Making an admissions appeal

Read these pages carefully before you get started

Who can lodge an appeal?

Any parent or guardian who has been refused a school place for their child has the right to appeal the decision.

The Independent Appeals Service manages appeals for Hampshire's community and voluntary controlled schools. For academy, voluntary-aided, foundation and trust schools, appeals are managed by the schools' own governing bodies.

Please refer to the 'find a school' pages for information on individual schools.

Are there alternatives to appealing?

Before starting the appeals process, you should consider the alternatives:

Accept the school place you have been offered

If you are a Hampshire resident, you will have been offered an alternative school place. Accepting this place will guarantee that your child can start school in September, even if no places become available at your preferred school. This will not affect your right to submit an appeal or your child’s current position on a waiting list.

Remain on the waiting list for your preferred schools

Your child’s name will automatically be added to any waiting list where your application has been unsuccessful. When a place becomes available, it will be offered to the child who is at the top of this list at that time. The waiting list is ordered in accordance with each school's admissions policy.

Apply for an alternative school

If you wish to apply for a school that was not on your original application, you can do this by contacting the admissions team.