England · School Admission Appeals Code 2022
11+ and grammar school appeals
If your child isn't offered a place at a grammar school you applied for, you have the right to appeal to an independent panel. Here is how appeals work in England, the deadlines the rules set, what the panel looks at for a grammar school, and the evidence that helps.
The rules every appeal follows
Appeals for state schools in England, including academies and grammar schools, follow the School Admission Appeals Code, which has the force of law. The school's admission authority (the academy trust, the governing body or the council) arranges the appeal, and an independent panel hears it.
- 20school days
- at least, from the date of your refusal letter, to prepare and lodge your written appeal. Code 2.1(a)
- 10school days
- at least, of written notice of your hearing date (you can agree to less). Code 2.1(b), 2.7
- 40school days
- from the appeal deadline: appeals lodged on time in the main admissions round must be heard within this. Code 2.3(a)
- 5school days
- after the hearing: the panel's decision letter should reach you within this, unless there is good reason. Code 2.27
This is general information, not legal advice. Each admission authority sets its own deadlines within these rules, so always read the appeals page of the school or council you are appealing to, and use the dates in your own letter.
On offer day, and the weeks after
In England, councils send secondary school offers on National Offer Day, which for September 2027 entry is 1 March 2027. If your child wasn't offered a school you wanted:
- Step 1
Read the offer letter carefully
If a school on your list refused a place, the letter must give the reason, tell you about your right to appeal, the deadline and who to contact.
- Step 2
Accept the place you've been offered
Reply by the date in your council's letter. Holding a place keeps your child's options open; you can still join waiting lists for schools you preferred.
- Step 3
Join waiting lists
Ask to go on the waiting list of any school you would rather have. Schools must keep waiting lists open for at least the first term of the school year.
- Step 4
Find the appeals page and timetable
Admission authorities must publish their appeals timetable on their website by 28 February. Note the deadline for lodging the appeal and for sending extra evidence.
- Step 5
Write your appeal and gather evidence
Set out your grounds in writing. For a grammar school, include evidence of your child's ability and anything that affected them on test day.
Each school's results, application and offer dates are on its area guide. The typical 11+ timeline shows how they fit together.
How the panel decides
Stage 1: was the decision right?
The panel checks that the admission arrangements were lawful and were applied correctly and impartially to your child, then whether admitting more children would harm the education of others or the efficient use of resources. If the arrangements were wrongly applied and your child would otherwise have had a place, or admitting more children wouldn't cause prejudice, the appeal must be upheld.
Code 3.2 to 3.7
Stage 2: balancing the arguments
If the school shows that another child would cause prejudice, the panel weighs that against your case: your reasons for wanting this school, including what it can offer your child that the allocated school can't. If your case outweighs the prejudice, the appeal is upheld.
Code 3.8 to 3.10
For grammar schools: is your child of the required standard?
Where your child didn't reach the required standard and there was no local review, the panel can only uphold the appeal if it is satisfied there is evidence your child is of the required academic standard, and (where it applies) your case outweighs the prejudice to the school. Where the area ran a local review, the panel only checks that your child's review was fair, consistent and objective; if it wasn't, it looks at the evidence itself.
Code 3.11 to 3.13
A child who reached the qualifying score but wasn't offered a place because the school was full appeals on the usual two stages, without needing to prove ability. See 11+ pass marks and qualifying scores for how areas decide who qualifies.
Evidence that helps a grammar school appeal
Evidence of academic ability
The Code's own examples: school reports giving Year 5 or Year 6 SATs results, or a letter from their current or previous school clearly explaining why they consider your child to be of grammar school ability.
Why the score was lower
If something affected your child on test day, such as illness, explain it and back it up, for example with a medical note or a letter from the school or a health professional.
Why this school
Your reasons for this particular school, ideally supported by evidence, matter at the second stage, as they do for any appeal.
Keep it relevant
Buckinghamshire Council, for example, asks families not to send schoolwork or certificates; a short list of relevant achievements is enough.
Not from the school you want
Panels must not let representatives of the school you are appealing for support individual appeals, at the hearing or by letter.
Ask for what you need
Admission authorities must comply with reasonable requests for information you need to prepare your case.
Waiting lists, and after the decision
Waiting lists
Oversubscribed schools must keep a waiting list, open for at least the first term of the school year, and you can join one even if your child has a place elsewhere. The appeal panel must not take account of waiting list positions.
If the appeal is upheld
The panel's decision is binding: the admission authority must admit your child. The panel can't attach conditions to it.
