National offer day 2023: Secondary school places in Merseyside announced this week - how to see offers and appeal

This Wednesday, Year Six pupils across England and Wales will find out whether they will be attending their first choice secondary schools, in September.

Councils across Merseyside will send offers of secondary school places from Wednesday March 1, after applications closed on in October. Places will be sent to parents via email, in the majority of cases.

Those who sent in late applications are less likely to see their child accepted to their first choice school. If an application was not sent in on time, with a valid reason, it will be considered with applications received on time. However, late applications without a valid reason will be processed on March 2.

- Liverpool’s most oversubscribed schools.

- Sefton’s most oversubscribed schools.

Offers

Parents or carers who applied online will be sent an email with a school place offer, and details of how to accept or appeal. For applicants who did not apply online, an offer letter will be posted by your local authority on March 1. Offers can be accepted via forms found on your local authority’s citizens portal.

What if my child doesn’t get in to our chosen school?

If your child is not offered a place at your first choice school, they will usually be offered a place at one of your other preferred schools, or put on a waiting list. If they are not offered a place at any of the preferred schools listed on your application, the local council will offer a place at another school.

Appeals

All local authorities have to allow parents 20 days to appeal if their child is not offered a place in their chosen school. However, many popular schools are over-subscribed and it can be difficult to win an appeal. For example, only 18.6% of appeals to community and academy schools in Sefton were successful last year.

You must be given notice of at least 10 school days before an appeals hearing and the hearing must take place within 40 days of the deadline for making an appeal.

Appeals are considered by an Independent Appeal Panel who will ponder whether the admission arrangments were lawful and personal circumstances - for example, was the decision based on prejudice or would your child be best suited to this school due to a special educational need.

After your hearing you will receive a decision within five school days.