If your child has not been offered a school place following an in-year application, you have the legal right to appeal this decision to an Independent Appeal Panel.
In Havering, we utilise an external company to facilitate all school appeals.
This company is responsible for clerking, timetabling, and arranging independent panels, ensuring the appeals process is entirely independent of both the school and the Local Authority, providing a fair and impartial review.
In line with the School Admission Appeals Code 2022, all admission appeals will be held online.
This approach has been chosen by the admission authority and appeal panels based on positive feedback from previous online hearings.
How to make your appeal
To submit an appeal, please use the relevant online form below.
Do not use any other appeal form or send your form directly to your local authority, as this may delay or invalidate your appeal.
Appeal for a place in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 place
Appeal for a place in Year 3 through to Year 11
Appeal for a place in Sixth Form
Essential guidance before appealing
We highly recommend that you download and thoroughly read the explanatory booklet about appeals on the Education Appeals website before you complete the online form.
The booklet provides vital information to help you understand the process.
If your appeal is for Reception, Year 1, or Year 2 (Key Stage 1), you are strongly advised to pay particular attention to the section on Key Stage 1 appeals in the booklet on page 18.
This section outlines the very specific and limited grounds under which infant class size appeals can be successful, as legal limits apply to these class sizes (typically a maximum of 30 pupils with a single teacher).
Submitting your appeal and evidence
You must state the grounds for your appeal at the time you lodge your appeal form. Your appeal will not be accepted without these stated grounds.
Please include any evidence or supporting material with your appeal form. This could include documents that support your reasons for preferring the school or explain any exceptional circumstances.
You may appeal for more than one school, but please remember that a separate appeal form must be completed for each school.
For privacy and data protection, please do not include any photographs of your child with your appeal documentation.
Timetable for in-year appeals
1. Last day for lodging appeal forms
20 School days after the decision letter informing you that you had not been offered a place.
2. Invitation letter giving details about your hearing will be sent by the Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel
At least 10 school days before the hearing. This might be emailed.
All in year appeal will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal form being lodged.
3. Closing date for any additional supporting evidence
This will be five working days before your hearing.
You are advised that additional paperwork received on the day of the appeal hearing will not be taken into account.
Please email to clerk@educationappeals.com.
Please note that slightly different rules will apply for any primary transfer appeals into Reception.
4. Letter from the Clerk informing you of the decision of the independent appeal panel
Due to the high number of appeals, an email is sent a few working days after your hearing with the decision of the panel.
This is followed up around 10 working days later with a letter outlining the panel’s reasons.
Required documentation
The online form will ask you to upload two utility bills dated within the last three months.
If you do not have access to a scanner, you can take clear photographs using a mobile phone and upload the photographic files instead.
Contacting the Appeal Panel Clerk
Should you need to contact the clerk to the appeal panel, you can do so by emailing clerk@educationappeals.com.