How to become a voluntary school appeal panel member
Apply to become a voluntary member of the Education Appeals Panel
Are you or do you know someone who would relish the opportunity of making a real difference in the lives of Stoke-on-Trent's children and young people? If so, we would love to hear from you.
What’s involved?
Parents and carers have the legal right to appeal against the admission authority's decision to refuse their child a place at their preferred school. The appeals are heard by an independent panel comprising of three individuals. As a panel member, you will read the case papers in advance of the hearing, actively participate in the appeal hearing and decide whether to uphold or dismiss the appeal. Panel members are supported by the Clerk to the Independent Panel before and throughout the hearing.
We have a pool of appeal members and use 3 people to sit on our panels at any one time. There are 2 types of panel member – those with experience of education (eg. a retired headteacher/teacher/school governor), and “lay” members (those without any experience in education).
Appeal panels sit all year round with higher number of appeals in Summer for the September admission to primary and secondary schools.
All new panel members receive training and get to observe a hearing before taking part in an appeal and the clerk to the panel is always available to give advice.
To ensure the appeals panel is independent and unbiased, some people are not eligible to become members. For example, employees of Stoke-on-Trent City would not be able to apply.
If you are interested, have some questions, or would like an informal chat, please contact us by emailing schooladmissionappeals@stoke.gov.uk or call 01782 232106.