The appeals process is necessary when the year group at your preferred school is currently full and a place cannot be offered.
A list of schools is available. You should approach one or more of these schools. If the school has a vacancy which you are willing to accept, you should make the relevant arrangements with that school. If you do subsequently accept an alternative school, please let the Admissions Team know and we will cancel the appeal arrangements.
If, having considered the alternatives, your preference is still for a school which is full, then you can appeal to an independent Appeals Panel. You should not withdraw your child from school before the appeal decision is made. You are encouraged to appeal for more than one school to prevent delay. Please complete the Transfer between Schools Appeal Form (74kb, 4 page pdf) and return it to the Admissions Team. (Please use black ink to aid photocopying.) You should be aware that a copy of your appeal form may be sent to the headteacher of your child’s current school and to the headteacher of the school you are requesting.
A statement will then be prepared outlining the reasons why a place has not been offered at your preferred school(s). The two forms will then be forwarded to the Democratic Services Section which is responsible for arranging the Appeals Meetings. You will receive notification of the date of the meeting and will be invited to attend. The Appeals Panel will consider your submission, the Authority’s statement and any other information made available to them at the meeting. A decision will be reached based on this information. Any enquiries relating to the date/time of the appeals meetings, the decision or the process of the Appeals Panels should be made to Democratic Services (Tel: 0161 253 5398).
The decision of the Appeals Panel is binding. If the decision is in your favour, then a place will be offered to your child and the school will be notified accordingly.
If you need any advice on this matter, please do not hesitate to telephone the above number and we will try to help.
If your child has a Statement of Educational Needs, you cannot appeal through this system to the Local Appeals Panel. If you do not reside within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, you should contact the Special Needs Section of your own LA. If you live in Bury, you should contact the SEN team by e-mailing senteam@bury.gov.uk on 0161 253 5692, who will be able to advise you.
Admissions Team contacts:
Admissions Team
Athenaeum House
Market Street
Bury
BL9 0BN
Telephone: 0161 253 6473
E-Mail: Admissions@bury.gov.uk
Useful links:
School admissions home page
School transport pages
Directgov - an external government site giving general information about the appeals process.
