Advice for parents as judgement day looms for school places

After months of anticipation, Hampshire parents will soon find out if their child has been given a place at their chosen school. But with competition fierce many parents are likely to be left disappointed.

To help families, local education law specialist, Leena Hurloll from Moore Blatch, is offering her expert advice for parents on how to appeal if their child missed out on their first choice of school.

“If the news is not what you hoped for, remember you still have options,” advises Leena. “The most important thing is to act early.”

She added: “Parents who are disappointed by the place offered to their child can appeal the decision with their local authority and should contact them for more information in the first instance.”

Depending on location, parents will normally select between three and six choices of secondary school for their child to attend.

So exactly what are the options available for parents that decide to pursue an appeal? Leena provides advice below:

1. Make sure you accept the place your child has been offered, as this will give you a failsafe should any appeal be unsuccessful.

2. Contact your local authority and confirm their appeal procedure – this can vary slightly and it’s important to ensure that you are aware of what is required in your area.

3. Your appeal should be limited to one school which you ideally want your child to attend. However, should you want a place at another school in a different local authority, you should appeal there too.

4. If you want more than one school to be considered as an alternative choice, you may need to appeal individually for each preferred school. Bear in mind that different authorities can have different criteria and procedure.

5. Any appeal will require parents to detail their reasons, which can be supported by a number of extenuating circumstances such as; proximity to the school, medical reasons, if there are siblings already attending. Parents must provide good reasons and supporting evidence for their child’s appeal.

Leena concludes: “Many parents view securing the right secondary school as fundamental to their child’s happiness and future educational success.

“With this in mind, if there are parents wishing to appeal I would recommend gaining advice and assistance from a specialist, which can make all the difference,” she said.

For more information, visit educationlawsolutions.co.uk.