The education law solicitors at Birkett Long understand how important it is for parents that their child is educated at their preferred choice of school. If your child has not been admitted to your chosen school, you must act quickly if you want to appeal the decision. 

Our experienced, expert and fast-acting education law solicitors can assist you with your appeal to ensure you have the best chance to achieve the best possible outcome for your child. We care about our clients, so we ensure that our advice and representation is personal to you and your circumstances. We provide proactive, timely advice to support you with:

• Primary school admission appeals
• Secondary school admission appeals
• Foundation school admission appeals
• Voluntary aided school admissions appeals
• Academy admissions appeals

We appreciate that being refused the school that you wanted for your child is extremely difficult. It is understood that naturally you want to appeal the decision, but that such an appeal takes up a lot of time and can be an emotional experience that drains your energy. 

The education law solicitors at Birkett Long want to support you from start to finish, and work hard to make sure your appeal has the best possible chance of success. The outcome of the appeal has implications for your child’s education and development, which is why we believe it is important you have our experienced education solicitors by your side during your admissions appeal.

Why choose Birkett Long?

Appealing an admissions decision is complex and there are procedures that must be followed. We would be happy to have an initial, free telephone call with you to explain the procedures involved and discuss how our education solicitors can guide you through the process. 

There is no obligation to instruct us, we want to offer the initial call to all parents so that they can utilise their rights to appeal based on an initial starting point provided by us. The discussion will allow us to get to know you, understand the circumstances and to consider the best way forward for you.

Legal Fees

The Education Team at Birkett Long believes in being open and transparent about legal fees. We offer a number of fixed fee packages, including:

BL Admission Appeals (Comprehensive Package) – £3000 plus VAT

You will need to:

• Prepare and submit your initial appeal form

We will:

• Prepare and submit written representations in support of your admissions appeal
• Prepare further written representations if needed after consideration of the admission authority’s reasons for refusing your child a place
• Represent you at the admissions appeal hearing (both stage 1 and stage 2)

BL Admission Appeals (Representation only package)  – £1750 plus VAT

You will need to:

• Prepare and submit your initial appeal form
• Prepare and submit written representations in support of your admissions appeal
• Prepare further written representations if needed after consideration of the admission authority’s reasons for refusing your child a place

We will:

• Represent you at the admissions appeal hearing (both stage 1 and stage 2)

BL Admission Appeals (Written Representations only package)  – £1750 plus VAT

You will need to:

• Prepare and submit your initial appeal form
• Represent yourself at the admissions appeal hearing (both stage 1 and stage 2)

We will:

•  Prepare and submit written representations in support of your admissions appeal
• Draft further written representations if needed after consideration of the admission authority’s reasons for refusing your child a place

School admission appeals FAQs

After our application in the autumn term, the academic year before my child is to start a new school, when will we receive the decision regarding admission?

You will be sent a letter with the decision about your child’s school in:

• March for secondary school places, or
• April for primary school places

of the academic year before your child starts at the school.  

Who is the admission authority for each type of school?

For community schools and voluntary controlled schools, the local authority is the admission authority.

For academies, foundation schools and voluntary aided schools, the school (through its governing body or proprietor) is the admission authority.

How long do I have to make an admission appeal?

Usually, an appeal must be made within 20 school days of a parent being notified that a child has not been granted a place at your chosen school.

If you require advice or assistance with a school admission appeal, please contact Thomas Emmett, Head of Education, on 01245 453847.