Appealing against an exclusion
Can I appeal against an exclusion?
There is no right of appeal against a fixed term exclusion. However, you can appeal against a permanent exclusion to an independent appeal panel.
If you don't agree with the permanent exclusion and you want to appeal you need to write a letter giving your reasons to Leanne Nealon, Committee Services, Customer & Support Services Directorate, Salford Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, M27 2AD.
You will have 15 school days to lodge an appeal from the date of the governing body meeting. Once your appeal has been received, a date will be set, this must be done within 15 school days of receipt of your letter.
What happens at an appeal hearing?
An independent appeal panel is normally three members. None of these people will have any prior knowledge of your case. There are also a number of other people who attend the appeal with different roles: two members of the Customer & Support Services Directorate who are there to provide advice to the panel, the headteacher, a member of the governing body of the school and possibly an officer from the local authority.
The appeal will be as informal as possible. Everyone will be given the opportunity to speak and ask questions. You can bring a representative or a friend along to the appeal.
You don't have to attend the appeal, although it is usually better if you do so you can put your reasons forward in person and answer any questions the panel may have. If you choose not to attend, the reasons you have stated in your written appeal letter will be considered, you can also arrange for any other written information to be discussed by the appeal.
You will be informed of the decision of the appeal panel in writing within two working days. If the appeal is not successful, your child will remain in their current education until s/he is ready to return to a mainstream school. If your appeal is successful, your child will be re-instated into the school. There could be circumstances where this is not appropriate, if this happens, your child will be re-instated into another school.
Where can I get more information?
The Exclusion Guidance regarding both permanent and fixed term exclusions is published by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). This is the document which headteachers, governors and the local authority use for guidance on pupil exclusions.
You may also wish to contact the Advisory Centre for Education (ACE)- an independant national advice centre for parents / carers. They offer information and support on education, including advice on exclusion from school. They can be contacted on 0207 704 9822.
For further information on exclusions please contact:
Admissions & Exclusions Team
Minerva House
Pendlebury Road
Swinton
M27 4EQ,
Tel: 0161 778 0466
Fax: 0161 728 6074
Email: samantha.heywood@salford.gov.uk
This page was last updated on 05 December 2007
Email this page to a friend
Bookmark this page using:
Find out more about social bookmarking.
These sites allow you to store, tag and share links across the internet. You can share these links both with friends and people with similar interests. You can also access your links from any computer you happen to be using.
If you come across a page on our site that you find interesting and want to save for future reference or share it with other people, simply click on one of these links to add to your list.
All of these sites are free to use but do require you to register. Once you have registered you can begin bookmarking. Each of the sites works slightly differently so use the links below to find out which service best suits your needs.
Find out more about social bookmarking at Wikipedia.
