By Hazel Shearing, Julia Bryson & Nathan Standley
BBC News
Parents of children starting primary school in England and Wales this September are finding out which school has offered them a place.
Offer day is 25 April in Northern Ireland and 30 April in Scotland.
More than 90% of applicants in England got their first choice last year, but what do you do if your child misses out?
How do I appeal against a primary school place?
In England, you have at least 20 school days from offer day to submit an appeal, which consists of sending off a form and then attending a hearing with an independent admissions panel.
The letter you receive notifying you of the decision should tell you exactly what to do.
The panel will consider a number of factors, including class size limits and whether the school’s admissions arrangements were followed correctly.
It is recommended that you still accept the offer your child did receive, even if you want to appeal against the decision. This is to ensure that at least one place is available if the appeal is unsuccessful.
In Wales, you can also challenge the decision during an appeal hearing, which will examine the arguments from both sides.
In Scotland, your appeal may be heard before an appeal committee, including councillors or other local people such as teachers and parents.
Those wanting to appeal in Northern Ireland should go to the Education Authority website, where you can send off a form.
After you have appealed, an independent admissions appeal tribunal decides if the school has correctly applied its admissions criteria.
Image source, Getty Images
How are primary school admissions decided?
In England and Wales, children in care, or who have been in care before, have to be given top priority.
After that, schools and local authorities have their own admissions criteria to decide which children to prioritise.
- Living near the school
- Having a sibling at the school
- Being from a particular religion (for faith schools)
Your local council can give you more information about a particular school or authority’s criteria.
Parents who missed the application deadline may have to wait until the first round of offers before they find out where their child has a place.
What about children with special education needs and disabilities?
If your child has special needs and disabilities (SEND) in England, their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will specify a school, which must give them a place.
In Wales, children with additional learning needs (ALN) will have an Individual Development Plan (IDP), maintained by a school, college or local authority.
In Northern Ireland, there is a separate application process for children with a SEND statement.
Image source, Getty Images
What do parents need to do on offer day?
On the day you get the offer, your letter, email or notification should tell you what to do next.
In England, a parent or carer has to formally accept the offer by the given deadline.
In Wales, the local authority or school will give you a start date and any other information you need. You might also have to return a slip to say you intend to take the offer.
In Scotland, some councils will ask for a reply to the offer to confirm the place.
In Northern Ireland, those who applied online in January can log in to the online portal and get information on their child’s primary one application on 25 April.
