Portsmouth and Hampshire oversubscribed schools: What happens if you do not get your first-choice primary school? Can you appeal the decision?

On April 17, thousands of parents across the country will be finding out if their children secured a place at their first-choice primary school –but if you are amongst those who do not get the news hoped for, here is what you can do.

Councils will be informing parents about their applications on Monday, which is one of the national offer days throughout the year and little ones will be eagerly anticipating joining big school.

What can you do?

If your child does not get their first choice school, you will be notified via the council – either Portsmouth City Council or Hampshire County Council depending where you live – and if parents are unhappy with the outcomes, they will have the opportunity to appeal the decision.

SEE ALSO: Best primary schools in Portsmouth: Here are 17 primary schools rated Outstanding by Ofsted in Portsmouth, Gosport, Havant, Fareham and Waterlooville

An appeal would have to go through the admission authority, which would either be the council or the school depending on whether the school is an academy or not.

If you decide to appeal the decision, parents must be able to provide strong evidence surrounding why their child should be able to attend the school and it can be a long process, with some appeal hearings taking up to three months to take place.

Alternatively, if parents are disappointed with the outcome of their child’s secondary school, they can also request to be placed on a waiting list for that school which would mean that if a space became available, they might be considered.