Independent education appeal panellists
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for various members of the public to volunteer to sit on Education Appeal Panels. We are especially looking for head teachers and head teachers who have left teaching within the last 5 years. We need lay people who have no involvement in education, but you also qualify as a lay person if you were/are a Governor or work/ed at a school in a voluntary capacity. We are also looking for school Governors and people who have an involvement in education e.g. a parent who has a child at school. There is no age limit regarding panellists and we would like the panels to reflect the diversity of the borough. However, there are certain people who can't sit on the panel.
Who can not sit on an appeal panel?
- A member or former member of the governing body of the school in question.
- Anyone other than a teacher who has or had any connection, including employment, with the Local Authority or school in question or whose impartiality may be called into question.
- Anyone who makes arrangements for or maintains the school in question.
- Any person who does not satisfy the training requirements.
I am interested, what happens next?
Fill in an application form, which you can download at the bottom of this page, and send it into us. You will then be invited to an interview where we can ensure that there would be no conflicts of interest and you can ask us about any concerns you may have. If you are successfully selected at a panellist you will then have to attend training.
How often will I have to serve as a panel member?
You will be contacted by Democratic Services when we need to put an appeal panel together and you can choose to serve as a panellist as few or many times as you like. Exclusion appeals can take place anytime during the year. Admission appeals can also take place anytime during the year but they generally occur June/July and September.
Do I get reimbursed for doing this?
If you suffer a financial loss as a result of carrying out your duties then you may be entitled to a financial loss payment. You must fill in the relevant claim form with a letter from your employer of the financial loss incurred. If you are self-employed it must be treated as schedule D income. The amounts payable for 2008 are £27.65 for a period not exceeding 4 hours and £55.31 for a period over 4 hours in a given 24 hour period. Reasonable travel expenses will also be reimbursed. Panellists who serve for a full day will also be provided with a light lunch.