School Admissions and Appeals Advice

Gaining admission for your child to the school of your choice should be a simple process. But it isn’t. You have to negotiate your way through a myriad of processes and procedures, often with no previous experience of the complex rules and regulations that apply to each school. It’s hard to know where to start, and easy to make a mistake that could have far-reaching consequences for your child’s education.

So how can you have a successful appeal for an over-subscribed school? School Appeals Plus offers options to help you navigate the admissions process from the very start. You will receive impartial advice to help you whatever stage you are at, whether it be before you have chosen a school, when you have applied, or when you have been refused a place.

Set up in 2022, we have a flexible approach and can fit meetings around the busy lives of parents including evenings and weekends, as well as during the working day. Our experience of the inner workings of school admissions from a school perspective, and local authority perspective, make us uniquely placed to support parents as they negotiate the school appeals process.

Get in touch for a FREE 15-minute conversation to discuss your appeal and the options available. You can either call 07941 573727 or complete the enquiry form below.

Helen Pollard - School Admissions Consultant

Helen has 14 years’ experience as the member of the Senior Leadership Team with responsibility for admissions at one of England's most sought-after secondary schools. The school takes pupils from the age of 7 to 18 so Helen has experience of junior, senior and sixth form admissions.

Helen managed all appeals for the school including drafting the school’s case, and attending hearings. Her understanding of the motivations and inner working of a popular state school make her ideally placed to advise on strategies to overcome the barriers to admission to a school.

Working in admissions at a Voluntary Aided School (which is its own admissions authority) means Helen has managed all types of admission including normal round admissions, applications from ex-pats moving back to the UK, in-year applications, and applications for children coming from independent schools.

Before her time in education, Helen had a successful career in business, becoming a senior manager at a leading insurance company. She was a member of the judiciary for 17 years, sitting as a Lay Member on Employment Tribunals and has advocacy experience within her local community. Helen has been a governor for a number of schools.

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Tim Pollard - School Admissions Consultant

Tim has worked extensively in education over the last twenty years. For six of those years he was responsible for Croydon’s education system as an elected councillor and worked on pupil place planning and the application of the admissions code. He has been a school governor at both primary and secondary schools and worked on admissions at a leading state school.

Tim was an elected representative in Croydon for 20 years, was member responsible for Education for 6 years, and Deputy Leader of Croydon Council from 2008 to 2014. In 2023 Tim was made an Honorary Alderman of the London Borough of Croydon.

Appeals Packages

For parents who have been refused a place at their chosen school (or schools) and who have been offered the right to appeal.

ADVICE MEETING PACKAGE £99

For parents who plan to draft their own appeal statement. There will be a meeting to discuss strategies for approaching the appeal and this will be followed up with a personalised report including recommendations for drafting your appeal statement. Find out more

STATEMENT PACKAGE £395

For parents who would like a Consultant to draft the appeal statement. We will meet with you to go through all the reasons why your child should be offered a place at your chosen school. We will then draft the statement and collate all the documents so it is ready for submission. Find out more

REPRESENTATION PACKAGE FROM £195

A consultant will act on your behalf at the appeal hearing. This Package is suitable for those who are not comfortable with public speaking or are worried about how they will cope in a judicial hearing. Find out more

Admissions Packages

Ideal for parents who have not yet embarked on the admissions journey. These packages can also be beneficial to parents who have already submitted an application.

ADMISSIONS CONSULTATION PACKAGE £175

This will be an online meeting for you to find out more about how to approach the admissions process. It is an opportunity for you to explain what you are trying to achieve and receive advice about the approach you should take. Find out more

RESEARCH AND EVALUATION PACKAGE £350

A more detailed look at schools you are considering for your child. The aim is to give an indication of how likely it is that your child might be offered a place. Find out more

Testimonials

“We approached a number of appeal advisors but after an initial chat with Helen we were impressed with her experience and approach so we appointed Helen to support us in our Year 7 School appeal. We went with the Package 3 service offered by Helen where we had a detailed meeting with Helen from which Helen then prepared a statement which we used as supporting evidence in our appeal. Helen was very professional, supportive and helped us understand what key points we needed for the appeal. This allowed us to understand what points to focus on in the appeal meeting and gave us confidence in our arguments. We are happy to say the appeal was successful and were very thankful for the service and support Helen provided.

Mr & Mrs K, June 2022

Enquire now

The Admissions Consultant will get in touch for a free 15 minute call to discuss the best Package for you