Appeals

If you have applied for a place at St Edwards School and have been refused a place, you will be given this decision in writing via your local Council. The letter will explain why your application has been refused. We appreciate it is disappointing if you are not offered a place at the school you prefer, however it is important to recognise that, although you have a right to express a preference for the school you would like your child to attend, your preference may not be possible. The most common reason for not offering a place is that the school received more applications than places available and other children had a higher priority for a place at the school than your child when the school’s admission policy was applied.

By law, you are entitled to appeal the decision and an Independent Appeal Panel will consider your appeal. They will take account of your reasons for appealing, the school’s published admission arrangements and their reasons for refusal. As a Maintained School, the Governing Body are the Admissions Authority for St Edward’s School, and they will bear the responsibility for organising for appeals to be heard. Please note that schools do not normally consider a second or subsequent appeal in the same academic year unless you can prove that there has been a significant and material change in your circumstances. If you lodge an appeal and it is not successful, your place on the waiting list is unaffected.

How to Appeal

If you wish to appeal for place at St Edward’s School, please complete the St Edward’s School Admission Appeal form below and email this, along with any supporting evidence, to appeals@st-edwards.poole.sch.uk. Please note the appeal deadlines in the timetable below.

St Edward’s School Admission Appeal Form – Word Version

St Edward’s School Admission Appeal Form – PDF Version

Appeals for Main Entry Year 7 Applications

APPEALS TIMETABLE 2024

Year 7 Entry – September 2024

• Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline or 30 school days of being lodged, whichever is the later date.
• You will receive at least 10 school days’ notice of your appeal hearing date. School days do not include school holidays, inset days, bank holidays or weekends.
• Appeals are heard during the daytime on weekdays and are not normally heard during school holidays. Where there are multiple appeals for places at the same school, the hearings may go over a number of days.
• The school’s case will be made available to parents and Panel members at least 5 school days before the start of the appeal hearing.
• Additional evidence may be submitted up to 5 working days before the hearing.
• Any additional evidence received after this date might not be considered at the appeal hearing. The Appeal Panel must decide whether it should be considered taking into account its significance and the effect of a possible need to adjourn the hearing.
• Following the hearing, decision letters will be sent, where possible, within 5 school days of the end of the hearing. During busy periods, such as main entry, full decision letters may take longer than this, so the Clerk will send a brief decision summary email in the interim.
• Appeal hearings for in-year places will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.