Not sure where to post this...review of academy appeals

[Amber]

http://news.tes.co.uk/b/news/2014/02/21 ... rrors.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Etienne]

Thanks for posting this, Amber. Unfortunately what we are not told - and what would be really interesting to know - is whether most of these complaints relate to appeals organised by the academies themselves.

My suspicion is that they do, because at one point the report says:

• • "To ensure appellants receive a fair hearing and do not need to make a complaint, we ask you to remind clerks you have appointed [my underlining] that they:
    • must be fully trained in admissions law, as should all panel members ......"

Academies could contract out the running of appeals to the LA, and the chair of the AJTC (Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council) has recommended this approach:

• • In the case of schools/academies that are their own admission authorities, it is unsatisfactory that Foundation and Voluntary Aided schools and academies run their own appeal panels. Full independence needs to be ensured, following the principle of natural justice that no-one should judge her/his own case .......
    
    With regard to the Commission’s call for an independent appeals service, the most obvious solution would be for local authority appeal panels to hear admission and exclusion appeals for all schools in their area, including those for voluntary aided and foundation schools as well as academies. The local authorities already have a cadre of trained and expert appeals clerks and panel members, usually situated in the democratic services department, with an appropriate degree of separation from those involved in managing local admission arrangements. Indeed, some local authorities already manage the appeals for own admission authority schools in their area, including academies, under a special arrangement with the schools in question .......

See the Q&As:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeals/general#a6" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The full report on which the TES article is based can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... w_2013.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[CarpeDiem]

Well I hope Altrincham Grammar take note of the part where it specifies decision letters in plain English making it clear as to how their decision was made. I still have not got over their pathetic excuse for a letter which left us with more questions than answers and its coming up to two years ago.