Support with School Admission Appeals

Parents facing a school appeal need clear guidance, realistic advice, and compassionate support at every stage of the process. This page explains how appeals support works, what is included, and how fees are structured.

How appeals support helps

Appeals can feel daunting, especially when the outcome has a major impact on your child’s wellbeing and future. Support focuses on making the process understandable, strategic, and as calm as possible.

  • Clarifying whether you have a strong basis for appeal and what type of appeal applies (infant class size, prejudice, or other grounds).

  • Explaining how the local authority or academy appeal process works, what the panel considers, and what realistic outcomes look like.

  • Helping you stay organised and prepared so that deadlines, evidence, and key arguments are all managed carefully.

Primary and secondary appeals

Support is available for both primary and secondary school appeals, drawing on extensive experience of admissions and appeals in Hertfordshire and beyond.

  • Primary appeals: including Reception and Key Stage 1/2, with particular attention to class size rules, safeguarding, and practical family circumstances.

  • Secondary appeals: including oversubscription, selective and consortium schools, distance and rule‐based criteria, and cases involving medical, social, or pastoral needs.

What is included in full appeals support

The full appeals package is designed to walk you step‑by‑step through the process for one child, from initial case review to hearing preparation.​

  • Reviewing all key documents (allocation letters, admissions policy, refusal letter, medical/social evidence, professional reports and supporting documents).

  • Shaping and drafting your written appeal statement, ensuring it is clear, focused and aligned with what panels are actually able to consider.

  • Advising what evidence to gather, how to present it, and how to respond to the school’s case and Governors’ Statement.

  • Preparing you for the hearing itself: likely questions, how to present your case, how to manage nerves and keep the focus on your child’s needs.

Fees and how they work

To ensure that any appeal support is both tailored and genuinely useful, all work begins with a structured one‑hour consultation.

  • Initial consultation: £125 for a one‑hour appointment (online/phone/videocall or in person where practical). This session is used to review your situation, discuss the school(s) in question, and assess the strength and type of appeal open to you.

  • Appeals support fee: £1250 for full support with a primary or secondary school appeal for two schools for one child, covering case review, drafting, evidence strategy and hearing preparation.

  • If you wish to appeal for more than two schools there will be an additional fee of £150 per school to a maximum of four schools.

  • Consultation deducted: if you decide to go ahead with the full appeals support after your initial consultation, the £125 consultation fee is deducted from the £1250 appeals package, so you only pay the remaining balance.

Next steps

If you are considering an appeal or have already received an allocation you are unhappy with, early advice can significantly improve how you frame your case. To discuss availability or to book an initial consultation, please use the contact details or the online contact form below.

Appeals Consultation

The appeals consultation is a two-part process.

Initially, a 60-minute consultation is required, conducted in the same format as the Clinic via an online Zoom-style meeting. The fee for this consultation is £125.

The purpose of the consultation is to assess the merits of your appeal and determine whether I am able to support you with your case. As a general rule, I only take on appeals where I believe there is a strong prospect of success. If, having reviewed the available information, I do not consider your appeal to have a sufficiently strong chance of success, I will advise you accordingly. In those circumstances, I may recommend that you prepare and submit the appeal yourself rather than proceed with my appeals service.

The consultation fee is £125 and is payable in advance upon booking, as I will need to undertake preliminary research and preparation before the meeting.

Following the consultation, I will take up to 24 hours to consider the merits of your case, identify the most appropriate grounds on which to base an appeal, taking into account the school or schools involved, and assess the likely prospects of success. I will then contact you to confirm whether I am able to support you through the appeal process. At that stage, you will be able to make an informed decision as to whether you wish to proceed with my services or continue with the appeal independently using the advice and guidance provided during the consultation.”

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Appeal Enquiry Form

Please take a few minutes to fill in this form.

All personal data will be deleted after the client services are concluded.

Parent Information

Child's Information

Is the Headteacher aware of the proposed appeal?
Is the SENDCo aware of the proposed appeal?

Entrance Test Information

Entrance Test Taken?

Entrance Test(s) Taken

(Please tick all that apply)

Tests Taken

Entrance Test Scores

Please complete any sections that apply. If your child did not progress to a later stage of testing, please enter "Not Taken", "Did Not Qualify", or leave blank where appropriate.

