Appealing for a school place

If you have applied and been refused a school place, you have the right to appeal the decision.

Guide to appeals

Our document Guide to admission appeals (pdf format 450 KB) explains full details of the appeals process.

Your right to appeal

Acceptance of a place at a school does not affect your right to appeal for a place at another school. Our advice would be to accept the allocated school while any appeal is being processed and this also means your child still has a school place if the appeal is unsuccessful.

Schools we handle appeals for

We administer appeals for all state-funded schools in Oxfordshire except those listed below.

Who makes the decision?

An independent panel hears appeals. A decision by an appeal panel on whether or not to offer a school place is binding on the admissions authority. If your appeal for an Oxfordshire community school is unsuccessful, you may not appeal for the same school within one academic year.

Admission Appeals Timetable 2024

For secondary school entry into Year 7 in September 2024

Date Event
Friday 1 March 2024 First round allocation day (for on-time applications, received by 31 October 2023)
23:59 on Wednesday 27 March 2024 Deadline for submitting first round of secondary appeals
From early May- Wednesday 19 June 2024 From late June- Monday 16 September 2024
Wednesday 8 May 2024 Second round allocation day (for applications received 1 November 2023-13 March 2024)
23:59 on Wednesday 5 June 2024 Deadline for submitting second round of secondary appeals
From late June- Monday 16 September 2024 Second round of secondary appeals heard

For primary school entry into Reception in September 2024

Date Event
Tuesday 16 April 2024 First round allocation day (for on-time applications, received by 15 January 2024)
23:59 on Wednesday 15 May 2024 Deadline for submitting first round of primary appeals
Mid-June - Tuesday 23 July 2024 First round of primary appeals heard
Friday 7 June 2024 Second round allocation day (for applications received 16th January- 30 April 2024)
23:59 on Friday 5 July 2024 Deadline for submitting primary (second round) appeals
Early September- Friday 11 October 2024 Second round of primary appeals heard

We aim to hear other appeals i.e., in-year appeals, within 30 school days of receipt, which is subject to the availability of Panel Members. School days do not include weekends, INSET days, or school holidays.

Primary school appeals

If you are applying for a place in an infant class (Reception, Year 1 or Year 2) these appeals are rarely successful due to the legislation below.

Infant Class Size (ICS) Legislation - This refers to Government legislation that no child attending a maintained school or academy and in an infant class can be taught in a class of over 30 pupils (except where certain specific and exceptional circumstances apply).

Where the ICS limit of 30 applies, the powers of the Independent Panel are limited, and an appeal is, in law, a review. Read our Guide to admission appeals (pdf format 450 KB) for details on how an ICS review can succeed.

Appeal online

Use the online appeals form below. It will take around 20 minutes to complete, depending on the reasons and complexity of your appeal.

Appeal for preferred school

Schools we don't handle appeals for

We administer appeals for all state-funded schools in Oxfordshire except those listed below.

If you would like to appeal for a place at any of the schools on this list, contact the school directly.

Secondary schools

  • Blessed George Napier Catholic Secondary School
  • Greyfriars Catholic School
  • Henry Box School
  • Wykham Park Academy

Primary schools

  • Abbey Woods Academy, Berinsfield
  • All Saints CE Primary School, Didcot
  • Appleton CE Primary School
  • Ashbury with Compton Beauchamp CE Primary School
  • Bampton CE Primary School
  • The Batt CE Primary School, Witney
  • The Blake CE Primary School, Witney 
  • Burford Primary School
  • Checkendon CE Primary School
  • Chesterton CE Primary School 
  • Christopher Rawlins CE Primary School, Adderbury
  • Dashwood Banbury Academy 
  • Deddington CE Primary School
  • Dr Radcliffe’s CE Primary School, Steeple Aston 
  • Dr South’s CE Primary School, Islip 
  • Ewelme CE Primary School 
  • Goring CE Primary School
  •  Great Rollright CE Primary School
  •  Grove CE Primary School 
  • Harriers Banbury Academy
  •  The Hendreds CE Primary School 
  • John Henry Newman Academy, Littlemore, Oxford 
  • Kidmore End CE Primary School 
  • Kirtlington CE Primary School
  • Leafield CE Primary School
  • Little Milton CE Primary School 
  • North Hinksey CE Primary School 
  • North Leigh CE Primary School
  •  Northbourne CE Primary School, Didcot 
  • Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, Cowley, Oxford 
  • St Aloysius’ Catholic Primary School, Oxford 
  • St Amand’s Catholic Primary School, East Hendred 
  • St Barnabas’ CE Primary School, Oxford 
  • St Christopher’s CE Primary School, Cowley, Oxford 
  • St Christopher’s CE Primary School, Langford
  • St Ebbe’s CE Primary School, Oxford 
  • St Edburg’s CE Primary School, Bicester 
  • St Edmund’s Catholic Primary School, Abingdon 
  • St Frideswide Church of England Primary School, Oxford 
  • St John’s Catholic Primary School, Banbury 
  • St John the Evangelist CE Primary School, Carterton 
  • St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, Littlemore, Oxford 
  • St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Banbury 
  • St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Oxford 
  • St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Thame 
  • St Laurence’s CE Primary School, Warborough 
  • St Mary & St John CE Primary School, Oxford 
  • St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Bicester 
  • St Mary’s CE Primary School, Banbury 
  • St Mary’s CE Primary School, Chipping Norton 
  • St Mary’s CE Infant School, Witney 
  • St Michael’s CE Primary School, Oxford 
  • St Peter’s CE Primary School, Alvescot 
  • St Peter’s CE Primary School, Cassington 
  • St Philip & St James CE Primary School, Oxford 
  • St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Kidlington 
  • Shellingford CE Primary School 
  • Shenington CE Primary School 
  • Shiplake CE Primary School 
  • South Moreton School 
  • Stoke Row CE Primary School 
  • Tackley CE Primary School 
  • Wheatley CE Primary School Academy 
  • Wootton St Peter’s CE Primary School 
  • Wroxton CE Primary School