?
- Can I make a further appeal?
Questions commonly asked by parents
- Can the Appeals Section give me advice regarding the information I present to the Appeals Panel?
- Will the Appeals Section/Panel obtain copies of school reports and medical information in relation to my appeal?
- Will the Appeals Section/Panel arrange for witnesses e.g. teachers, doctors, psychologists to attend the appeal hearing in support of my appeal?
- Can I bring a Legal representative, friend or other representative with me to the hearing?
- Can I bring samples of my child's work and/or school reports to the hearing?
- Is the appeal hearing confidential?
Appealing
How can I appeal?
If your child has not been assessed for grammar school and you wish to appeal you must obtain an appeal form by contacting the telephone number below, and send it back to:
Miss N Owen
Appeals Section
Democratic and Legal Services
Room 123, Trafford Town Hall
Talbot Road,
Stretford
M32 0YT
Telephone: 0161 912 4221
No later than 14 days from the date of your letter of refusal from the Director of the Children and Young Peoples Service. If you do not appeal within this time, then your right of appeal is lost. You should provide, as much information as you feel is necessary to be considered by the Appeals Panel.
What happens next?
Once we have received your completed appeal form, we will acknowledge receipt of your appeal and then arrange a date for the appeal to be heard. In most cases 14 days notice in writing is given to parents before an appeal is heard. This is not always possible and this notice period can be waived by parents completing the appropriate section of the appeal form.
How do I prepare my case?
You are responsible for presenting your case and deciding what oral or written information you want to put before the Appeals Panel and what witnesses, if any, you wish to bring to the hearing.
Your Appeal Form is an important part of your case and should be completed carefully.
If you wish to submit any written evidence, e.g. medical/educational evidence in support of your appeal, you must obtain the letters/reports. The Appeals Section cannot do this for you and the Appeals Panel will not request any information or make any enquiries on your behalf.
Your written evidence should be submitted with the appeal form.
If it is not possible to submit all the evidence with the appeal form, please send it to the Appeals Section as soon as possible and at least 3 working days before the appeal, otherwise it may be necessary for the appeal to be adjourned. If an appeal is adjourned, a new date will be given at the end of the other programmed appeals.
Witnesses
You may bring with you any witnesses you wish to support your case. If you intend to call a teacher/headteacher/tutor as a witness, you must contact the teacher/headteacher/tutor and, if they agree, make arrangements for them to attend the hearing. The Appeals Panel or Appeals Section will not do this. Please notify the Appeals Section prior to the hearing if witnesses will be attending.
You may like to write down what you wish to say at the appeal, and any questions that you wish to ask. Please remember to bring with you, all the information sent to you prior to the appeal, as this will contain details of why your child has been assessed as not suitable for grammar school.
The Hearing
Do I have to attend the hearing?
The Independent Appeals Panel Hearings are held in private and each case is heard individually.
It is strongly recommended that you attend the appeal hearing, as it is usually easier to explain your case to the Appeals Panel in person. If you do not wish to attend, the appeal will be decided in your absence on whatever information you and the Local Education Authority representative have submitted.
If you do not attend the appeal on the date set and have not informed the Appeals Section that you wish to have your appeal deferred, your appeal will be heard in your absence.
If you wish to attend, a relative, friend or Legal representative may accompany you. Details of anyone accompanying you should be notified to the Appeals Section prior to the hearing.
It is not necessary for your child to be present at the hearing, and you are strongly advised not to bring him/her. Your child's attendance will not influence the decision of the appeal panel in any way, and it may be upsetting for your child to be present at the appeal hearing.
Please let us know whether you will or will not be attending the appeal.
Who will hear my appeal?
The Independent Appeals Panel will normally be made up of three members. It will include Lay Members and Persons with an Interest in Education, none of whom have any connection with either the Council or The Local Authority.
Sitting with the Appeals Panel will be an Advisor who will ensure that the correct procedures are followed and that the appeal hearing is conducted fairly. They play no part in the decision-making but remain with the Panel once the hearing is over.
An Officer from the Local Authority will also be present to explain why your child has been assessed as not suitable for grammar school. At the end of the hearing, he/she will leave and take no part in the decision-making process.
