Can I appeal this school decision?
Find the right forum and the right deadline for challenging a school decision in England — an admission refusal, a permanent exclusion, a suspension, an EHCP or SEN refusal, or an attendance penalty notice. Each has a different panel and a different clock.
This covers England only — Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate admission, exclusion and additional-needs systems. It is general guidance, not legal advice on your child's case.
Education deadlines are short and counted in school days (days the school is open to pupils), not calendar days, so half-terms and holidays do not count against you. Work back from the date on the decision letter and diarise the deadline the day you receive it.
Free specialist help is available and is worth using before you write anything: IPSEA and SOS!SEN for EHCP and SEND appeals, Coram Child Law Advice for exclusions, admissions and attendance, and Citizens Advice for penalty notices and prosecutions.
What decision do you want to challenge?
Each of these goes to a completely different panel with its own deadline. Picking the wrong one usually means missing the right one.
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