Schools Appeal Panel
Do you have excellent listening skills, the ability to put people at ease and make balanced decisions?
Would you like to become involved in an important, impartial service provided to parents and schools?
We regularly seek to recruit new members for our school appeals panels.
Education admission appeals panels hears evidence and make decisions in relation to appeals received from parents/guardians who wish to appeal against a decision of the not to admit a child to their preferred school.
Exclusion independent review panels consider appeals by parents or carers, whose children have been permanently excluded from a school. The panel consider the decision of a governing body to uphold a permanent exclusion, and decide whether to uphold their decision to permanently exclude a pupil, recommend that the governing body reconsider its decision or direct the governing body to reconsider its decision.
The panels are made up of education experts (people who have had experience in education, understand the educational conditions, are a parent of a child at a school, but are not an employee of Gwynedd Council except teachers) and lay people, (who have no experience of managing or providing education in a school, but may have been a governor or acted in another voluntary capacity, and have no connections with the school or council or any person employed by it).
Full initial training will be provided with refresher training at regular intervals to ensure everyone is kept up to date with changes to admissions law and the codes.
Admission Appeals Panels
The statutory basis for the admission appeals process is the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998. The Education (Admission Appeals Arrangements) (Wales) Regulations 2005
The most recent School Admissions Appeals Code was issued under Section 84 of the Act in July 2013.
3 panel members are required to hold a school admission appeals hearing, with each panel composed of at least one member from each of the following categories:
- lay members - those without personal experience in the management of or provision of education in any school (a lay member can also be someone who is, or has been, a school governor or someone who has worked or works in a school as a volunteer)
- non-lay members - those with experience in education; this includes teachers/ teaching assistants, ex-teachers/ex-teaching assistants, individuals acquainted with educational conditions, or parents of a registered pupil at a different school.
Exclusion Appeal Panels
The statutory basis for the exclusion appeals process is the Education Act 2002. The most recent Exclusion from Schools and Pupil Referral Units Code was issued under Section 54(2) of the Act in November 2019.
3 panel members are required to hold a school exclusion appeals hearing, with each panel composed of at least one member from each of the following categories:
- lay members - those without personal experience in the management of or provision of education in any school (a lay member can also be someone who is, or has been, a school governor or someone who has worked or works in a school as a volunteer)
- an Education Practitioner - a headteacher or other person currently working in education management.
- A School Governor a governor who must have served for 12 consecutive months within the last six years and have not been a headteacher or teacher during the last five years.
Both Panels are supported by an independent Clerk who advises the Panel on points of law and procedure and takes notes during the hearing.
Being a Panel Member
- Reading the paperwork and written representations that will be sent to you
- Sitting on independent school admission appeals panels
- Listening to verbal representations at the hearings
- Ensuring parents feel they have had a fair and independent hearing, have been given every opportunity to state their case and have been taken seriously
- Weighing up the two cases from the parent/carer and the Admission Authority
- Reaching a decision on each case with fellow panel members and giving reasons for those decisions
- Good communication and listening skills
- Integrity and fairness
- Ability to work with other panel members
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and make a well-reasoned decision
- Have an awareness of Equality issues
- Be reliable regarding any dates on which you've agreed to serve
- Have an understanding of school admission appeals legislation (for which training will be provided)
- Full training provided
- Opportunity to acquire new skills, such as decision making
- Rewarding - making a difference to a family
- Opportunity to meet new people
Members can choose to serve on a panel as few or as many times as they wish throughout the year. We maintain a database of trained members and will make contact when organising an appeal to check availability. The appeals are arranged so that they are heard for half a day or a full day 9am to 5pm.
From October 2022, following the 2022 guidance coming into effect admission appeal hearings have the option to take place virtually using Zoom. We will provide a hybrid hearing style at the request of any attendee. Other hearings may be in person at an office location.
Exclusion appeal hearings are generally heard in person.
You cannot be a panel member if you are a
- Gwynedd Council Councillor
- an employee of the Council.
Governors, teachers and teaching assistants may not sit on a panel considering an appeal for the school in which they work but may sit on panels considering appeals for other schools.
All panel members will receive training prior to sitting on a panel. Panels are also supported by trained clerks, who provide advice on the law and process relating to appeals.
Panel members provide a very important voluntary service which is unpaid.
Panel Members are entitled to claim expenses, such as travel, when attending panel hearings and training.
Refreshments are also provided for face-to-face hearings.
If you are interested in the role, please complete the application form below.
Application Form to become a Member of a Schools Appeal Panel