Secondary school new year 7 admissions appeals
Secondary school new year 7 admissions appeals
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. The last date to appeal is 6 May 2022. Appeals are heard from June onwards.
How to appeal
The first round of school allocations is now complete. The last date to appeal is 6 May 2022 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 by email to school.admissions@bristol.gov.uk
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.
Allocation of new year 7 places and appeal templates
Send your written grounds of appeal to school admissions for these schools:
- Ashton Park School
- Bedminster Down School
- Bristol Brunel Academy
- Bristol Free School
- Bristol Metropolitan Academy
- Cotham School
- Fairfield High School
- Oasis Academy Brislington
- Oasis Academy John Williams
- Redland Green School
Appeals in previous year
See secondary school place appeals for details of applications and outcome of Bristol secondary school appeals last year.
Appeal hearing
You'll get at least 10 school days notice of the date and time of the appeal hearing. Appeals will be heard remotely using Zoom. You're encouraged to join and speak at the appeal hearing.
You'll find out the result of your appeal hearing within five days of the school's last appeal hearing.
What the appeal panel takes into account
The independent appeal panel takes into account the:
- 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
The independent appeal panel is not bound by the admission authority’s published criteria and has the power to make a place available even if the year group is full. The appeal panel will be able to take your reasons for wanting your child to attend the school or academy into account.
If an appeal is upheld
The decision of the independent appeal panel is binding on the admission authority. This means your child will be admitted to the school, even if the year group is full. The decision of independent appeal panel can only be overturned by the courts.
If an appeal is dismissed
When an appeal is dismissed there is no automatic right to a second appeal. A second appeal can only be granted if a significant change of circumstances has occurred since the original appeal was heard. A significant change in circumstances would include:
- 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 2022.
Contact information
School admissions
Bristol City Council (City Hall)
PO Box 3399
Bristol, BS1 9NE
Opening Hours
Telephones: 9am - 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am - 4.30pm Friday.
Closed Wednesday until midday for staff training.
To contact us complete our school admissions contact form.
Tel: 0117 903 7694