Appeals about most placing requests and all exclusions are heard by an Education Appeal Committee, set up and maintained by the education authority.
What is the education appeals committee?
The education appeals committee may consist of 3,5 or 7 members nominated by the education authority. These may include:
- elected members
- parents of children currently of schools age, traditionally drawn from parent councils
- other persons with experience in education or are acquainted with the educational conditions in the authority area.
NB: no person employed by the authority as director of education or in an administrative or advisory capacity can sit as a member.
The appeal committee is an independent committee and as such members of the committee are expected to act impartially to ensure that appellants are given a fair hearing.
Hearings will be conducted in accordance with the requirements of natural justice and human rights legislation.