Year 7 - September 2023 admissions
The application period for Year 7 September 2023 admission is now closed.
Any application received after 31st October 2022 are treated as late applications.
School Place Allocations
Information about school allocated places for September 2023 will be sent out by the local authority on Wednesday 1st March 2023.
If you have not been allocated a place at Bishop Stopford School, at this time, you do have the right to appeal against this decision.
If your child is not allocated a place at Bishop Stopford School, you have the right to appeal this decision.
To appeal, you must fill in the notice of appeal form (attached below) and return this to:
education@peterborough-diocese.org.uk
If you are unable to email, please post the form to:
Clerk of the Appeals Panel
Diocesan Board of Education,
Bouverie Court,
6 The Lakes,
Bedford Road,
Northampton,
NN4 7YD
DEADLINE FOR LODGING ON-TIME APPEALS – 31st March 2023 at 9.00am.
APPEAL CLERK TO SEND NOTIFICATION OF THE HEARING (Venue, Date and Times(s) AND STATEMENT OF CASE TO THE APPELLANTS during week commencing 24th April 2023.
DEADLINE FOR APPELLANTS TO SUBMIT ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE – 5th May 2023. (Please note that the Panel might not be prepared to accept any additional evidence that is submitted after this date).
PROPOSED DATE OF APPEAL – Stage 1 will take place during the evening of Monday 22nd May 2023. Stage 2 will take place between Tuesday 23rd May and Thursday 25th May 2023. The specific details of the venues, date(s) and times(s) will be confirmed when the appeal clerk is aware of the number of appeals received for the school.
The Clerk will send the decision letter within five school days of when the decision is made (the only provision being that this is subject to the number of appeals that are heard)
APPEALS LODGED AFTER THE DEADLINE - Will be heard without delay and if at all possible before the commencement of the September Year 7 term, although that will be subject to when the appeal is made.
Updated February 2023
Appeals Explained
The Appeal Process in 2023.
Your appeal will be heard remotely.
All Admission Authorities are required to comply with the School Admission Appeals Code. This was most recently updated in October 2022 and allows for the Admission Authority to make arrangements for appeals to be heard by video conference or, in the absence of that, by telephone conference. That is the decision of the Governors of Bishop Stopford School.
All admission appeals for this school have been heard remotely since the beginning of the Pandemic in March 2020, and I have been happy - as well as a little surprised - at how well it has worked. During the course of the Pandemic there was no other option than for the appeal to be heard in this way and ultimately it became clear that it offered benefits to all participants including efficiency and convenience.
All you need is access to a PC, a telephone or a tablet. You can choose the most comfortable place from where to present your appeal case, you will not have to appear within a more formal setting and you will not have to travel to a venue to be heard.
Through the appeal administrator, the Admission Authority has made sure that no appellant has been disadvantaged by their appeal being heard in this way. No complaint has been received that an appellant has not had a fair opportunity to put their appeal case to the Independent Appeal Panel and any unexpected issues that have arisen with the use of technology have been overcome in order to prevent any disadvantage.
If you have any personal issues or restrictions that you feel might undermine your appeal being heard in this way, you can contact the appeal administrator, and he will look to provide any reasonable adjustments to give you the chance to participate in the same way and to the same level as any other appellant.
“The most important point for me is that you are offered a fair chance to present your appeal circumstances to the Independent Appeal Panel and thereby be satisfied that you have been offered every opportunity to try and secure a place at this school by making an appeal.”
Robert Hartgroves – Independent School Appeal Clerk, February 2023.