Appeals
All children who are refused a place in a Cambridgeshire school where the year groups are full but not at the infant class size limit have the right of appeal against the decision to an independent appeal panel. The appeals panel can listen to any reason the parent has for requesting that particular school.
Further information is available in our admissions appeals leaflet and appeal form.
Infant class size appeals
Children applying for Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 where the number of children already in that class is 30 will be refused admission to that school. National law does not allow either the school or the authority to place more than 30 children in a class to one qualified teacher. Children refused a place at a school for this reason may only request an infant class size appeal.
An infant class size appeal can only be successful on one of three grounds:
1) the decision was not one which a reasonable admission authority would make in the circumstances of the case;
2) the child would have been offered a place if the arrangements had not been contrary to mandatory provisions in the School Admissions Code and the School Standards Framework Act 1998; and / or
3) the child would have been offered a place if the admission arrangements had been properly implemented.
The decision of the appeal panel is binding upon the school, parent and admission authority.
Please note that accepting the offer of an alternative school does not affect a child’s place on the reserve list or their right of appeal.
Further information is available in our leaflet on infant class size appeals and infant class size appeal form.
For the school year 2010/2011, the local authority dealt with 103 infant class size appeals regarding infant class places. Only three parents were successful in winning their infant class size appeals.
For the school year 2010/2011, the local authority dealt with 146 appeals for primary school places and 245 for secondary school places. Of these, 58 primary and 82 secondary appeals were successful.
If you have any questions relating to appeals, or if you would like hard copies of these leaflets, please email us at admissions@cambridgeshire.gov.uk or call 01223 699794.
If you would like free, independent advice on appeals you may contact the Transitions Information Adviser on 01223 699194.