Year 7 Appeals

(as part of the main admissions process)

If your child has not been successful in gaining a place at Sir Thomas Rich’s School for entry in Year 7 in September 2026, you do have a statutory right to appeal before an Independent Admissions Appeal panel. Appeals can only be made after 2 March 2026 (National Allocation Day).

If you believe exceptional extenuating circumstances may have affected your child’s performance on the day of the test, this may be grounds for your appeal. Reasons might be medical, or a recent family bereavement, for example. However, having a sibling at the school, transport issues, or extra-curricular achievements are not usually considered sufficient grounds for appeal.

Parents wishing to appeal must return a completed Appeals Form: Word version or PDF version by 3pm on Wednesday 22 April 2026. Only one version of the form should be completed.

Any further, supporting information, must be received by the school by 3pm on Thursday 7 May 2026. Examples of supporting evidence may include mock or predicted SATs, CATs or school reports as evidence of ability, together with evidence of the extenuating circumstances.

We are happy to accept appeal paperwork via email or post. Please note that we will only photocopy in black and white. If there are any documents which you would like the Appeals Panel to receive in colour, please provide 5 printed copies by post. All hard copy paperwork submitted must be single sided with no staples. Emails should be sent to appealspaperwork@strs.org.uk with the name of your child in the email subject line.

If your child has not sat the Grammar School Admission Test, you will also need to register for an Appeals Test at the same time as registering an appeal – this should be indicated on the Appeals Form by stating NOT SAT. An Appeals Test will take place on 27 April.

Appeal Hearings will begin in early June 2026, with exact dates to be confirmed nearer the time. Hearings will take place remotely over MS Teams. Children who have obtained a qualifying rank (between 1 and 459) can also be added to the waiting list. This is separate from the appeals process. If you have any questions about this process, please email Mrs Alison Ewart (Registrar) on admissions@strs.org.uk. Please note that this is a very busy time and she will respond as quickly as she is able.

If you have difficulty in understanding the procedure because English is not your first language, please contact the school for assistance. An interpreter can be provided on request, if needed.

You may also wish to read the following:
Admissions Policy Y7-11 2026
Appeal Guidance Notes

You may find it helpful to be aware of the following: