Appeals
Gildredge House administers its applications as set out in the School Admissions Code and the School Admissions Appeals Code. For your information, and in order to comply with the Appeals Code, we set out below the timetable which applies to all Appeal Hearings.
Where should I send my appeal?
Appeals should be sent to the Appeals Team at East Sussex County Council.
What are the deadlines for receipt of appeals?
In-year appeals: parents have 25 school days from the date of a letter to submit an appeal
Secondary school appeals
- National decision day - Monday 3rd March 2025
- Appeal deadline - Monday 31st March 2025
- Appeals to be heard throughout May and up to Wednesday 18th June 2025.
Primary school appeals:
- National decision day - Wednesday 16th April 2025
- Appeal deadline - Tuesday 20th May 2025
- Appeals to be heard throughout June and up to Tuesday 22nd July 2025.
When will hearings take place?
- For applications made in the normal admissions round, appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for lodging appeals.
- For late applications, appeals should be heard within 40 school days from the deadline for lodging appeals where possible, or within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
- For applications for in-year admissions, appeals must be heard within 30 school days of the appeal being lodged.
How will I be notified of the date, time and venue for the Appeal Hearing?
The Appeals Team at East Sussex County Council will send you a letter saying when your appeal will be heard by an independent appeal panel. They will give you at least 10 school days written notice, unless you’ve agreed to a shorter notice period.
What is the deadline for any additional evidence to be submitted?
You should send the Appeals Team at East Sussex County Council all your evidence supporting your case when you make your appeal. However, you can send any extra evidence to them up to 7 working days before the hearing.
You can send additional evidence after this deadline or bring extra items with you on the day of your hearing, but the Appeal Panel may decide not to accept this late evidence.
Submitting extra evidence late can sometimes lead to your hearing being adjourned, or even postponed to another day.
When will I know about the decision?
The Appeals Team at East Sussex County Council will normally send you a decision letter which sets out the reasons for the panel’s decision within 5 school days of your hearing. However, it can take longer at busy times.