Your child was refused a school place. Here is what actually happens next.
You have the right to appeal to an independent panel, and it costs nothing to do so. But most appeals do not succeed, and the reasons they fail are predictable — usually a case built on how much the family wants the school rather than on the narrow questions a panel is permitted to decide.
This site publishes the official Department for Education figures for every English council, and explains which grounds carry weight. We will tell you plainly when a case is weak.
of admission appeals heard in England were upheld
23,926 of 120,991 appeals heard in 2023–2025
The national picture, 2025
Appeals lodged by parents
51,873
across England
Heard by a panel
38,639
the rest were withdrawn or resolved first
Upheld
7,498
19.4% of those heard
Secondary vs infant class size
20.5% / 9.8%
the two are judged on completely different tests
Start with your council
Appeal volumes and outcomes vary sharply between authorities. Find yours for the official figures, the phase breakdown and the local deadlines.
Councils hearing the most appeals
- Kent 2,454
- Lancashire 1,507
- Birmingham 1,054
- Essex 870
- Liverpool 868
- Bradford 749
- Nottingham 744
- Leeds 720
Reception, Year 1 or Year 2? Check this first
Appeals for infant classes are capped by law at 30 pupils per teacher, and a panel can only overturn a refusal on three narrow grounds. Across England just 9.8% succeed, against 20.5% for secondary appeals. If yours is an infant class size case, the argument you need to make is a legal one about how the decision was taken — not about your child's needs or your preference.
What we won't do
We will not tell you your appeal is likely to win. Roughly four in five are refused, and anyone promising otherwise is selling you something. We will not quote odds for an individual school either, because no such figures exist — the Department for Education publishes appeal outcomes only at council level.