Primary appeals

Reception appeals – September 2023

Reception places will be offered, via the local authorities, on 17 April 2023. Children who cannot be offered a place, due to there being more applications than there are places, will automatically remain on a waiting list at the Academy until 31 December 2023 but parents should complete the local authority (Council) waiting list form (available from the Admissions page).

The Government has set a limit on the size of infant classes (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2), as described below. Appeals are very rarely upheld for infant classes because of this.

Infant class size rule

The Government has set a limit on the size of infant classes (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2), as described below.

2.15 Infant class size – Infant classes (those where the majority of children will reach the age of 5, 6 or 7 during the school year) must not contain more than 30 pupils with a single school teacher. Additional children may be admitted under limited exceptional circumstances. These children will remain an ‘excepted pupil’ for the time they are in an infant class or until the class numbers fall back to the current infant class size limit. The excepted children are:

a) children admitted outside the normal admissions round with statements of special educational needs or Education, Health and Care Plans specifying a school;

b) looked after children and previously looked after children admitted outside the normal admissions round;

c) children admitted, after initial allocation of places, because of a procedural error made by the admission authority or local authority in the original application process;

d) children admitted after an independent appeals panel upholds an appeal;

e) children who move into the area outside the normal admissions round for whom there is no other available school within reasonable distance;

f) children of UK service personnel admitted outside the normal admissions round;

g) children whose twin or sibling from a multiple birth is admitted otherwise than as an excepted pupil;

h) children with special educational needs who are normally taught in a special educational needs unit attached to the school, or registered at a special school, who attend some infant classes within the mainstream school.

Timeline for appeals

• Deadline for submitting an appeal form: 16 May 2023

• Appeals received by the deadline. The requirement for appeals to be heard is 40 school days. This means that appeals will be heard by 19 July 2023 wherever possible.

• Appeals received after the deadline. The Trust will ensure that appeals are heard as soon as reasonably practicable and, where possible, before the start of the academic year.

In all cases parents will be given at least 14 calendar days (or 10 school days) written notice of an appeal hearing.

Before making an appeal, please read the information in the Reception Appeals Guide and FAQ (available in the Downloads section below). This document includes information about the admissions process and waiting list, some frequently asked questions and statistics, and details of the appeals procedures.

Parents who wish to make an appeal for this Academy, should complete the appeal form (available in the Downloads section below). Forms can also be requested by e-mail or post by contacting the Dixons Trust Admissions & Appeals office via the contact details given at the bottom of this page.

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In-Year

These appeals are for children transferring between schools mid-year.

Our academy is currently full in each year group. Parents can apply for their child to join the waiting list; details of how to do this can be found on the Admissions page.

Before you can make an appeal you must first have applied to the Academy for a place and/or have completed an In-Year Application Form for the local authority. Once you have received a letter advising you that a place cannot be offered, you can then proceed to make an appeal for our academy if you wish to.

Our academy can only proceed to the appeals stage if the year group is full. Places are not ‘reserved’ for those whose appeals are upheld, so any upheld appeal will result in the year group being over the admission number.

Before making an appeal, please read the documents at the bottom of this page which include information about the appeals process and, frequently asked questions and statistics (Appeals FAQ – Primary In-Year).

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Contact details

If you wish to receive an appeals pack, please telephone the number given below. Alternatively, you can send an e-mail to the address below;

Telephone: 01274 089780 - option 7 for Admissions & Appeals

Email: appeals@dixonsacademies.com