School admissions appeals and exclusions

Appeals summary

If you have been refused a place at a school you wanted, you can appeal. You cannot appeal against the school you have been given.

The appeals process is run by Democratic Services, who are a separate department to and independent of the Admissions Team.

Your appeal will be heard by a panel of 3 members (the appeal panel), and wherever possible you can attend the appeal hearing to tell the appeal panel why you would like a place at the school for your child.

The appeal panel will look at how the places at the school were given and why you could not be offered a place including any relevant law (the admission authority’s case.) The appeal panel will also consider your individual circumstances (your case.) 

The decision of the appeal panel is binding on both parties which means that this is your only appeal against the original decision, and whatever decision the appeal panel makes will be final. 

What to consider before you appeal

Some families can find this a stressful experience and it can take time for appeals to be heard, which can lengthen the period of uncertainty for you and your child. It’s important to be realistic about why you are appealing and the chance of your appeal being successful. The majority of school admissions appeals are refused. 

Appeals are a legal process, and we recommend you read the parents guide to admissions appeals (PDF) process so you are fully informed before submitting an appeal. 

Accepting an offer of a school place at another school does not impact your appeal. Government guidance recommends you consider accepting any offers so that you have secured a school place for your child in case your appeal is unsuccessful.

Applicants will only be able to appeal once in any one school year unless, in exceptional circumstances, the admission authority has accepted a second application because of a significant and material change in the circumstances of the parent/carer, child or school. 

Before starting the appeals process, consider the alternatives:

• Accept the school place you have been offered. If you are a Wokingham resident, you will have been offered a school place. Accepting this place will guarantee that your child can start school, even if no places become available at your preferred school. This will not affect your right to submit an appeal or your child’s current position on a waiting list.
• Remain on the waiting list for your preferred schools. Your child’s name will automatically be added to any waiting list where your application has been unsuccessful. When a place becomes available, it will be offered to the child who is at the top of this list at that time. The waiting list is ordered in accordance with each school’s admissions policy.
• Apply for an alternative school. If you wish to apply for a school that was not on your original application, you can do this by contacting the admissions team schooladmissions@wokingham.gov.uk

Infant class size appeals

Infant classes (Year R, 1 and 2) must not contain more than 30 pupils with a single school teacher. Additional children may be admitted under limited exceptional circumstances.

These exceptions can be viewed in the School Admissions Code paragraph 2.16. School admissions code 2021 (PDF.)

In Year appeal statistics 

Below is a summary of the In Year appeal outcomes for the academic year 2023 to 2024. For more information please read the School appeals summary (PDF.)

Entry to Reception or Year 7 bulk appeals 

At certain times appeal panels will hear appeals from a number of parents who all wish their child to attend the same school and same year group these are known as bulk appeals. A bulk school admissions appeal is a group hearing for parents appealing for places at the same school. It's usually held in the summer for entry to primary reception or secondary Year 7. 

It’s important to be realistic about why you are appealing and the chance of your appeal being successful. The majority of school admissions appeals are refused. Parents should be aware that there can be a long wait between National Offer Day and the outcome of bulk appeals which are typically heard in June or July. 

The closing dates for receipt of bulk appeals for September 2025 are:

• Entry to Secondary School (year 7 September 2025): 29 March 2025
• Entry to Primary or Infant School (reception September 2025): 19 May 2025

Not all appeals will reach the appeal hearing stage. The most common reasons for an appeal to be settled or withdrawn are: 

• The child is offered a place from the school waiting list.
• The child is offered a place at another preferred school from their waiting list and no longer wishes to appeal.
• The family have since determined that the appeal process is going to be too stressful or don’t think they will be successful and have decided to withdraw.

Entry to Secondary School (year 7) bulk appeal statistics

Below is a summary of the bulk appeal outcomes for Entry to Secondary School (year 7). 

September 2024 Intake:

September 2023 Intake:

Entry to Primary or Infant school (reception) bulk appeal statistics

September 2024 Intake:

September 2023 Intake:

How the appeal process works

To find out about appeals read our guidance documents below:

• School admission appeal dates for 2025 (PDF)
• Parents guide to school admission appeals (PDF)
• Parents guide to exclusion appeals (PDF)

You can appeal if your child hasn't been offered a place at the school of your preference, or if they have been permanently excluded from school. To find out how to appeal a decision about school transport see our school transport web page.

How to submit an appeal

Complete the relevant appeal form below:

• School admission appeal form (PDF)
• School exclusion appeal form (PDF)

Email completed forms to school.appeals@wokingham.gov.uk or post them to:

Clerk to the Appeals Panel
Wokingham Borough Council
Shute End
Wokingham
Berkshire
RG40 1WH

If you wish to appeal for one of the following schools, don't use the above forms, please visit the school's website for details on submitting an appeal:

• Alder Grove Primary School
• All Saints Church of England Aided Primary School
• Bohunt Wokingham School
• Coombes Primary School (Keys Academy Trust)
• Crazies Hill Primary (Keys Academy Trust)
• Emmbrook Infant School (The Circle Trust)
• Emmbrook Junior School (The Circle Trust)
• Earley St Peter’s Church of England Aided Primary School
• Finchampstead Church of England Aided Primary School
• Grazeley Parochial Church of  England Aided Primary School
• Hatch Ride Primary (Corvus Learning Trust)
• Hawkedon Primary School
• Nine Mile Ride Primary School (The Circle Trust)
• Oaklands Infant School (Corvus Learning Trust)
• Oaklands Junior School (Corvus Learning Trust)
• Polehampton C of E Infant & Junior Schools (Keys Academy Trust)
• Shinfield Infant and Nursery School (The Circle Trust)
• Shinfield St Mary’s Church of England Aided Junior School
• Sonning Church of England Aided Primary School
• South Lake Primary School
• St Crispin’s School
• St Nicholas Primary School (Keys Academy Trust)
• St Sebastian’s Church of England Aided Primary School
• The Bulmershe School
• The Emmbrook Secondary School (The Circle Trust)
• Waingels College
• Wescott Infant School (The Circle Trust)
• Westende Junior School (The Circle Trust)