Hillyfield Primary Academy

Appeals Arrangements

2023-24

As per the Schools Admissions Code 2021 when not offered a place at a school, parents have the right to appeal the decision.  The Waltham Forest admission authority will inform parents of a decision to refuse their child a place at a school for which they have applied, they include the reason why admission was refused; information about the right to appeal; the deadline for lodging an appeal and the contact details for making an appeal. Parents will be informed that, if they wish to appeal, they must set out their grounds for appeal in writing. There is no limit to the grounds on which appeals can be made.  

Appeals can only be made with respect to not being offered a place at Hillyfield Primary Academy and cannot be made if you have not been allocated a specific site.

Appeal Dates & Information 

If you have not been offered a place at Hillyfield Primary Academy the law entitles you to appeal against that decision to an Independent Appeal Panel. 

This panel is completely independent of the school and the Local Authority. Until further notice, these appeals are held online using Zoom Video conferencing or you can opt to join the hearing by telephone. 

The closing date for appeals is 20 school days after the refusal letter.

If you wish to appeal you need to use the online form on the school website. Please do NOT use ANY other appeal form. We would suggest that you download or read online the 36 page explanatory booklet about appeals before you complete the appeal form. 

Once your form is submitted online, you should receive a confirmation email within 5 minutes. If you do not, please email appeals@hillyfieldacademy.com

You MUST give the grounds for your appeal at the time you lodge your appeal form. Your appeal form will not be accepted unless you state the grounds for your appeal. Any evidence or supporting material can be uploaded, but the online form will only accept, word, PDF and JPEG documents. 

You may appeal for more than one school. The ‘in year’ timetable for appeals is as follows: - 

• Appeals are heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged. 

• You will normally be given 10 school days notice of the hearing, but parents have the option to waive this right. 

• The school’s prejudice to education case is normally sent about a week before the hearing. 

• Five copies of any additional information must be emailed to the Clerk at least 5 school days before the hearing.

• Usually parents receive the panel’s decision letter 5 school days after the hearing.

To sumit an appeal click on the link in the section below.