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This is the latest release
Published 14 August 2025
Next update August 2026
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Reporting year 2025
Admission appeals in England
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Home Find statistics and data Admission appeals in England
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Produced by Department for Education
These statistics provide information about appeals made
following the refusal of a school place application.
Most appeals are made when an applicant has not
received an offer, via the annual coordinated admissions
process, of a place at their first preference school for
entry into primary or secondary school. However,
appeals relating to other transfers at the start of the
school year are also included. Appeals relating to ‘in-
year’ admissions are not included.
Appeals relating to community and voluntary controlled
schools are collected as aggregated totals by local
authorities. Academy, foundation and voluntary aided
schools provide school level appeal figures via the
spring school census.
The latest data covers appeals relating to admissions at
the start of the 2024/2025 academic year (reporting year
2025). The appeals must have been lodged with the
appropriate admissions authority by 1 September 2024.
A comparable time series back to the 2015/2016
academic year (reporting year 2016) is provided. The
date referred to in the text is the reporting year. 
The figures detail the number of appeals lodged, heard
(by an appeals panel) and successful. Rates for appeals
lodged and heard are calculated against an estimate of
the total number of relevant new admissions based on
school census data. The rate of successful appeals is
calculated as the number successful divided by the
number heard.
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Releases in this series
View releases (14)
Methodologies
Admission appeals in
England
The figures are provided by school phase, with primary
schools split into infant and other primary classes. The
data is also presented by school governance type and at
national, regional and local authority level.
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Headline facts and figures - 2025
Primary appeals heard by an
appeals panel
1.2%
Slightly down from 1.3% in 2024, and a
return to 2023 level, representing 8,999
appeals heard
Primary successful appeals
17.7%
Down from 18.1% in 2024 but higher than
16.4% in 2023
Secondary appeals heard by an
appeals panel
3.9%
Down from 4.2% in 2024 and 4.1% in 2023,
representing 29,640 appeals heard
Secondary successful appeals
19.9%
Down from 20.7% in 2024 and 20.9% in
2023
8,999 appeals were heard relating to primary school places for entry in 2025,
representing 1.2% of new admissions. This rate has remained stable in recent
years while the number of admissions has fallen from 780k to approximately 755k
between 2024 and 2025. Both the number of admissions and the number of
appeals are the lowest since the series began in 2016.
1,595 primary appeals were successful, representing 17.7% of those heard. The
success rate has varied year on year since the series began, between a low of
16.2% in 2021 and a high of 19.7% in 2019 with no overall trend. 
29,640 appeals were heard relating to secondary school places for 2025,
representing 3.9% of new admissions. This was a decrease from 2024, when
32,107 (4.2% of new admissions) appeals were heard. The total number of
secondary admissions remained virtually unchanged at approximately 757k in
2024 and 2025.
5,903 secondary appeals were successful, representing 19.9% of those heard.
There has been a trend for secondary appeals to be less successful over time,
with the success rate declining from 26.3% in 2016 to 19.9% in 2025.
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Appeals lodged
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Applicants can lodge appeals for any school they have not been awarded a place in.
Appeals can be withdrawn; for example, because the child has been offered a place at
the school via the waiting list.
The text of this release refers mainly to the number of appeals which reach the stage of
being heard by the appropriate authority. Figures for appeals lodged can be found in
files in the data catalogue and via the table tool. 
In 2025, 14,584 primary appeals were lodged (equating to approximately 1.9% of total
primary admissions), and 8,999 (approximately 1.2% of admissions) were heard by an
appeals panel. At secondary school phase, 37,289 appeals were lodged
(approximately 4.9% of secondary admissions) and 29,640 (approximately 3.9%) were
heard.
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Appeals by school type
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Academies had the highest rate of appeals heard in 2025 at 2.8%. Historically,
academies have consistently had the highest rates of appeals heard, with the rate
varying from 2.8% in 2022 and 2025 to 3.6% in 2020. By contrast, the rate for
foundation schools has varied from 1.9% in 2017 to 2.7% in 2024. 
Foundation schools had the highest rate of successful appeals in 2025, at 24.1% of
appeals heard. Historically, foundation schools have consistently had the highest rates
of successful appeals, with the rate varying from 24.1% in 2025 to 29.7% in 2016. By
contrast, the rate for community and voluntary controlled schools has varied from
14.8% in 2021 to 19.1% in 2018, and is the lowest in 2025 at 15.6%.
As the proportion of schools that are academies continues to grow, the proportion of
appeals accounted for by academies has increased year on year. In 2025, 70.5% of
appeals lodged were for places in academies compared with 69.5% in 2024 and
68.0% in 2023. 
This looks across school phases and does not take account of differences in
governance type by phase which may explain some variation; for example, if primary
schools are more likely to be community and voluntary controlled than secondary. 