Musical Aptitude Assessment (if applicable)

Was your child invited to attend a Second-Round Musical Aptitude Assessment?

Special Consideration and Additional Needs

Was your child offered Special Consideration during the admissions or testing process?
Was the request for Special Consideration supported by evidence from your child's SENDCo, school, medical professional or other relevant professional?
Has your child been assessed for, or diagnosed with, any Special Educational Needs, disabilities, medical conditions, mental health needs, or other circumstances that may be relevant to an appeal?
Were there any exceptional circumstances before or during the entrance tests that you believe affected your child's performance?
Examples may include illness, bereavement, family difficulties, anxiety, disrupted education, caring responsibilities, or other significant events.

School Allocation Information

Has the allocated school place been accepted?
Has your child subsequently been offered a place from a waiting list?
Has the waiting list offer been accepted?

Appeal Status

Have you already submitted an admission appeal for any schools?
If yes, have you already attended an appeal hearing?
If you have already attended an appeal hearing, what was the outcome?

Schools Applied For (CAF Preferences)

School(s) You Would Like to Appeal To

Please Tell Me Your Story

Please provide a brief outline of the facts and circumstances that have led you to consider an appeal.

At this stage, please summarise the key points only, including:

• Why you believe the school(s) you wish to appeal for are the most appropriate choice for your child.
• Any relevant academic, medical, social, emotional, SEND, or family circumstances.
• Any factors that you believe may have affected your child's performance in an entrance test (if applicable).
• Any other information you feel may be relevant.

A more detailed statement and supporting evidence can be provided later if I agree to take on your case.

Declaration

I confirm that the information provided in this form is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.

I understand that submission of this form does not create a client relationship and does not guarantee that my case will be accepted for support.

I understand that a consultation and review of my circumstances will be required before any decision is made regarding whether support can be provided.

Appeals Service

If, following my review, I agree to take on your case, I will require additional information and supporting documentation from you, which I will request at that stage.

As outlined above, the fee for the Secondary Transfer Appeals Service is £1,250 and covers appeals for up to two schools. If you wish to appeal for more than two schools (Hertfordshire applicants are able to name up to four preferences on their Common Application Form, or “CAF”), an additional fee of £150 will be payable for each additional school appeal.

Once you have prepared an initial draft of your appeal, setting out the reasons why you believe the school is the most appropriate choice for your child, I will review and substantially refine your submission. This includes restructuring, editing and rewriting your statement to ensure that it presents the strongest possible case.

In addition, I will provide detailed coaching and preparation for the hearing itself. This includes guidance on how best to present your case to the panel, the key points to emphasise, and the types of questions you may be asked by both the school’s presenting officer and the appeal panel members. You will also receive a tailored presentation script and practical advice to help you approach the hearing with confidence.

What My Service Does Not Include

I cannot upload documentation to the appeals portal or send emails on your behalf. Any correspondence with the school, admission authority or appeals team must come directly from you as the parent or carer. This is important because such correspondence is often included within the appeal evidence pack and may be considered by the appeal panel as part of the evidence. However, where appropriate, I will draft emails for you or provide suggested wording for you to review and send in your own name.

I do not represent families in person at appeal hearings.

The reason for this is straightforward: appeal panel members want to hear directly from parents and carers. They want to understand, in your own words, why you believe a particular school is the most suitable choice for your child and the reasons that support that view. When this responsibility is handed to a third party, it can diminish the personal connection and authenticity that panels are looking for.

My role is to provide expert guidance, help you prepare the strongest possible case, and give you the confidence to present your appeal effectively and persuasively. This includes providing a full presentation script, practical tips, and personalised coaching to help you present your case with clarity and confidence.

 

Payment

Bank Transfer

Please contact me for account information.

PayPal

If your appointment has been confirmed you can pay via PayPal to @KKing14 or via the PayPal link below. If using PayPal, please select the option to pay as Friends and Family OR apply a further 2.9% to cover PayPal fees incurred. Alternatively, I can send you a PayPal invoice in the correct amount. If you would prefer to receive an invoice, please let me know. Once payment has been received I will contact you with a final confirmation of session.