Independent Appeals Service

Kent County Council's independent appeals team provide expert support for independent appeal panels deciding appeals for primary and secondary school places.  This year alone we have dealt with over 2,000 ‘in year’ appeals for local authority, community, foundation and aided and academy schools.

We are a team of highly qualified and experienced clerks with a wide knowledge of legislative and procedural requirements for appeals panels and of the relevant codes and best practice. Within the parameters of the code, we provide a service that achieves a balance between the needs of the parents and those of the school; helping facilitate a process that is fair and achieving outcomes that are sound.

Our services include the appointment of independent panel members, all relevant correspondence to appellants, liaising with the school, copying and distributing all relevant materials to all parties, processing travel expenses, clerking and advising panel members of current legislation at appeals, providing a venue with refreshments and preparing and dispatching decision letters.

All of the independent panel members and clerks that we use receive both in house and external independent expert training, including input from the Local Government & Social Ombudsman or Education Skills Funding Agency representative, on an annual basis.

In addition to school admission appeals, we also offer all of the above services to Independent Review Panels for exclusion hearings.