Hearings take place during the day, on scheduled dates once or twice a month. In-year appeals are usually around 45 minutes in length and it is normal for several appeals to be heard by the same panel on the same day. Refreshments are provided, including lunch if there are several appeals scheduled for one day.
Most appeals are heard during May, June and July for the September admissions, but appeals are scheduled each month for persons wishing to change schools during the academic year. All of the scheduled in-year appeal dates are listed.
Where there are two or more appeals for a particular year group at the same school, the same panel should hear all of the appeals. This is most likely to occur during the main summer admissions round and it is possible that a panel will need to sit for more than one day depending on the number of appeals.
Panel Members will be required to read relevant paperwork prior to the hearing, which will include both the case for the child, and the school admission authority.
Alongside the Appeals Panel, there are generally three other parties present at appeal hearings:
- The presenting officer from the admissions authority.
- The parent(s)/guardian, who may be represented or accompanied by a friend or adviser.
- The clerk to the Appeals Panel.
The panel members listen to the presentations and question the first two parties to make sure that they have enough information to reach a decision. Once the two parties have stated their case and all questions have been asked, the two parties leave the room, and the panel decides in private. This is recorded by the clerk, who subsequently notifies every one of the panel's decisions in writing.
Once the panel has made its decision, it is binding on all parties, that is the parent(s)/guardian, the school governing body, the head teacher and the local authority. The panel cannot revisit its decision once made.