What you can appeal and how to make an appeal.
Right to appeal
You've a right to appeal to an independent appeal panel against the decision to refuse your child a place at your preferred school.
Appeals for the academic year 2024/2025 must be made by 6 June 2024.
Appeals are heard in July.
How to appeal
The last date to appeal is 6 June 2024 for schools where Bristol City Council present the appeal on behalf of the school. The deadline for other schools may be different.
The preferred method of sending written grounds of appeal to school admissions is in the Parent Portal Go to https://parent.bristol.gov.uk/web/portal/pages/parents/admissions (opens new window). You can upload your grounds of appeal for your preferred school with other supporting information or email grounds of appeal to school.admissions@bristol.gov.uk
School appeal template letters for Bristol academy and voluntary aided schools are attached to the allocation statement for each school. We cannot return or forward written grounds of appeals received by post that were sent to school admissions by mistake. Keep a copy of your grounds of appeal and ensure you send them to the correct school or local authority by the requested date.
Bristol junior school places and admissions policies
Appeal guidance
Appeal hearing
What the appeal panel takes into account
- preference you expressed
- reasons for your school preference
- admission authority's published admission arrangements
- admission authority's reasons for refusing a place
- personal reasons for your school preference
If an appeal is upheld
If an appeal is dismissed
- where a sibling of statutory school age has been offered a place or has started at the preferred school and this information was not known at the time of the original hearing
- change of address, now living significantly closer to the preferred school, or now reside within the area of first priority for the school
- where new evidence which could not have been introduced at the time of the original appeal has become available and supported by a letter from a doctor, psychologist or social worker
If your child is on the waiting list for the school, they will remain on the waiting list until 31 December 2024.