Winning appeal that wasn't first choice...

[Questiontimeintime]

Has anyone won a secondary school appeal that wasn't their first choice on list? When people say they have won their appeal are they all for their first choice school? As I know many people appeal for all the schools on their list if they didn't get any but do people only tend to win if they put that school as first choice school?

Hope that makes sense.

Where or whether a school was on the preference list makes no difference.

We won an In Year appeal for our second choice school.

Thank you. People never mentioned what number on the list when they say they have won an appeal.

@TheNightingalesStarling
Is that when they are in school already as in strated their allocation school? I didn't know you can appeal again.

We had moved and wasn't given any school originally, but had been given a different school by the time of the appeal.

You can appeal once an academic year for any school.

I know someone who lost the appeal for their first choice but won the appeal for their second choice.

Does anyone know if they read you previous appeals?

Each appeal is separate and there are no papers from earlier appeals. Occasionally a panel member may be on both appeals. The situations are different and we make a conscious effort to forget what happened in an earlier appeal.

I have had cases were an appellant won one appeal but not the other - the delay in notification can mean the second is heard before they know the outcome of the first.

Do they have access of the outcome from the previous appeal? @Appealpanelist

Depends on the timing - potentially not if it is only a few days gap.

@Appealpanelist
Sorry can you explain this more? Why would they read your previous outcome?

@Appealpanelist
Sorry can you explain this more? Why would they read your previous outcome?

For clarification - they means the parents/appellant. There is no link between any panels they are independent of each other. The only overlap is if there is the same member on more than one panel.

@Appealpanelist
You said it depends on the timing. So they will/could have access if last appeal was a week or few weeks prior?

@Appealpanelist
As in can they/would they type the person's name in the system and get access to the previous appeal result or can gain access any other way?

@Questiontimeintime No access to any results available in the appeals where I am a panel member. The clerks to the panels keep all the information, panel members don't keep anything.

There is no "system". We just get the papers for the Appeals we are hearing; nothing else, no access to anything else that has been done historically. All we know for each appeal is simply what we are told in the appeal papers by the Admissions authority and the appellant. In my local authority - and I think it's pretty normal - all the paperwork is actual paperwork. We have no access to anything online at all.

The only way a panel might know of previous Appeals is if one of them actually sat on that previous appeal. It happens occasionally, especially in busy periods.

@PatriciaHolm
Thank you

@TheNightingalesStarling
When are you able to appeal again? I can't seem to find much info on it. Say for example I lost an appeal for a school in May and child is starting year 7 in September, when would I be able to appeal for that school again? And is it a different process this time around?

Thanks in advance.

You can apoeal once for each academic year unless there is a material change to your circumstances. If your May appeal was for year 7 entry you could next appeal for year 8 which may take place right at the end of year 7 or into year 8. You can appeal for as many schools as you want though per school year so you could have further appeals for year 7 at different schools if there are any others that are preferable to the one you’ve been allocated.