Parental disputes and conflicting applications

It is expected that parents who share parental responsibility will seek to agree on school preferences before an application is submitted.

Where separate applications are submitted for the same child and different school preferences are expressed, all applications received will be accepted and processed in accordance with the relevant admissions arrangements. However, the Local Authority is unable to determine which parent's preference should take precedence and cannot become involved in disputes between parents.

It is the responsibility of the parents to resolve any disagreement regarding a child's school application. Where relevant, the Local Authority may ask for evidence of parental responsibility or any court order that relates to decisions about the child's education.

The Local Authority will act in accordance with any court order or other legally binding document that clearly determines who may make decisions about the child's education. This may include, for example, a Child Arrangements Order, Specific Issue Order or Prohibited Steps Order. Copies of any relevant orders should be provided as soon as possible.

In accordance with data protection legislation, the Local Authority cannot share details of one parent's application, school preferences, correspondence or admissions information with another parent unless there is a lawful basis to do so. Parents should not expect to receive information about applications submitted by the other parent through the Admissions Team.

Where a school place is offered and parents disagree about whether the place should be accepted, it remains the responsibility of those with parental responsibility to reach agreement. The Local Authority cannot decide which school place a child should attend.

Unless a court order or other legally binding document states otherwise, any disagreement regarding a child's school application or school placement remains a matter for those with parental responsibility to resolve.