Education Law Case Study: Pre-emptive advice to parents to appeal against secondary school decision

 Who did we act for?

We advised Iris’s parents in relation to the Secondary School application process.  Iris is a child with a very high level of academic ability but had, unexpectedly, scored far less in the 11+ exam than either her parents or the school had expected.  As such, Iris is not expected to be offered a place at the local grammar school on National Offer Day.

What was the case about?

Iris’s parents sought advice, pre-emptively, about what evidence would be required to support an appeal against a Secondary School decision.

In the area in which Iris lives, there is no local review process for the 11+ exam, so any appeal will be considered as part of the usual School Admissions Appeals process after National Offer Day.

What did we do?

We discussed with the parents whether there were any outside influences which might have caused Iris’s low exam result.  It transpired that Iris’s father had been suffering from poor health and the family had suffered a close family bereavement.

We advised about the types of medical and educational evidence which would be appropriate for the parents to obtain in advance of National Offer Day so that they can be prepared to submit an appeal at the appropriate time.

We also advised them about the Appeal process and all the relevant factors which must be taken into account when a Secondary School admission appeal is considered.

We also advised them of their options to challenge any Appeal outcome should the appeal not be upheld.

The outcome 

The parents are armed with the information they need to prepare for an appeal against a Secondary school decision.

The parents will gather the evidence as advised and will return to us to review the Appeal in due course.

For additional reading on secondary school admissions, this blog from 2022 may be of interest.