Number of appeals heard, as a percentage of estimated admissions, and
number and percentage of appeals heard that were successful 2025
27,257 2.8 5,526 20.3
7,375 2.0 1,153 15.6
1,332 2.5 321 24.1
2,675 2.5 498 18.6
38,639 2.6 7,498 19.4
Data symbols ?
Source: 2025 admissions appeals collection and 2025 spring school census
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Academy
Community
and
voluntary
controlled
Foundation
Voluntary
aided
Total
2025
Appeals
heard by
an
appeals
panel
Appeals heard
by an appeals
panel
(percentage)
Successful
appeals
Successful
appeals
(percentage)
Use our table tool to explore this data.
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Primary appeals
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Primary and infant classes
Primary admissions and appeals are split between infant (reception and years one and
two) and other primary classes. Restrictions embodied in the The School Admissions
(Infant Class Sizes) (England) Regulations 2012 (opens in a new tab) require infant
classes to be limited to 30 children apart from a number of lawful exceptions. This
reduces the possibilities of appeals for these year groups. 
Parents and carers are accordingly less likely to lodge appeals for these year groups
(1.3% of admissions vs 4.6% for older primary year groups), less likely to pursue them
to a hearing (0.8% vs 2.8%) and less likely to experience a successful outcome (9.7%
vs 28.3%). 
Primary school admissions appeals lodged and heard, and as a
percentage of estimated admissions, and the number and percentage
successul, by type of primary class 2025
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617,802 137,153 754,955
8,250 6,334 14,584
1.3 4.6 1.9
5,128 3,871 8,999
0.8 2.8 1.2
499 1,096 1,595
9.7 28.3 17.7
Data symbols ?
Source: 2025 admissions appeals collection and 2025 spring school census
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Use our table tool to explore this data.
Primary appeals over time
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Admissions
Admission appeals lodged
by parents
Admission appeals lodged
by parents (percentage)
Appeals heard by an appeals
panel
Appeals heard by an appeals
panel (percentage)
Successful appeals
Successful appeals
(percentage)
2025
Primary
(infant
classes)
Other
primary
classes
Primary
The proportion of appeals heard decreased from 2.6% in 2016 to 1.2% in 2022 and
has since remained stable. The proportion of appeals that were successful varied over
time between a low of 16.2% in 2021 and a high of 19.7% in 2019 with no overall trend.
Note that the underlying data gives breakdowns by primary sub-group. In light of
relatively small numbers and methodology changes in 2025, caution is advised when
comparing the 2025 rates for other (non-infant) primary appeals lodged and heard with
earlier years. See the methodology document for explanation of how estimates of
admission numbers have been derived for purposes of calculating rates in 2025.
Number and rate of primary appeals heard and number and proportion of
those heard that were successful, 2016 to 2025
865,069 841,532 820,620 815,051 812,953 802,673
22,820 19,336 16,643 14,086 12,465 11,239
2.6 2.3 2.0 1.7 1.5
4,152 3,494 3,186 2,779 2,310 1,823
18.2 18.1 19.1 19.7 18.5 16.2
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Primary Admissions
Appeals
heard by an
appeals
panel
Appeals
heard by an
appeals
panel
(percentage)
Successful
appeals
Successful
appeals
(percentage)
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Data symbols ?
Source: admissions appeals collection (APAD) and spring school census
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Use our table tool to explore this data.
Geographic variations in primary appeals
There is some regional variation in rates of primary appeals heard and success rates.
In 2025 the North East region had the lowest rate of appeals heard (0.6%) but the
highest success rate at 34.3%. This was considerably higher than South West region
with the second highest success rate at 24.9% and joint second lowest rate of appeals
heard at 0.7%.
Low appeal rates are not always associated with high success rates. The appeal heard
rate across London local authorities was 0.7% but the success rate was the lowest of
any region at 6.7%.
The overall pattern of regional variation between 2016 and 2025 is consistent. North
West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands and West Midlands have been the
regions with the highest rates of primary appeals heard and London has generally had
the lowest. North East, Yorkshire and The Humber and South West regions have
generally had the highest successful primary appeal rates, and London has had the
lowest. 
Each year a small number of local authorities hear no primary appeals. City of London
has only one primary school with around 30 admissions annually and hears appeals
rarely. In 2025 Redcar and Cleveland was the only other LA recording no primary
appeals heard. Of those that recorded hearing at least one appeal, 24 LAs recorded no
successful appeals. These included Havering (68 appeals heard), Solihull (46), Brent
(37), Greenwich (34) and Luton (24). The others had all heard fewer than 20 appeals
each. 
