How to appeal for a school place?
To appeal for a place at one of our schools you will need to fill-in one of the online appeal forms below. Before deciding whether to appeal, parents/carers should read each school’s published policy for admitting pupils, think about their reasons for wanting their child to attend the school and the strength of their case. For example saying a child likes the school, their friends attend or the school has a good reputation may not be sufficient to have a successful appeal.
Appeals for all Newham Schools (except Harris Academy Chobham)
- School Admission Appeal form - Year-7 Secondary school place starting in September 2023
- School Admission Appeal form - In Year Admission to start school now
Or
- Call the Council on 020 8430 2000 and ask for a paper copy of the appeal form. Then complete and submit the form to
Newham Independent School Appeals Service (NISAAS),
1000 Dockside Road, London E16 2QU
Harris Academy Chobham
Or
- Call the school for a form 020 3747 6060
Schools outside of Newham
For all schools outside of Newham families can find out about their appeals process by visiting the school’s website or by calling the school.
Can I get advice on what to say in my appeal?
Neither the local authority nor the school you are appealing for can give advice on the content of an appeal as they made the decision to refuse the offer of the place and they will be defending this position at the hearing.
To help prepare their written and verbal representations we strongly recommend appellants speak to members of their family and friends who they trust to give good advice. If the family has a social worker or other professional support worker, they should be able to assist.
We strongly recommend that you take time to consider the reasons for wanting a place at the school and complete a list that you review every day until your hearing to ensure you have not missed anything important. Only exceptional cases will be successful so it is important you focus on key points especially those where you can provide evidence to support your reason for wanting the school, just saying you like the school or it is close to home is unlikely to be an exceptional reason as that is what most families want.