The success rate for primary school admissions appeals has risen this year as appeals overall went up, new figures show.
Department for Education data shows that 10,238 appeals were heard relating to primary school places for entry in 2023-24, with 1,848 (18.1 per cent) successful.
This success rate is a 1.7 percentage point increase on 2022-23 when 9,628 appeals were heard and 1,580 (16.4 per cent) were successful.
At secondary level, 32,107 appeals were heard relating to secondary school places for 2023-24 - a total of 4.2 per cent of new admissions. This is a slight increase on last year, when 30,379 appeals were heard (4.1 per cent of new admissions).
The success rate on secondary appeals was 20.7 per cent, down from 20.9 per cent on the previous year.
Regional and school type disparity
The data also revealed some variations between different parts of the country and school types.
Regionally, the rate of appeals heard for primary schools varied from 0.6 per cent in the North East, Inner and Outer London, to 2.3 per cent in the North West.
For secondary, the rate of appeals varied from 2.7 per cent in the East of England and South West to 5.9 per cent in the North West.
Academies experienced the highest rate of appeals over both primary and secondary.
The government data release stressed that the number of primary school appeals heard and successful have been “fairly stable over the last few years after a period of substantial drops” since 2015-16.
In secondary, the success rate for appeals fell from 26.3 per cent in 2015-16 to 20.7 per cent this year.
School leaders’ unions responded to the latest figures by highlighting admissions concerns caused by an “increasingly fragmented” school system.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said it was “understandable” that it was a priority for parents to get their first choice school and “right” that a “clear and fair” appeals process was available.
But he added: “The problem is that the increasingly fragmented school system lacks a coordinated approach to place planning. Local authorities retain responsibility for ensuring sufficient school places, but no longer have the powers and resources needed to do so.
“This means planning can appear haphazard, decisions are often made in isolation without considering the implications for local families, and as a result, new schools and places are not always commissioned where they are most needed.”
He said that he hoped the government’s Children’s Wellbeing Bill would require all schools to cooperate with the local authority on school admissions, place planning and special educational needs inclusion.
“We would also like to see a national strategy to guarantee there are enough school places for every child in England. No family should be left behind when it comes to getting access to the quality education their children need,” he said.
Unfair system leading to appeals
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that an unfair system of Ofsted ratings was leading parents to resort to school admissions appeals.
He said: “Very often, the popularity of schools is associated with positive Ofsted ratings, while other schools are undersubscribed.
“This is one of the reasons why the current rating system must change and a more nuanced approach taken with more support where it is needed. We are pleased that the new government has committed to making this change.”
The figures come as primary schools in some areas are facing a crisis of falling rolls. Some authorities in London have been closing and merging schools, with falling birth rates and gentrification being blamed.
Meanwhile, the national secondary school population is expected to peak in 2026 and 2027, government projections show.
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