Objections to Determined Admission Arrangements

Maintained Schools

Under section 90 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, parents and other bodies have the right to object to the Schools Adjudicator about admission arrangements after the arrangements have been determined*.

*Admission authorities must determine arrangements by 15 April in the year preceding the admission year, i.e before they take effect.

Academies

Decisions on objections to the admission arrangements determined by the governing body of an Academy are made by the Secretary of State.

Under section 77 of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) is required to  consider recommendations of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator on behalf of the Secretary of State in respect of an Academy’s admission arrangements.

Closing Date for Objections

Amended regulations have extended the period for objections to be submitted, which is now up until the 30 June. The revised end date will benefit parents and local authorities by providing more time for objections to be referred.

Current Objections

If you are in the process of applying for a school place you will need to give consideration to current objections. The reason for this is that the decision of the Schools Adjudicator, or the YPLA for Academy admission arrangements, could result in a change to determined arrangements, which may affect future admissions.

Who Can Object?

Individual parents and carers of children who have attained the age of two but who are not above compulsory school age have the right to refer an objection to the School Adjudicator if they consider that the admission arrangements do not comply with the law or the mandatory requirements of the School Admissions Code.

Parents and carers can also object to a school determining an admission number which is lower than the number indicated by the net capacity calculations.

For more information about who is eligible to object and what may be objected to, please refer to the information provided by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator. Copies of the Code are available from the Department for Education.

How are Objections Relevant to my Application?

When completing your application for school places, you will need to consider the admission arrangements determined for your preferred school, including any objections that have been referred to the Schools Adjudicator. The reason for this is that an upheld objection could result in a change to the published admission number i.e. the number to be admitted to the school in September, or to other aspects of the determined admission arrangements. 

Decisions on objections referred to the Schools Adjudicator will be published on this website once a final decision has been made, which must be implemented immediately.

What is the Role of a Schools Adjudicator?

Schools Adjudicators work independently of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in deciding on objections to published admission arrangements and variations of determined admission arrangements.

Please note: adjudicators do not deal with complaints from any parents whose child has not been offered a place at a particular school.