Would you be able to help the children and young people of Cumberland by sitting on school admission appeal panels? If so, we would love to hear from you!
What’s involved?
Parents and carers have the legal right to appeal against an admission authority's decision to refuse their child a place at their preferred school. These appeals are heard by an independent panel of three individuals. As a panel member, you will read the case papers in advance of the hearing, actively participate in the appeal hearing and decide whether to uphold or dismiss the appeal. Panel members are supported by a legally trained clerk throughout the hearing.
Opportunities may also be available to sit on independent review panels which review the decisions made when a child/young person is excluded from school.
Being a panel member is a position of responsibility, as the appeal panel performs a judicial function and must be transparent, accessible, independent, impartial, and operate according to the principles of natural justice.
Who can be a panel member?
The independent appeal panel has a chair and at least two other panel members. A panel must have at least one person from each of the following categories:
Who cannot be a panel member?
Due to the need to keep the process independent of the admission authority there are some restrictions on who can become a panel member. A person cannot become a panel member if they are-
Even if you are not sure whether you are eligible, please get in touch. Whatever your experience we would love to hear from you.
Where?
Admission appeals are usually held via remote video conference (Microsoft Teams). On occasion you may be invited to sit on a panel for a face-to-face hearing. Any face-to-face hearings are held at a venue local to the school in issue.
When?
Appeals take place throughout the school year (term time only). However, the busiest time of year is the summer term (between Easter and the school summer holidays) as this is when admission appeals for children starting reception/junior school/secondary school in September are heard. As a panel member, you will need to have some availability during the working day, Monday to Friday and be willing to attend regular meetings throughout the year.
Commitment/Duration
Dates for appeals are set in advance, and you can provide dates of availability and indicate how often you are able to sit on a panel.
The appeal panels are arranged so that they are heard for half a day or a full day depending on the amount of appeals received.
On occasions, we may need some panel members to attend appeal hearings for multiple consecutive days.
Requirements/skills sought
No specific experience or formal qualifications are required to apply as appropriate training will be provided.We are looking for people from all walks of life with different experiences and skills to ensure that our panels are inclusive and representative.
Is there an induction/training package?
We offer full training. This will include face to face training and shadowing/observations of a hearing/s.
Expenses/Allowance
An allowance of up to £1,200.00 per year will be paid to panel members. Payment is dependent on attending requisite training and availability/attendance at appeals.
If you would like more information, please contact Sarah Dodds on sarah.dodds@cumberland.gov.uk or 07768507321
You can apply to join our pool of panel members by filling out the application below.