Didn’t get your first-choice school? Here are your options

As pupils look towards the summer holidays and the school year begins to wind down in May, parents of Primary 7 pupils will be eagerly awaiting the letters on Saturday (May 21) which tell them which ‘big schools’ their children will be attending in September. The process has come into sharper focus in recent years, however, especially during the pandemic. 2021 saw a significant increase in the number of school admission appeals appeals brought in Northern Ireland. Then-Education Minister Michelle McIlveen reported that, in June 2021, 280 children in Northern Ireland did not have a secondary school place, having failed to secure a place in any of the schools they had applied for. Minister McIlveen expressed concern at the number of instances in which schools had incorrectly applied their admissions criteria, and over 120 appeals were upheld, resulting in that child obtaining a place in their preferred secondary school. While it is deeply disappointing for both the pupil and their families if a child is refused a place at their school of choice, there are three options available if you are challenging a school’s decision: the School Admissions Appeal Tribunal; the Exceptional Circumstances Body; or a judicial review of the school’s criteria.