England

Appealing a grammar school decision

How admission appeals work, the deadlines, and what a grammar school appeal panel can consider.

If your child is not offered a place at a school you applied for, you have the right to appeal to an independent panel.

• Deadline to lodge. You must be given at least 20 school days from the date you were told your application was unsuccessful to prepare and lodge a written appeal. The exact date is in your refusal letter.
• Hearing. You get at least 10 school days’ notice of the hearing. Appeals lodged late must still be heard, but those lodged on time for the normal admissions round must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals. Decision letters should normally be sent within five school days of the hearing.
• Grounds. You can make any case you think is relevant. If your child reached the standard but the school was full, the panel checks that the admission arrangements were lawful and applied correctly, then decides whether admitting another child would cause problems for the school and, if so, whether your reasons outweigh them.
• Grammar schools. If you believe your child did not perform at their best on the day of the test, the panel can uphold the appeal only if there is evidence that your child is of the required academic standard, such as school reports or a letter from their school explaining why they are of grammar school ability. It must also weigh this against the school’s case that admitting more children would cause problems. Some areas run a “local review” for children who did not reach the standard. Where one was held, the panel checks that it was carried out fairly, consistently and objectively; if it cannot see that it was, it considers your evidence of the required standard in the usual way. A local review never replaces your right to appeal. The panel must not set its own test.
• Waiting lists. Ask to be kept on the waiting list while you appeal. Waiting lists are kept until at least 31 December of the school year of admission and are ranked by the school’s oversubscription criteria, never by when you joined.

Your refusal letter explains how to appeal and who to contact.

Sources

• School Admission Appeals Code 2022, paragraphs 2.1–2.5, 3.2–3.9 and 3.11–3.14 (Department for Education)
• School Admissions Code 2021, paragraph 2.15 (waiting lists)

Reviewed 1 November 2026 by UK School Map (checked against the School Admission Appeals Code 2022 and School Admissions Code 2021). Rules change every year: check the current admission arrangements with your council and the school.