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School Admissions & Exclusions

Our education team are experts in school admissions law and can help parents in achieving a place at their preferred school. Parents have the right to express a school preference, unfortunately, their preference does not always prevail. Where a child is going to go to school is an area of real anxiety for all parents. A child only gets one education – the school they are educated at can impact significantly on their ability to learn, achieve, their mental welfare and future opportunities.

If you believe that your child has been unfairly turned down for a place at a school of your choice, then we may be able to help challenge and overturn that decision.

Our education team also specialise in school exclusion law and have helped many parents overturn fixed-term or permanent exclusions. Children and young people are often wrongly fixed-term or permanently excluded from their schools. The stigma caused by being an excluded student can impact significantly on how staff, other parents and their peers treat them. It can also impact on their ability to achieve their academic potential and on their future lives.

The law and guidance that headteachers must follow is very clear – a decision to exclude must be the last resort.

Often headteachers’ decisions are wrong or unfair and fail to follow the law and clear guidance provided. Parents have the right to challenge any fixed term or permanent exclusion.

Services we provide:

Admissions

  • We can help advise, conduct and represent parents in primary and secondary school appeals
  • We can help advise, conduct and represent parents in infant class size appeals
  • We can help advise, conduct and represent parents in in-year appeals

Exclusions

  • We can help advise, conduct and represent parents in internal complaints against fixed-term exclusions under 5 days, or more than 5 days to a school governing body
  • We can help advise, conduct and represent parents in challenging permanent exclusions at a school governors’ review or an Independent Review Panel

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Chambers & Partners 2025

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Chambers & Partners 2025

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Chambers & Partners 2025

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Legal 500 2024

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Chambers & Partners, 2024

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Chambers & Partners, UK, 2023

"Overall the team at Geldards provided us with excellent legal care. They understood the complexities of our case, and dealt with all matters that arose in a timely and very efficient manner. We were thrilled with the service they provided."

Education, Legal 500 2025

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