Appeals

Appeals

Where the governors are unable to offer a place because the school is over subscribed parents have the right to appeal to an independent admission appeal panel set up under the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998, as amended by the Education Act, 2002. Parents will have the opportunity to submit their case to the panel and also to attend in order to present their case.

Lancashire County Council administers the appeals process on behalf  of the school.   To submit an appeal you must complete Lancashire County Council’s online form within 20 school days of receipt of the letter refusing a place.  The form can be accessed here:

https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/children-education-families/schools/appeal-against-an-admission-decision/secondary-school-appeals/

Once the online form has been submitted it will automatically be forwarded to us – you do not need to submit a paper copy.

If you are appealing on faith grounds, and haven’t already submitted a supplementary form with your original application, you should complete one now. Please see relevant Admissions Policy and Supplementary Form in the related documents section at the bottom of this page.  This  will have to be returned to us by the deadline shown in the timetable below.

It is really important that your appeal case includes all the information you wish to be considered by the independent appeal panel. It will not be possible to introduce new information during the appeal hearing as panel members will not be able to give this the appropriate consideration.

Appeals timetable:

Year 7 intake

The dates for appeals for Ripley St. Thomas Academy’s Year 7 intake in September are scheduled by Lancashire County Council and are usually held in May.  Appeals for admission to Year 7 in September 2024 should be submitted by 16 April 2024.

In-year appeals

In-year appeals are arranged by Lancashire County Council Appeals team as required. The online appeal form above and any other supporting documents you wish to include should be completed within 20 school days of the letter refusing admission.

The LCC Appeals team will distribute copies of your documentation to the independent appeal panel and will contact you to advise you of the date,  time and venue of your particular hearing once they have been able to make the necessary arrangements..  You will usually be notified  at least 14 days before the hearing.

Waiting List

In accordance with our Admissions Policy  pupils are placed on the waiting list according to what extent they meet our published criteria. If you have not previously submitted a Supplementary Form you are advised to download one and return it with your appeal form. If you are unable to complete the Supplementary Form your position on the waiting list will be after all those who are able to, and will be based purely on the distance from home to school.

In the event of a place becoming available before the Appeals are due to be heard the school will look at the waiting list and all the information supplied to support applications/appeals and re-allocate that place accordingly.

The waiting list for places in Year 7 is maintained by the Local Authority until 31 December of the year of intake.  If you wish to keep your child’s name on the waiting list after that date you will need to contact the school in January.