Birmingham secondary school admissions 2022: when do we find out high school places - and how to appeal offer

Children in Birmingham can now find out what school has offered them a place for the 2022/23 academic year.

This is everything you need to know about the application process, how parents will know which schools have offered their child a place and how to appeal decisions.

What is the process for secondary school applications in Birmingham?

The application process for secondary school places in Birmingham for the 2022/23 school year opened on 1 September 2021 and closed on 31 October 2021.

In Birmingham, you can apply to up to six secondary schools and some of these can be outside of the city.

The city council runs a co-ordinated admissions scheme with neighbouring local authorities.

If you are applying for schools in another local authority then the city council recommends that you contact them for their admissions arrangements as this will help you to decide if your application is likely to be successful.

How do schools decide who gets in?

Each school has their own application criteria to help decide who to accept.

This is different for each school, and this criteria is set by the school or the local council.

Schools may give priority to children who have a brother or sister at the school already, those who live close to the school or who went to a particular primary school linked to the secondary school in question.

For schools in and around Birmingham, the city council has issued a document on the admission criteria of each establishment.

To view this, visit the Birmingham City Council website 

When do we find out about secondary school places in Birmingham?

If you applied online and provided an email address, you will receive an email address on 1 March with the names of the secondary schools to offer your child a place.

Although it is not possible to guarantee when you will hear about the offer, Birmingham City Council said parents should receive an email by 4pm on Tuesday.

A formal letter will also be sent to parents via first class post on 1 March, but the council advises you to allow three working days for its arrival.

This offer letter will have steps on how to accept or refuse the offers made.

How do I appeal my child’s offer if the school is not suitable?

According to the UK Government website, parents will be sent a letter about their child’s school.

The letter will set-out how to, in the event your child is not offered a place at a specific school, lodge an appeal.

It’s strictly one appeal per school.

If you have questions, you can contact the School Admissions and Fair Access Service on 0121 303 1888 or [email protected]

Birmingham City Council has said that appeal hearings taking place up until 30 September 2022 will be carried out remotely via Microsoft Teams.