What if my child needs to transfer mid-term?
You should approach the school you want. If they have vacancies, you can make admissions arrangements with the school. If they are full, they will advise you of the appeals system and refer you to the Local Authority.
Are there performance tables available?
These are available from the Department for Children, Schools and Families on 0800 24 33 22, or via the
DCSF website.
Which schools have vacancies?You should contact the
Admissions Team who will be able to advise you.
What if my child has Special Educational Needs?
You need to discuss your child's need with the
SEN team of your home Local Authority, but places cannot be refused because of your child's special educational needs.
What happens if I don't get a place?
You can consider other schools or you can appeal for a place.
How long does an appeal take?
It can take 3-4 weeks to arrange an appeals hearing, but you do get to know the outcome within a couple of days of the meeting.
Who considers the appeal?
There is an independent panel who will meet you to discuss your appeal. There will also be someone from the Local Authority (LA) or from the school. The panel will listen to your case and to the LA case. It is the Panel alone who make the decision.
What if my appeal is not allowed?
The decision of the Panel is binding. You cannot appeal again for the same school within the same academic year. You may request a re-hearing if your circumstances for appeal change substantially. A re-appeal would only be considered if new evidence became available which could not have been made available at the original hearing. You have no further right of appeal unless you feel that the way in which your appeal was dealt with was unfair – in which case, you can request the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate. You should now consider alternative schools.
Do schools keep waiting lists?
It is up to individual schools whether or not to hold waiting lists. The secondary schools in Bury do not hold waiting lists.
