Just 20% of parents win appeal against school place offer
Figure is above national average as 279 cases are heard in county
NEARLY 300 parents in Staffordshire went on to appeal their child’s school place offer – but only one in five were successful.
There were 279 appeals heard in Staffordshire in relation to places for September 2020 from parents unhappy with what they had been offered.
Of those heard, just 20 per cent went in the parent’s favour. That figure was actually higher than the national average, which saw just 19 per cent of appeals succeed.
Most are likely to relate to offers made on National Offer Days for entry to Reception and Year 7, although some will be for children transferring to a different school.
Offers for secondary school places were sent out last week, with primary school offers sent out on April 18.
For secondary school places, 167 appeals were heard in Staffordshire relating to places for September 2020 (the most recent figures available).
Of those heard, 47 were successful, or 28%.
There were 112 appeals heard in relation to primary school places in Staffordshire.
Of the appeals that were heard, just nine - 8 per cent - were successful.
Applicants can lodge appeals against any school at which they have not been awarded a place, but not all appeals reach the stage of being heard by a panel - some, for example, are withdrawn.
The heard rate is therefore a better measure of the general appeal rate.
The number of appeals being lodged and heard has been falling in England - and they’re less likely to be successful.
There were 11,239 appeals heard in relation to primary places starting in September 2020 in England.
That compares to 12,465 the previous year, according to the figures published by the Department for Education. The number has fallen from 22,820 in 2015.
Across England, 1,823 appeals went in the parent’s favour, a success rate of 16%. That was the lowest proportion since figures began in 2015.
At secondary level, 29,871 appeals were heard in relation to September 2020 places.
That was down from 35,648 the year before, although numbers are still up in comparison to 22,964 in 2015 and 25,290 in 2016. The success rate was 20 per cent, down from 22 per cent for appeals relating to September 2019 starts, and the lowest level recorded in the time series, which goes back to 2004.