Appeal against an admission decision

If you're not happy with the school place you're given, you can appeal for any school.

You can contact the area education office (admissions department) for help, we can:

• tell you which schools have places available
• add your child's name to waiting lists for other schools 
• provide information to help you appeal

If your child has an education, health and care (EHC) plan, procedures differ; the SEN team at the area education office can help you.

Submit an appeal

You'll need to appeal by submitting the relevant appeal form:

• Primary school appeals
• Secondary school appeals
• Schools outside of Lancashire

Types of school

If you have been refused a place at a community or voluntary controlled school, your appeal will go to the county council. A copy of your form will be sent to the relevant area education office who are the admissions authority for the school you're appealing for. A copy will also be sent to the email address you have included on your form for your own records.

If you have been refused a place at a voluntary aided or foundation school or an academy or free school, your appeal will be against the decision of the governing body. A copy of your form will be sent to the school you're appealing for and a copy will also be sent to the email address you have included on your form for your own records.

The appeals process

Once we receive your appeal you'll be invited to participate in an appeal hearing. 

We'll write to you to confirm the date and time for your hearing and how this will be conducted.

A provisional list of appeal dates is published each year for primary reception year intake and year 7 intake to secondary school at the beginning of each year during January or February.

Contacting you

We'll contact you via the email address you supply on your appeal form and we'll always try and give you at least 14 days' notice of your hearing date and time.

To ensure that we keep your personal data secure we'll always send our emails using Egress (our secure e-mail provider). You'll need to log in to Egress to access the contents of the email. You'll get the instructions on how to do this in the email we send to you.

The appeal hearing

Hearings are informal and last around 20 to 30 minutes.

The appeal will be heard by a panel acting independently of the Local Authority. They will have no connection with the school you're appealing for, or the school your child has been allocated a place at. These are the people who will make the decision about your appeal.

We'll write to you to let you know the result of the hearing within 5 working days, wherever possible.

Second appeals

If a place has already been refused at appeal, the admissions authority will only consider a second appeal for a place at the same school or academy in the same academic year if they consider that there has been a relevant, significant and material change in the family's circumstances (since the original appeal hearing). If this is the case a second appeal hearing may be appropriate. Individual admissions authorities will decide in relation to re-appeal requests.

Appeal hearing dates

School admission appeals will be conducted in 2022 either face to face, by video/telephone conference or on the basis of a written submission.  The decision on how the appeals will be heard will be based on Government advice at that time. 

These are provisional dates and are subject to change.  Days could be added to or cancelled depending on the volume of appeals lodged and how the independent appeal panel decide that they are to be conducted.

An appeals officer will be in touch with you before the hearing date and will provide full details.

District	Provisional hearing date
Lancaster voluntary aided secondary	3 to 6 May 2022
Preston/South Ribble voluntary aided secondary	3 to 13 May 2022
Fylde voluntary aided secondary	4 to 5 May 2022
West Lancs voluntary aided secondary	9 to 13 May 2022
Rossendale voluntary aided secondary	9 to 13 May 2022
Wyre voluntary aided secondary	9 to 13 May 2022
Hyndburn/Ribble Valley voluntary aided secondary	16 to 20 May 2022
Burnley/Pendle voluntary aided secondary	16 to 20 May 2022
Chorley voluntary aided secondary	16 to 27 May 2022
Wyre community secondary	23 to 27 May 2022
Hyndburn/Ribble Valley community secondary	23 to 27 May 2022
Fylde community secondary	27 May 2022
Preston/South Ribble/West Lancs/Chorley community secondary	30 May to 10 June 2022
Rossendale community secondary	30 May to 3 June 2022
Lancaster community secondary	30 May to 1 June 2022
Burnley/Pendle community secondary	6 to 10 June 2022
Wyre voluntary aided primary	6 to 8 June 2022
Preston/South Ribble/Chorley/West Lancs voluntary aided primary	13 to 24 June 2022
Wyre community primary	13 to 17 June 2022
Hyndburn/R Valley voluntary aided primary	13 to 17 June 2022
Rossendale voluntary aided primary	13 to 15 June 2022
Fylde voluntary aided primary	20 and 21 June 2022
Fylde community primary	22 and 23 June 2022
Lancaster voluntary aided primary	20 to 22 June 2022
Burnley/Pendle voluntary aided primary	20 to 24 June 2022
Lancaster community primary	22 to 24 June 2022
Hyndburn/Ribble Valley community primary	27 June to 8 July 2022
Preston/South Ribble/Chorley/West Lancs community primary	27 June to 1 July 2022
Burnley/Pendle/Rossendale community primary	27 June to 1 July 2022