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Appendix B: Synopsis of Recommendations

Admission Appeal Panels

  1. In order to increase their independence and improve the quality and consistency of services to parents, admission appeal panels should be organised and managed on a regional basis (paras 2.11-2.12).
  2. The disqualification criteria should be extended to exclude from membership of the panels all teachers from within the particular LEA area of the school which is the subject of the appeal(s) in question (paras 2.13-2.15).
  3. Admission appeal panels should have either a legally qualified Chair or separate panels of lay Chairs, with special training in chairing skills (paras 2.18-2.21).
  4. The Code of Practice needs to include guidance on the selection of panel Chairs in advance of the hearing (para 2.22).
  5. The Code of Practice should include advice on the need for good preparation by panel members, and the benefits of identifying in advance the key issues for clarification at the hearing (para 2.23).
  6. Panel clerks should be legally qualified and specially trained if the Chair of the panel is not legally qualified (paras 2.24-2.26).
  7. We recommend the establishment of a specialist cadre of admission appeal clerks (para 2.27).
  8. To encourage more widely the sharing of best practice, the Department should positively promote the work of the Education Appeals Support Initiative (EASI) group (paras 2.28-2.29).
  9. Parents should receive information about where they can obtain specialist advice and access to local representation services (paras 2.30-2.31).
  10. Every panel member should be given a personal copy of the Code of Practice on Admission Appeals as part of their initial induction (para 2.34).
  11. The grouped method should be recommended for hearing multiple admission appeals (paras 2.35-2.37).
  12. Better information should be provided to parents about the special case of infant class size appeals (paras 2.38-2.42).
  13. The new school admission arrangements should include a common cut-off date for acceptance of all offers of school places by parents (paras 2.43-2.44).
  14. In order to improve standards of written decisions the Code of Practice on Admission Appeals should include sample model decision letters for use by appeals clerks (paras 2.45-2.46).
  15. All admission appeals, including those for voluntary-aided and foundation schools, should be managed and run by LEAs regionally (paras 2.48-2.50).

Exclusion Appeal Panels

  1. Exclusion appeal panels should always have a legally qualified Chair (para 3.11).
  2. Exclusion appeals should be heard by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) (para 3.12).
  3. In the absence of a legally qualified Chair exclusion panels should have the services of a legally qualified clerk (paras 3.13-3.14).
  4. The Secretary of State's guidance to exclusion appeal panels needs to include more comprehensive guidance on the role of the clerk (para 3.15).
  5. The guidance to exclusion appeal panels should emphasise the benefits of holding a pre-meeting before the hearing to clarify the issues under appeal and agree the panel's strategy for the hearing (paras 3.18-3.19).
  6. The guidance to exclusion panels needs to include better and more detailed advice about accommodation for appeal hearings (paras 3.20-3.21).

Training

  1. There is need for a specific requirement in the Secretary of State's respective guidance to admission and exclusion appeal panels to the effect that it is mandatory for all panel members to receive full induction training before being allowed to hear appeals (para 4.10).
  2. There is a need to remedy the lack of training in chairing skills for the Chairs of admission and exclusion appeal panels, having regard in particular to the JSB's Framework of Competence for tribunal Chairs and members (paras 4.12-4.13).
  3. The training function for admission and exclusion panels should be organised regionally, and proper systems put in place within LEAs and admission authorities for estimating and earmarking resources for future training needs (para 4.16).
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