Guidance on how to answer the questions, set out in the Notice of Appeal form, is given below by each question number. An Example of Notice of Application for Independent Review Form is included in this section of the website for your information.
Questions 1 and 2
Please give your full name, home address, mobile and/or daytime telephone number and email address. If you wish correspondence to be sent to another address, please include a note of that address.
Question 3
Please ensure that your child's full name and date of birth is inserted.
Question 4
Please state the name of the school/college from which your child has been permanently excluded.
Questions 5
You are strongly recommended to attend the review hearing in person to present your case.
Questions 6 and 7, 8 and 9
Please indicate if you wish for a Special Educational Needs (SEN) expert to attend your appeal hearing.
If your child has been excluded from an academy please indicate if you wish for a Local Authority (LA) representative to attend your appeal hearing. Please note that the LA representative can only act as an observer and may only make representations if agreed by the excluding school. Please give details of your child's Social Worker and/or Virtual School Head if relevant.
If you are not sure please contact the School Appeals Service.
Questions 10 and 11
Please give details in the spaces provided if you have a disability and need assistance. If you require an interpreter, please state which language you speak if you wish the School Appeals Service to arrange an interpreter to be present at your appeal hearing. Please also give details if you require us to arrange a signer to be present at your appeal hearing. Please note you may arrange for your own interpreter or signer if you prefer.
Questions 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17
In making your decision you may wish to have regard to the following:
(a) You have the right to attend the hearing and to make oral representations, or to have your case put to the Independent Review Panel by a representative. You may instead be accompanied by a friend.
(b) If you feel that there are reasons why you should be legally represented, please give the reasons under Question 12.
(c) Please indicate whether you will wish to call any witnesses and give brief details of the matters their evidence will concern. You should indicate the nature of the evidence to be given by your witnesses because it may be possible to agree a statement which they can submit to the hearing therefore avoiding the need for the witness to attend in person.
(d) You may elect not to attend the review but to allow the hearing to be considered on the written statements submitted by yourself. The Head Teacher and Governing Board will, of course, not be permitted to add new reasons to their case in your absence. They may however expand upon their written submissions and/or respond to questions presented by the Panel.
Questions 18, 19 and 20
Please give details of any special education needs your child may have.
Questions 21, 22 and 23
This is your 'written statement' detailing the grounds of your request for a review. Regulations governing independent reviews against permanent exclusion state that a request must be made in writing setting out the grounds on which is it made. Any request for Review form received without any grounds will not be considered to have been lodged properly and will be returned to you. You can submit a brief summary of your case and additional information and evidence supporting your request for Review can be submitted at a later date before the hearing. If you choose not to attend the hearing, this will be the statement considered by the Independent Review Panel. You may, of course, add additional sheets If there is not sufficient room on the form.
Where possible please enclose with your form, copies of any letters and/or documents which you intend to use and which you intend to refer to at the hearing. This will enable the Independent Review Panel to be well aware of these before the hearing. However, you must ensure that your request for a review is lodged by the date on the bottom of the form as any forms received after the relevant date cannot be accepted. If you cannot include evidence you want to support your case this should be submitted as soon as possible but before the start of your hearing.