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Appeals heard by an appeals panel (percentage) (Primary, 2025)
2. Select a Region
None selected
Tables showing geographic variations over time can be found in the featured tables:
appeal rates by region  and number of appeals by LA.
Rates of primary appeals heard and proportion of primary appeals heard
that were successful by region 2020 to 2025
Rates of primary appeals heard and the proportion of primary appeals heard that
were successful, English regions 2020 to 2025
Chart Table
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Key to Appeals heard
by an appeals panel
(percentage) (Primary,
2025)
0.6 to 0.8
0.9 to 1.1
1.2 to 1.4
1.5 to 1.7
1.8 to 1.9
Footnotes
1. This map uses the boundary data Regions England BUC 2022/12
Source: admissions appeals collection (APAD) and spring school census
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Secondary appeals
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Secondary appeals over time
Overall, the proportion of appeals heard was similar in 2016 (3.6%) and 2025 (3.9%),
although it rose as high as 4.9% in 2020 before falling back over subsequent years.
The proportion of appeals that were successful has decreased fairly consistently from
26.3% in 2016 to 19.9% in 2025. 
Number and rate of secondary appeals heard and number and proportion
of those heard that were successful, 2016 to 2025
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640,705 674,790 680,200 695,861 724,747 720,280
22,964 25,290 27,877 31,769 35,648 29,871
3.6 3.7 4.1 4.6 4.9
6,040 6,220 6,529 7,398 7,901
26.3 24.6 23.4 23.3 22.2
Data symbols ?
Source: admissions appeals collection (APAD) and spring school census
Explore and edit this data online
Use our table tool to explore this data.
Geographic variations in secondary appeals
There is some regional variation in rates of secondary appeals heard and success
Explore data
Secondary Admissions
Appeals
heard by an
appeals
panel
Appeals
heard by an
appeals
panel
(percentage)
Successful
appeals
Successful
appeals
(percentage)
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
1. Select data to view
Appeals heard by an appeals panel (percentage) (Secondary, 2020)
2. Select a Region
None selected
rates. In 2025 the South West region had the lowest rate of appeals heard (2.5%) and
the second highest success rate at 25.3%. The North West region had the highest rate
of appeals heard (5.9%) and a mid-range success rate of 19.3%. The highest success
rate was 27.6% in North East region, and the lowest was London at 10.1%, driven by an
Inner London low of 9.6%.
The overall pattern of regional variation between 2016 and 2025 is fairly consistent.
North West has been consistently the region with the highest rates of secondary
appeals heard, usually followed by South East. East of England and South West have
had consistently the lowest.  The North East and South West generally have the highest
successful secondary appeal rates. London has always had the lowest since 2016, with
the successful secondary appeal rate for Inner London mostly lower than Outer
London.
City of London has no secondary schools and therefore records no secondary
appeals. In 2025, no other LA recorded having no secondary appeals heard. Only
three  LAs recorded having no successful secondary appeals: Reading (63 appeals
heard), Westminster (58) and Rutland (13). 
Tables showing geographic variations over time can be found in the featured tables:
appeal rates by region  and number of appeals by LA.
Rates of secondary appeals heard and proportion of secondary appeals
heard that were successful by region 2020 to 2025
Rates of secondary appeals heard and the proportion of secondary appeals heard
that were successful, English regions 2020 to 2025
Chart Table
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Key to Appeals heard
by an appeals panel
(percentage)
(Secondary, 2020)
2.8 to 3.5
3.6 to 4.3
4.4 to 5.1
5.2 to 5.9
6.0 to 6.6
Footnotes
1. This map uses the boundary data Regions England BUC 2022/12
Source: admissions appeals collection (APAD) and spring school census
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Use our table tool to explore this data.
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Further information available
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This release concentrates on the headline figures for the proportion of appeals heard
and which were successful by school phase. However, the underlying data provides
more information including:
The governance of the school being appealed by school phase
The number and proportion of appeals initially lodged
A full list of local authority and regional figures
For data on the outcome of applications for primary and secondary places via the local
authority applications and offers process, see Primary and secondary school
applications and offers.
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Help and support
Methodology
Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.
Admission appeals in England
Accredited official statistics
These accredited official statistics have been independently reviewed by the Office for
Statistics Regulation (OSR). They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality
and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. Accredited official statistics are called
National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007.
Accreditation signifies their compliance with the authority's Code of Practice for
Statistics which broadly means these statistics are:
managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
meet identified user needs
produced according to sound methods
well explained and readily accessible
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).
OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for
Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these
standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk
or via the OSR website.
Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about Admission appeals in England statistics and data:
Admission appeals statistics team
Email: admissions.appeals@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Ann Claytor
Press office
If you have a media enquiry:
Telephone: 020 7783 8300
Public enquiries
If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:
Telephone: 037 0000 2288
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