Primary school admission appeals

If your application to a school is refused, you have the right to appeal this decision. The appeal will be heard by an appeal panel. The panel is independent of the school and of the local authority. It is only the independent appeal panel who is able to consider additional information and evidence about your individual family circumstances.

Infant class size appeals

The law limits the size of an infant class (reception and years 1 and 2) to a maximum of 30 pupils per teacher. There are exceptions to this rule only for certain limted categories of children. If the school refuses your child a place because admitting them would breach this limit then your appeal will be an infant class size appeal. This is different from all other school admission appeals.

In an infant class size appeal, a panel will only uphold the appeal if it finds one of these conditions apply:

• the admission of an additional child would not breach the infant class size limit
• the school’s admission arrangements were unlawful, or were not properly applied, and the child would have been offered a place at the school if the arrangements had been lawful or had been properly applied
• the decision to refuse admission was not one that a reasonable admission authority would have made in the circumstances of the case. The threshld for this is high.

Read more about this type of appeal in the advice for parents and guardians on school admission appeals.

Before making an appeal

Before you make an appeal it will be helpful for you to understand how the school allocated their places, so you can understand why your child did not get a place. You will find each school’s admission arrangements on their website.

We strongly advise you accept any offer of a school place you receive to make sure that your child has a place should your appeal not be successful. If you accept the offer we have made, it does not stop you joining a waiting list or submitting an appeal for another school.

Appeal forms

The only three grounds for allowing your appeal are set out within the appeal form and the how to appeal guide.

There are different appeal forms depending on the type of school:

• Primary schools (community schools, voluntary controlled schools and academies)
• Seymour Park Community Primary School (has its own separate arrangements) 
• Voluntary aided primary schools (also known as church schools)
• All primary schools – Year 3 to Year 6 (Junior classes)

If you wish to appeal for St Mary's C.E. Primary School, Sale contact the school directly as they have their own appeal form. 

Appeal timetable

• Community primary school appeal timetable

More help and advice

There are a number of places you can get more help and advice.

Useful guidance

• Advice for parents and guardians on school admission appeals
• School admissions code
• School admissions appeals code
• Child law advice centre

Admission round outcomes

Find out how many children were offered places at each primary school on national offer day in recent years:

• 2024 primary admission outcomes
• 2023 primary admission outcomes
• 2022 primary admission outcomes
• 2021 primary admission outcomes

Trafford School Admissions

We can help with questions relating to school admissions.

• Email: school.admissions@trafford.gov.uk 
• Telephone helpline: 0161 912 5007

Trafford School Appeals (Governance Services)

We can help with questions relating to your appeal and the appeal procedures - only for schools where Trafford administers the appeals.

• Email: school.appeals@trafford.gov.uk
• Telephone helpline: 0161 912 4221