Torbay Independent Appeals Panel Recruitment

Do you have excellent listening skills? Can you put people at ease and make balanced decisions?

Would you like to become involved in an important, impartial service provided to parents and schools?

We are looking for volunteers to join the Torbay Independent Appeals Panel. Panel members must be able to put nervous parents at ease. You will need to make balanced decisions. This is to ensure that parents and schools receive a fair appeal hearing.

What do panels do

A parent can appeal to an independent panel. This could be because:

• they don't get their preferred school for their child
• their child is permanently excluded

The Panel will then consider:

• the special circumstances of the parent’s case
• the reasons why the admission authority refused their child a place, or
• the reasons why the child was excluded from school

After careful consideration they will make a decision on the issue. The decision of the panel is binding on the admission authority.

Who is on the Panel

We have a pool of members and use three members to sit on our panels. There are two types of panel member:

1. those with experience of education. This could be a parent of a child at school or somebody with experience in education.
2. “lay” members. Those without any experience in education.

Would I receive training

All new panel members must receive training before taking part in an appeal. After this initial training, panel members will receive regular refresher training.

How much time would I need to give

We can only hear appeals during school terms. We arrange appeals so that there would be half a day, to a days’ worth of appeals at any one time.

Appeals usually increase when we notify parents of the schools their children will go to. This is usually May to July.

Payment for serving on the panel

Service on the panel is voluntary. Members are however entitled to expenses such as:

• travel
• refreshments (these are usually provided throughout the day for sessions held in person)

Please note we hold most of our appeals online via Zoom.

How to apply to become a panel member

Please complete the application form below and return it to us.

For more information or an informal discussion please call us on 01803 207087.

You can also contact us by email.