How to appeal an 11 Plus result or school allocation

Start by identifying what you want reconsidered: the recording of a test result, whether your child meets the academic standard, or a refusal to offer a school place. These involve different procedures. An admission appeal is not simply a request for an exam paper to be marked again.

Which route fits your situation?

Contact the organiser named in the result letter for a result query. Describe the precise issue and ask which procedure applies. Do not send sensitive records to a guessed email address. A school’s official website or your council’s admissions team can confirm the correct contact.

A selection review is different from an admission appeal

Some areas review whether a child who did not reach the test standard should nevertheless be treated as qualified. The existence, evidence rules and timing of that process are local. The DfE parent guidance explains that a previous review can affect what an appeal panel may consider. Ask for the review guidance before deciding how to proceed.

Keep the review application, supporting documents and written outcome together. If you later appeal a refusal, you will need to explain the earlier process accurately. Do not describe a successful review as an allocation of a place unless the authority has actually made an offer.

How to start a school admission appeal

1. 1Read the refusal notice. Identify the school, entry year, reason for refusal, appeal route and deadline.
2. 2Download the admission arrangements for the relevant entry year and the appeal guidance. Keep copies with the dates you accessed them.
3. 3Submit the appeal using the specified form or channel. Explain your reasons clearly and retain confirmation.
4. 4Record any separate evidence deadline. Ask the clerk about missing documents or accessibility needs promptly.
5. 5Keep a suitable school place secure and follow any waiting-list instructions while the appeal is considered.

Under GOV.UK appeal guidance, the admission authority must allow at least 20 school days from sending its decision letter for you to lodge an appeal. That is a minimum period, not a universal exact deadline. Read the published timetable; a result-check deadline is a separate matter. If a deadline has passed, contact the authority rather than assuming there is no route left.

Build a useful case file

• Result letter and refusal notice: these show which decisions you are querying.
• Relevant policy: mark the actual criterion or procedure you believe matters.
• Dated correspondence: keep requests, replies and submission receipts in order.
• Evidence linked to your reason: explain what each document establishes.
• A short chronology: test, result, review if any, application, refusal and next deadline.

You do not need to manufacture a large bundle. If illness affected the test, describe when it happened and what evidence exists; avoid claiming that a diagnosis proves a particular lost score. For academic suitability, current school evidence may be relevant. Do not buy a professional report solely because an online article calls it compulsory.

Two hypothetical examples

Example 1: a family believes the result letter records the wrong candidate number. Their first step is a precise query through the organiser’s result-check route. They still track the school-application deadline instead of waiting indefinitely for the query to finish.

Example 2: a child qualifies, but a school refuses a place because other eligible children have higher admissions priority. The family asks how the policy was applied, follows the waiting-list procedure and decides whether to appeal that refusal. Asking for an exam remark would not address the stated allocation reason.

What happens after submission?

Prepare from the instructions sent by the appeal clerk. Our grammar-school appeal hearing guide explains evidence and the panel’s role. Read how waiting lists work separately; a vacancy and an upheld appeal are different routes to a place.

If an appeal is unsuccessful, read the reasons and the official complaint information. There is no routine “stage two appeal” that simply repeats your case. A complaint about administration is different from disagreeing with the outcome. This guide concerns state admissions in England; independent schools and EHC-plan disputes follow different routes.