Ben Howlett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that decisions of the Independent Appeals Panel do not allocate places in excess of a school’s planned admission numbers.

Nick Gibb

All parents are able to express preferences for at least three schools when applying for a school place. When parents are refused a place for their child, it is important that they are given the opportunity to appeal this decision.

The appeal panel should consider whether the school’s admission arrangements were lawful, have been properly applied and balance the effect on the school of admitting another child against the parents’ reasons for wanting their child to attend the school.

When considering an appeal for an infant class, however, appeal panels have less scope to admit over its admissions number. Legislation limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher and appeals for such classes can only be upheld in very limited circumstances.