Appeal against permanent Exclusion, Suspension or Refusal to Enrol
- Published on: 30 October 2019
- Last updated on: 23 January 2025
- How to appeal an expulsion, suspension or refusal to enrol
- Refusal to admit a student if the school is oversubscribed
- Refusal to admit a student for reasons other than the school being oversubscribed
- Exclusion or suspension
How to appeal an expulsion, suspension or refusal to enrol
Parents/guardians can appeal if a school expels, suspends or refuses to enrol a student. There is a separate appeals process for each of these decisions.
A section 29 appeal can be made online, and all supporting documentation uploaded via https://www.section29appeals.gov.ie/
Refusal to admit a student if the school is oversubscribed
If your child was unable to be enrolled in the school due to oversubscription, you can appeal the decision.
Before making an appeal you must first request a review of the decision by the school's board of management.
A review can be requested in writing or by submitting the form below. This form must be sent to the school’s board of management.
Your review request to the board of management must:
- be based on the implementation of the school's admission policy and the content of its annual admission notice
- set out the grounds of the request for the review
Once you have completed the first stage which is the review by the board of management you can make a Section 29 appeal to an independent appeals committee.
A section 29 appeal can be made online, and all supporting documentation uploaded via www.section29appeals.gov.ie/
Refusal to admit a student for reasons other than the school being oversubscribed
If a student is unable to be enrolled in the school for reasons other than oversubscription, you may appeal this decision.
Before making an appeal, you may request a review of the decision by the board of management - although this is not a requirement.
A review can be requested in writing or by submitting the form below. This form must be sent to the school’s board of management.
Your review request to the board of management must:
- be based on the implementation of the school's admission policy and then content of its annual admission notice
- set out the grounds of the request for the review
Alternatively, you can proceed directly to submit a section 29 appeal to an independent appeals committee without requesting a review by the board of management.
A section 29 appeal can be made online, and all supporting documentation uploaded via www.section29appeals.gov.ie/
Exclusion or suspension
If a student is expelled or suspended for 20 school days or more in a school year, you may appeal the decision.
An appeal may not be made if the period of suspension is less than 20 days in a school year.
A section 29 appeal can be made online, and all supporting documentation uploaded via www.section29appeals.gov.ie/