Schools Admissions Appeals Panel Members
Closing date: 16/03/2026
From time to time Powys County Council will call upon members to sit on independent appeal panels.
The independent appeals panel will be made up of three or five members.
The panel will be assisted by a Clerk. The Clerk to the panel ensures that relevant facts are established and that the appeal hearing is conducted in a fair and appropriate manner. The Clerk is an independent source of advice on procedure and evidence and will be making a record of the proceedings, decisions and reasons and will then notify all parties of the Panel's decision. If invited to do so by the Panel, the Clerk will stay with the Panel during their deliberations but will not take any part in the decision-making process
At the end of the Appeal the Panel will privately weigh up all of the evidence presented to them carefully and objectively before reaching a final decision on the appeal. The decision of the Appeal Panel is final and the decision is binding on all parties concerned. There is no further right of appeal in these matters.
Before you are asked to sit on any Appeal Panel you will be provided with appropriate training.
Being a Panellist is not a remunerated position however travelling to and from the appeal venue and reasonable subsistence expenses will be met. You may be called to
sit on the panel, subject to your eligibility and availability.
Admissions Appeal Panel
Any parent or legal guardian may appeal against a decision by a school admission authority to refuse to offer a place for their child at the school of their preference. Parents have the right to appeal to an independent appeal panel as described in The School Standards and Framework Act 1998.
These panels are entirely independent of the Admissions Authority (Local Authority and/or school governing body) that made the decision against which the appeal is being made.
The right to appeal relates to all stages of compulsory education admissions. Nursery education is non-compulsory and there is no right to appeal against a refusal of admission at nursery level.
An Admission Appeal panel will be comprised of at least one lay member (i.e. a person without personal experience in the management of a school or the provision of education) and at least one person with experience in education.
Are you able to sit on the Admission Appeal Panel?
There may be circumstances when you are not eligible to sit on an Admission Appeal Panel:
You will be unable to sit on any Admission Appeal panel if you are a member of the Local Authority (e.g. councillor) or have had any connection with the Local Authority.
You will be unable to sit on any Appeal Panel if you are employed by the Local Authority, but teachers are permitted to be panellists.
You will be unable to sit on specific Admission Appeal panels if you are a member of the governing body of the school subject to appeal, but this does not mean that you are disqualified from sitting on appeal panels in relation to admission to other schools.
You will be unable to sit on specific Admission Appeal panels if you were party to a decision not to admit the child appealing or if you took part in any discussions about how that decision was reached.
What skills we are looking for
The ability to impartially listen to and evaluate the arguments and evidence presented by both sides
Decisiveness – an appeal decision will have to be made soon after hearing the appeal
Flexibility – appeals are generally heard during working hours, will you be able to attend? Your availability will always be sought prior to an appeal hearing being set.
What happens next?
If you are still interested in performing this valuable role we would be grateful if you could complete and return the accompanying application form by the 16 March 2026. Your application will then be considered and you will be advised in writing by the end of March 2026 whether or not your application has been approved. If accepted as a panel member, you will be invited for training.
For your information, training and the Appeals Panels are likely to take place during the weeks commencing the 23 March, 27 April and 1 June 2026.