Education Appeals Panel Members - Guidance for prospective members

Guidance for prospective members

Education Appeals Panels have been set up to hear and determine appeals for the admission to and exclusion from schools within the area of Wrexham County Borough Council.

They are independent tribunals which must be independent of Local Education Authorities and of Governing Bodies.  Panels rely on a voluntary membership and their decisions are final and binding on all parties to appeals.

Wrexham Education Appeals Panel is an independent body established to consider appeals by parents against:

• The decision not to admit a child to a particular school; or
• The decision not to reinstate a child who has been permanently excluded from a school.

We are currently seeking applications from people who are interested in becoming Panel Members.

Who Can Become a Panel MEMBER?

Every 3 years, the Council publicly advertises for new members to serve on Panels and all new members receive appropriate training before hearing appeals.  Members of the Panel come from a range of backgrounds and no special qualifications are required.  Applications are invited from anybody who considers that they are eligible and are interested in the provision of Education.

Admissions Appeals Panels consist of 3 or 5 members and are appointed from the following categories:-

• People who have experience of education; who are familiar with educational conditions in the Local Education Authority's area; or who are parents of registered pupils at a school.  At least one Panel Member must fall within this category.
• People who are eligible to be lay members.  Each Panel must have at least one Lay Member, that is, generally speaking, a person who has not been professionally involved in running of a school or teaching in one.  This does not stop someone who is (or has been) a school governor, or otherwise involved in a voluntary capacity (e.g. on the PTA) from being a Lay Member. 

Exclusion Appeals Panels consist of 3 or 5 members and are made up of three categories:-

• The Chair must be a lay member, defined as someone who has not worked in a school in any paid capacity.
• One (or, on a five member Panel, two) must be a School Governor (who must have served for 12 consecutive months within the last 6 years and have not been a head teacher or teacher during the last five years).

(iii) One (or, on a five member Panel, two) must be, or have been within the last five years, a headteacher or other person currently working in education management.

Can I Become a Panel Member?

Because it is important that the Education Appeals Panel is independent and unbiased some people are not eligible to become members of the Panel, for example employees of the Local Education Authority (Wrexham County Borough Council).  If you are unsure as to whether you are eligible, please contact the Clerk to the Education Appeals Panel for advice.

From time to time, there may be instances when you cannot sit on a particular Appeals Panel. This is because a Panel Member should not have an interest in the outcome of the appeal.  For example, if you are a Governor at the School in question, or if your child attends the particular school you should not hear appeals for that school, or if you know the appellant or their family.  This is to ensure that the Panel can act and can been seen to act, fairly and impartially at all times.

As long as you make the Clerk to the Education Appeals Panel aware of any connection that you may have with a school within the Borough you will not be asked to sit on a Panel hearing appeals for that school.

Panel members will hear a good deal of confidential information about pupils and parents.  Therefore discretion and integrity are important qualities. Panel Members must approach each appeal with independence and impartiality.  They must be good listeners - and be seen to be listening by asking questions and interested in hearing both sides of the argument.  They should be able to separate relevant and irrelevant facts, and, under the chairman's guidance, come to a reasoned decision.

How Much of my Timer Would I Have to Give?

The panel sits all year round with Appeals being held as and when required.  Appeals generally take place during working hours and are usually held in a Committee Room at the Guildhall in Wrexham.

The Panel is made up of three to five Members drawn from a pool. 

Insofar as Admission Appeals are concerned, the majority are heard between May and July and each Appeal generally takes around 30 – 45 minutes.  Usually a morning, or afternoon is set aside to hear a number of appeals.  Sometimes the commitment is for a full day.  Occasionally, appeals may be heard over a number of days, for example where there are a lot of appeals for a very popular school, however the Clerk to the Education Appeals Panel will always contact you in advance to check whether you are available.   

Exclusion Appeals generally last between 1 ½  and 2 hours.  You should be able to attend to hear appeals at short notice, although normally plenty of notice will be given. 

Is Training Provided?

Yes.  Training sessions are arranged by staff from the Council's Education and Legal and Democratic Services Departments.

Will I Be Paid?

Unfortunately not, however your travel expenses will be reimbursed and refreshments are provided.

How Do I Apply?

If you are still interested in joining our pool of Panel Members, please complete and return the attached Application Form in full and return it to the address below:

Clerk of the Education Appeals Panel
Legal & Democratic Services
Guildhall
Wrexham
LL11 1AY
Fax: (01978) 292207
Email: EducationAppealsPanel@wrexham.gov.uk

We will then confirm that you are eligible to become a Panel Member and if so, contact you in due course with details of training sessions.

If you have any queries, or require any further information, please contact Ffion Williams on 01978 292228.

• Education appeals panel members

Education Appeals Panel Application Form

Education Appeals Panel Application Form

This document is available to download in the following formats:

Education Appeals Panel Application Form - Word format 30Kb

Education Appeals Panel Application Form - PDF format 26Kb

Education Appeals Panel Application Form - Plain Text format 27Kb