Parents and carers of pre-school children, and those transitioning from infant to junior school, will soon find out at which school their child will be offered a place. Primary School National Offer Day will take place on 16 April 2025.
Fortunately, the majority of children are offered a place at one of their top three preferred schools even if not their top choice. Government data from 2024 shows that the proportion of primary school applicants who received an offer of their first preference school was 93.2%, a 0.7% increase on the previous year.
It is worth noting that the figures from 2024 was based on a 2.3% drop in the number of applicants for a place a primary school, to around 555,600. Applications for Primary School places has been falling since 2020.
Is there anything I can do when my child is not offered one of my top choice Primary Schools?
The short answer is, yes.
You have the right to appeal the decision, if your top choice primary school choice is refused. Check the email or letter from the Admissions Authority setting out the decision and the reason why admission was refused, as this should contain all the details you need, to appeal the decision.
Will my Primary School Admissions Appeal succeed?
This question is not so easy to answer.
The Primary School Admissions appeal considerations differ between infant class admissions and junior class admissions as the law does not allow infant class sizes to exceed 30, except in exceptional circumstances.
Put simply, in both circumstances, you need to look carefully at the important issues, including:
- whether the Primary School Admission criteria complied with legal requirements.
- whether the Primary School Admission criteria were correctly followed.
- whether the Primary School Admission of additional children will prejudice the provision of efficient education or efficient use of the Primary School's resources.
- in addition, in the case of infant class admission, whether the admission of additional children would mean the class size will exceed 30 children.
How long do I have to appeal the Primary School Admission decision?
There are strict deadlines by which to submit an appeal to challenge a Primary School Admission decision. Make sure you are well prepared.
If you are appealing the decision to refuse your child a place at more than one Primary School, you will need to submit an appeal for each school.
Who decides my Primary School Admission appeal?
Your appeal will then be listed for hearing before an Independent Panel. You will be given at least 10 school days' notice of the hearing and will be informed of the Panel's decision whether to allow the appeal within 5 school days of the hearing.
How can we help?
We can talk you through the requisite legal requirements and whether the Primary School Admission criteria were correctly followed and advise whether you have grounds to appeal the decision to refuse your child a place at a chosen school.
We can help draft your appeal documents for submission.
We can advise you what to expect at the Appeal hearing and can arrange for you to be legally represented if you wish.
Consult our expert education law Primary School Admission solicitors about challenging your child's school offer
At IBB Law, we are focussed on making sure children get the very best education. We know just how critical the right school can be for children, both during their education and for their future.
Our education law solicitors have experience helping families to get children into their preferred schools. We only act for children, students and their parents, so you cab assured that we are committed to getting the best possible outcome for you. We do not act for schools or local authorities.
Online Consultation
We offer an online consultation for a fixed fee to discuss your child's situation and provide clear, practical advice on your options if you are unhappy with the Primary School place offered.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
