Appeals

PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY.

If you have not been offered a place at Urswick School, the law entitles you to appeal against that
decision to an Independent Appeal Panel. This panel is completely independent of the school and
the Local Authority. All appeals will be heard online which has the advantage that your appeal can be heard from your home or place of work.


If you wish to appeal, please use this link to complete your appeal online. Please do NOT use ANY
other appeal form or send your form to your local authority. It is suggested that you download the
explanatory booklet about appeals which you should read before you complete the appeal form –
Booklet Link .

Booklet

You should include any evidence or supporting material with your appeal form and you MUST give
the grounds for your appeal at the time you lodge your appeal form. Your appeal form will not be
accepted unless you state the grounds for your appeal. You may appeal for more than one school,
but on different forms.


Any letters or reports that you wish the panel to see should be uploaded at this time. You are asked to bear in mind that if you later send additional information, the closing date is 12 noon, 5 working days before the STAGE 1 hearing. All appointed panels have agreed NOT to take any late letters or reports after the 5 working day deadline. This will be strictly enforced. For secondary/primary transfer appeals, the hearing will take place at least TWO months after the refusal letter. This gives you plenty of time to get your evidence together if you act early and take account of school holidays.


Please note that the online form will ask you to download two utility bills dated in the last THREE
months. If you do not have access to a scanner, please take two photographs with a mobile phone
and upload the photographic files.


Full details about the hearing will be sent to you with your invitation to the hearing.

 

The timetable for ‘in-year’ appeals is as follows: -

Last day for lodging appeal forms for a
place in year 7 to start in September 2026

4pm on Thursday 2 April 2026 to guarantee that
your appeal will be heard in the first tranche of
appeals. Appeals lodged later may not be heard
until the second tranche which could be in
September 2026. You MUST state the reasons for
your appeal and supply any documentary evidence
at this stage.

The stage 1 part of the hearing (with other
parents present) will take place on

Wednesday 10 June 2026 – time tbc

You are advised that additional paperwork received
after this (including on the day of the appeal
hearing) will not be taken into account. Please
provide the Clerk with ONE copy of any new
additional evidence BY EMAIL ONLY. These must be
sent to clerk@educationappeals.com.

Letter from the Clerk informing you of the
decision of the independent appeal panel

Due to the high number of appeals held at this time,
this may not be sent until up to 15 school days after
the last hearing for the school.

Timetable for appeals for mid-term applications is as follows:

Last day for lodging appeal forms following
a refusal for a place ‘in year’ or ‘mid-term’
excluding 6 th form.

You must lodge the appeal form within 20 school
days upon receipt of your letter of refusal. You
MUST state the reasons for your appeal and supply
documentary evidence at this stage. Appeals are
held within 30 school days of receipt of the appeal
form.

 

 

Timetable for appeals for the 6th form is as follows

Last day for lodging appeal forms

4pm on Thursday 27 August 2026 to guarantee that
your appeal will be heard within the first weeks of
September. You MUST state the reasons for your
appeal on the online form and supply any
documentary evidence at this stage e.g. a copy of
your result sheet.
Please note the timetable is very short to enable
those appellants who win appeals to start as early
into the school year as possible.
Closing Date for appeals to be submitted Friday 18
September
Click here for the 6 th form appeal form.
Appeal Date

The date will be during the month of September

2026.