What happens at the appeal hearing?
The hearing will be as informal as possible and the Chair of the Panel will try to put you at ease. However, certain formal procedures have to be followed to make sure that everyone who appeals is given a fair chance to present their case. The following is a summary of the procedure that will be followed at the hearing.
The case for the LA:
- The Officer from the Local Authority presents their case
- You and/or your representative may ask questions about what has been stated by the Officer from the Local Authority
- The Panel may also ask questions
Your case:
- You and/or your representative will present your case
- The Officer from the Local Authority may ask you questions
- The Panel may ask you questions
The Officer from the Local Authority then sums up the case for the Education Authority and you or your representative may sum up your case.
The Officer from the Local Authority, you and/or your representative will leave the hearing at the same time and will take no further part in the appeal. The Panel will then make their decision.
All appeals are heard in private and are treated as confidential.
It is very important that you inform the Appeals Panel of all the information that you consider to be part of your appeal. If you do not, and your appeal is refused, you will not be able to bring it forward afterwards as new information.
Decisions will br notified in writing only.
How does the appeal panel reach its decision?
The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 says that the Education Authority must comply with parents preference except in certain circumstances which include:
"If the arrangements for admission to the preferred school are based wholly on selection by reference to high ability and compliance with the preference will be incompatible with selection under the arrangements".
Therefore, for secondary assessment appeals there is a two stage decision-making process, which the Appeals Panel, has to follow in making their decisions.
Stage 1
The Appeals Panel considers whether the admission of your child to a Trafford Community Grammar School would be incompatible with the admission arrangements, which are based solely on selection by reference to high ability i.e. your child has not scored the required marks in the Secondary Assessment Tests and therefore does not meet the criteria for selection under the published admission arrangements, and whether the Local Education Authority have correctly and impartially applied the selection criteria to your child.
If the Appeals Panel is not satisfied about these matters, then it must allow your appeal.
However, if the Appeals Panel is satisfied about these matters it will move to Stage 2 of the decision-making process.
Stage 2
The Appeals Panel will consider the matters raised by you in your appeal as to why your child may have underperformed in the assessment tests and evidence of your child's academic ability.
If the Appeals Panel determines that the matters raised by you are sufficient to demonstrate that your child has the required ability and has been incorrectly assessed, they will allow the appeal.
This means that your child will be considered for admission to a Trafford Community Grammar School in accordance with the published admission arrangements.
If the Appeals Panel determines that it has not received evidence that demonstrates that your child has been incorrectly assessed for high school, they will refuse the appeal. This means that your child's current assessment for high school will remain.
Can I make a further appeal?
No. However, you can apply to have your child reassessed during year 7 or any subsequent years, details of which can be obtained by telephoning the Admission Team on 0161 912 5084.
Questions commonly asked by parents
Can the Appeals Section give me advice regarding the information I present to the Appeals Panel?
No -you must decide what information you wish to present to the Appeals Panel. Such Information should be included/attached to your appeal form or sent to the Appeals Section at least 3 working days before the appeal hearing.
Will the Appeals Section/panel obtain copies of school reports or medical information in relation to my appeal?
No - If you wish the Appeals Panel to consider school reports/medical information
etc, you must obtain that information and send it to the Appeals Section at least 3 working days before the Appeal hearing.
Will the Appeals Section/Panel arrange for witnesses e.g. teachers, doctors, psychologists to attend the appeal hearing in support of my appeal?
No - If you wish anyone to attend the appeal hearing in support of your appeal, you must make the necessary arrangements and give details to the Appeals Section before the hearing.
Can I bring a Legal representative, friend or other representative with me to the hearing?
Yes - but please inform the Appeals Section before the hearing.
Can I bring samples of my child's work and/or school reports to the hearing?
Yes - but the Panel cannot give a professional opinion regarding the work or reports. However, Panel members will consider the work and/or reports and take them into account along with all the other information presented to them.
Is the appeal hearing confidential?
Yes - all information provided by you will be treated in the strictest confidence.
This page was last updated on 20 October 2008
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