Appealing a school placement in Northern Ireland
How to appeal a school placement with or without a statement of special educational needs (SEN).
This information is for families of deaf children and young people in Northern Ireland. Read our information for England and Scotland.
If you’re not happy with the school placement your child has been given, you have the right to appeal. It doesn’t matter if your child has a statement of special educational needs (SEN) or not. Although how you appeal is different.
Without a statement of SEN
All schools have admissions criteria they follow when allocating places if they're oversubscribed. This is when there are more applicants than available places.
The criteria are set by each school’s board of governors. The Education Authority (EA) publishes details of admissions criteria on its website, along with the number of applications received for the previous three years.
Some children will not be allocated a place at their chosen school. If this is the case, you have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel. For post-primary admissions decisions there is another option. You can also appeal to an independent Exceptional Circumstances Body. You will receive a letter from the EA that explains how to appeal and the date by which you must do this.
Find more information about appealing a school place decision (NI Direct).
When to lodge an appeal
When you receive the placement letter, it will include the date by which you must submit your appeal. You should give notice of your intention to appeal by submitting a letter. The letter should explain the admissions criteria that were not applied correctly.
You will be sent an appeals form within 5 days to complete. You’ll get 5 days' notice of the date and time of the hearing.
The appeal hearing
Primary and pre-school tribunals normally take place between May and June.
Post-primary tribunals normally take place between July and August.
When to expect a decision
The tribunal will make its decision at the end of the hearing. You and the school will get the decision in writing.
If your appeal is successful, the school must make arrangements to admit your child.
With a statement of SEN
The EA has more information for parents about school placements for children with SEN.
How to appeal
If your child has a statement of SEN, appealing a school placement is different. Appeals are through the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) Northern Ireland.
Some children and young people have schools named in their statement. You may want to appeal the named school or type of school. In this case, you need to appeal against parts 2 and 3 of the statement. Part 2 explains what your child’s special educational needs are. Part 3 explains what support your child should receive.
You will need to suggest another school or type of school for your child. You will also need to explain why you think that school is appropriate for your child.
When to lodge an appeal
You must appeal within 2 months of the date on the letter from the EA giving you their decision.
The SENDIST will register your appeal within 10 working days of receiving it. They will tell you when they’ve registered your appeal and inform you of the date your appeal will be heard.
The appeal hearing
The EA has 30 days to respond to the appeal after SENDIST has registered it. You’ll be informed of the date and time of the hearing at least 10 days before it’s due.
When to expect a decision
You’ll receive the decision within 15 days of the hearing. The EA has 2 weeks from the decision date to make the changes to school placement.
For advice and support about appealing a school placement for your deaf child, contact our Helpline.
More information
Family Support NI provides details of a wide range of services to support families. These are provided by statutory, voluntary and community organisations.
Special Educational Needs Advice Centre (Senac) is an independent advice service. SENAC provides information and advocacy for parents of children with SEN in Northern Ireland.
The Children’s Law Centre provides free legal advice on children’s rights. This includes children with SEN and disabilities.
Full references for this webpage are available by emailing
informationteam@ndcs.org.uk