School Appeals was established by its Principal, John Chard, in 2002 in response to the distress he saw caused to parents/guardians and their children as a result of unsuccessful admission appeals.
John Chard worked in local government for over 25 years, and for the last 10 working almost exclusively on school appeals. In the course of organising over 2000 appeals he has given advice and guidance to both sides of the appeal process: to the Admissions Authority on the one side and to parents/guardians on the other. He has also given advice to Appeal Panels in his capacity as clerk. As a result, he has obtained a unique insight and extensive knowledge of the legislation and the evidence requirements that contribute to a successful appeal. He has also gained considerable insight into the way in which appeals can fail because parents/guardians are inadequately prepared for the appeals process, and because they don’t have the know-how or confidence to give them the best chance of success.
John Chard has also used this valuable knowledge and experience to train panel members all over the country. He has worked with many local authorities to ensure that their panel members are up to date with their knowledge and are able to consider appeals in accordance with current School Admission Code and School Admission Appeals Code, which provide statutory guidance into how both school admissions and appeals are dealt with.
John worked in local government for over 25 years, and for the last 10 working almost exclusively on school appeals. In the course of organising over 2000 appeals he has given advice and guidance to both sides of the appeal process
Although the School Admission Appeals Code requires each appeal to be considered on its own merits, John has used this close contact with panel members in an informal setting to understand what panel members consider as important factors when allowing appeals.
It is these experiences that prompted John to devise a simple, low cost, and effective way of guiding parents/guardians through the appeals process.
He has set up School Appeals specifically to improve your chances of appealing successfully against admissions refusals by helping you meet the criteria for success.
John Chard is regularly approached by BBC Breakfast and BBC News to contribute to their programmes on the availability of school places. He is often approached by radio programmes, researchers for television programmes and journalists seeking information about the appeals process. He has also appeared on ITV both on local and national broadcasts.