YEAR 7 ADMISSION APPEALS FOR ENTRY SEPTEMBER 2024

Parents/carers whose application for their child to gain admission to Poole Grammar School is unsuccessful have a right of appeal to an independent Admissions Appeals Panel.

In the first instance, they are invited to discuss their dissatisfaction.  If they remain dissatisfied, they will be given details of the formal appeals procedures and the relevant forms to complete.  Traditionally, very few appeals are upheld and those that are tend to have significant professional supporting evidence.  It must be remembered that for the appeals process to be valid an application to the school must have been made according to the following arrangements:

• submitting on time a valid “Registration for Testing” form;
• the applicant taking all components of the entrance tests;
• placing Poole Grammar School on the application form submitted to the Local Authority (if applying for entry into Year 7).

All appeals are organised by CAS Appeals. An appeal must be lodged directly with CAS Appeals via their appeals portal: casappeals.co.uk 

Parents/carers of Year 7 students wanting to enter the school in September 2024 cannot appeal ahead of school places being offered on 1 March 2024.

It is important that parents/carers accept the school place offered to their child by their local authority, in order to secure them a secondary school place. The acceptance of this place does not affect the right to appeal their child not being given a place at Poole Grammar School, or prejudice any appeal hearing in any way.

For an appeal application to be valid, the following conditions must have been met: 

• Submitting a valid ‘Registration for Testing’ form on time;
• The applicant taking all components of the entrance tests;
• Poole Grammar School stated as a choice on the secondary school places application form submitted to the applicant’s local authority.

The timeline for Year 7 September 2024 admission appeals is detailed below:

• Appeals lodged after these dates will be heard within 40 school days of the appeal deadline or 30 school days of being lodged, whichever is the later date. 
• You will receive at least 10 school days’ notice of your appeal hearing date. School days do not include school holidays, inset days, bank holidays or weekends. 
• Appeals are heard during the daytime on weekdays and are not normally heard during school holidays. Where there are multiple appeals for places at the same school, the hearings may go over a number of days. 
• The school’s case will be made available to parents and Panel members at least 5 school days before the start of the appeal hearing. 
• Additional evidence may be submitted up to 5 school days before the hearing.
• Any additional evidence received after this date might not be considered at the appeal hearing. The Appeal Panel must decide whether it should be considered taking into account its significance and the effect of a possible need to adjourn the hearing. 
• Following the hearing, decision letters will be sent, where possible, within 5 school days of the end of the hearing. During busy periods, such as main entry, full decision letters may take longer than this, so the clerk will send a brief decision summary email in the interim. 
• Appeal hearings for in-year places will be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged. 

If your child has not been awarded a place at Poole Grammar School for September 2024 and you would like to appeal that decision, you should read the Guidance Notes for Appeals 2023-24 – Guidance Notes for Appeals 2023-24

IN YEAR ADMISSIONS APPEALS 2023-24

If you made an application for your child to join Poole Grammar School in-year (i.e. joining Year 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11 during the current academic year) and your child was not offered a place you may appeal this decision. You should read the Guidance notes for Appeals 2023-24 – Guidance Notes for Appeals 2023-24

To make an appeal you must lodge the appeal directly with CAS Appeals, who provide an independent appeals panel, via their portal:  casappeals.co.uk 

Please note – The Schools Admissions Appeals Code does not allow a second appeal in respect of the same school for the same academic year unless there has been a significant and material change in the circumstances of the parent, child or school. Any change to an applicant’s entrance test score does not count as a significant and material change in circumstances. Example: (1) Your child was not offered a place at normal point of entry for Year 7 for September; (2) You appealed and the independent appeals panel did not uphold your appeal; (3) Some time passed and your child sat the Year 7 in-year entrance test and achieved the standard; (4) You applied for an in-year Year 7 place; (4) No place could be offered as the year group was full. In this instance you could not make a further appeal.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON APPEALS PROCEDURES

Poole Grammar School Admissions Policy 2023 applied to appeals made for year 7 September 2023 entry. The 2023 policy also applies to in year appeals made during the 2023-24 academic year for entry to year 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11. – Admissions Policy 2023

Poole Grammar School Admissions Policy 2024 applies to appeals made for year 7 September 2024 entry. –  Admissions Policy 2024

Further information on school place appeals is available on the CAS Appeals website: casappeals.co.uk 

The Department for Education school admissions appeals code is available on the UK Government website – Schools Admissions Appeals Code

If you are unable to download and print the guidance notes, printed copies can be supplied to you. You can request printed copies from Admissions Appeals, who can be contacted via email PGSappeals@poolegrammar.com or telephone 01202 692132.