If it isn't
There's normally no second appeal for the same school that year. You can complain about how the appeal was run to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (maintained schools) or the Secretary of State (academies); only the courts can overturn the decision itself.
Northern Ireland
The process is different. Appeals go to an independent admissions appeal tribunal, which decides whether the school applied its admissions criteria correctly, through the Education Authority; there is also an Exceptional Circumstances Body for children who need one particular school. See nidirect and the Education Authority, linked in the sources below.
Key dates by area
- Barnet and Enfield
- Bexley
- Bromley
- Kingston upon Thames (Tiffin)
- Redbridge
- Sutton
- Berkshire (Reading and Slough)
- Buckinghamshire
- Essex and Southend
- Hertfordshire
- Kent
- Medway
- Birmingham and the West Midlands
- Lincolnshire
- Warwickshire
- Lancashire and Cumbria
- Trafford
- Wirral and Liverpool
- Yorkshire
- Devon, Plymouth and Torbay
- Dorset and Wiltshire
- Gloucestershire
- Northern Ireland
11+ appeals: questions parents ask
Can you appeal against an 11+ result?
You can appeal against the refusal of a place at any state school you applied for in England, including a grammar school, and the independent panel can consider whether your child is of grammar school ability. Some areas also run a local review of test results before places are allocated, such as Buckinghamshire's Selection Review, which is a separate step from an appeal.
How long do I have to lodge a grammar school appeal?
The School Admission Appeals Code gives you at least 20 school days from the date of your refusal letter to prepare and lodge a written appeal. Each admission authority sets its own deadline within that rule and must publish its appeals timetable by 28 February, so check the date on its appeals page.
Who decides a school admission appeal?
An independent appeal panel of at least three people decides: a chair and at least two others, including at least one lay person and one person with experience in education. An independent clerk advises the panel, and if the panel upholds your appeal its decision is binding on the admission authority.
What evidence helps a grammar school appeal?
Evidence that your child is of grammar school standard matters most, such as school reports giving Year 5 or Year 6 SATs results, or a letter from your child's current or previous school explaining why they consider your child to be of grammar school ability. If something affected your child on test day, such as illness, include evidence of that too, for example a medical note.
Can the grammar school support our appeal?
No. The Code says panels must not allow representatives of a school to support individual appeals for places at their own school, either at the hearing or by writing letters of support. Your child's current primary school can provide evidence of their ability, which is different.
Should I accept the school place I've been offered while I appeal?
Usually yes: accept the offered place by the date in your council's letter so your child has a school, then appeal or join waiting lists for the schools you preferred. GOV.UK confirms you can join a waiting list even if your child has been offered a place at another school.
Does a waiting list place affect an appeal?
No. The Code says appeal panels must not take account of where a child is on a waiting list, or whether other children on it have appealed. Waiting lists and appeals run separately, and a school must keep its waiting list open for at least the first term of the school year.
What happens if the appeal is unsuccessful?
There is normally no second appeal for the same school in the same school year, unless the admission authority accepts a new application because of a significant and material change in circumstances. You can complain about how the appeal was run (to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for maintained schools, or the Secretary of State for academies), but only the courts can overturn a panel's decision.
Do I need a solicitor for an admission appeal?
No. Parents can present their own appeal and may bring a friend or be represented, and GOV.UK notes that Child Law Advice may be able to give advice about appeals. This page is general information, not legal advice, so read the admission authority's own appeals guidance for your school.
Sources
Checked on 12 October 2026. Paragraph numbers on this page refer to the School Admission Appeals Code 2022.
- School Admission Appeals Code 2022 (Department for Education, PDF)(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: School admission appeals code (publication page)(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: School admissions – appealing a school's decision(opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: School admissions – school waiting lists(opens in a new tab)
- Buckinghamshire Council: grammar school appeals for qualified and unqualified children(opens in a new tab)
- nidirect: Appealing a school place decision (Northern Ireland)(opens in a new tab)
- Education Authority (Northern Ireland): admissions appeals(opens in a new tab)
More 11+ guides
- GL vs CEM vs CSSE: the 11+ test providersWho writes which 11+ tests, how the formats differ, how to prepare for each and the changes for 2028 entry.
- The 21 verbal reasoning question typesEvery GL-style verbal reasoning question type, with a worked example, a method and the traps to avoid.
- 11+ pass marks and qualifying scores by areaStandardised scores, qualifying scores and ranking explained, with what each area's test records.
Keep learning going, whatever happens
Whatever the outcome, steady reading, maths and writing practice set your child up well for Year 7.