Parents across Cheshire find out if their child has secured a place at their chosen primary school today (Monday, April 16).

It's been a long and anxious wait which could end in disappointment for many, but if you're one of the unlucky ones who didn't get your preferred choice of school, there is something you can do.

Parents can make an appeal to the council if they think the decision was unfair; here's how you can go about contesting it.

Appeals

For those who are refused admission to their preferred school, there is still hope.

You can make an appeal to the independent appeal panel set up by the Admission Authority, according to our sister publication Get Surrey

Parents will have received a letter with their school place offer today and those who have not been offered a place at their preferred school will receive a letter explaining the appeal process.

This will explain why your child has not been offered a place at your preferred school. The letter will ask you to either accept a place for your child at the nearest school with places available or advise on the appeal process.

There will be a reply slip which you will need to complete and return by May 15 .

Appeals will be heard by July 17 (40 school days) .

What if you want to appeal but don't want to lose the chance of the place at the school offered. What can you do?

You can accept the school offered and still appeal. If an alternative can be offered, the original allocated school offer is withdrawn.

Accepting the school place allocated does not affect your right of appeal for an alternative school but will ensure your child does have a school place if the appeal is unsuccessful.

Can I apply for other schools while I am waiting for my appeal hearing?

Yes, the Admission Authority says it will not prejudice your appeal if you apply for other schools in the meantime.

Likewise, refusing a school place does not strengthen your case at appeal.

Can I appeal for more than one school at a time?

A family is allowed to have one appeal per child, per school, per academic year. In other words, you may appeal for more than one school at a time and if you do so, this will not prejudice the decision for your most preferred school.

The panel will make a separate decision for your case for each school.

Will the school my child has been allocated (or currently attending) be told about the appeal(s)?

No - no one will be contacted at the current or allocated school without your permission.

Information you put in your appeal statement

If you have been refused a place because the school would be in danger of going over the 30 class places limit in the infant age group (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) your appeal can only be upheld if you can demonstrate that the council has made a mistake which has denied your child a place or that the decision to refuse your child a place is unreasonable.

If you have been refused because the school has reached its published admission number and to take any more would mean it would become overcrowded, you should explain why you feel it is best if your child goes to this school, instead of the school the council has allocated.

Complaints about the Appeal Panel's decision

The panel's decision is binding. This means it can only be overturned by a decision in a court of law. You should take legal advice if you are considering taking this action.

You can complain to the council Ombudsman if you think something went wrong or was unfair with the admission or appeals process.

The Ombudsman can't overturn the panel's decision but can ask the council to allow you a second appeal if your complaint is felt to be justified.