Despite promises of ever greater parental choice when it comes to choosing schools for their children, many families fail to secure a place at their chosen school.

In some areas of the UK less than one in five families secure the school place they want. Many accept that, but some choose to take their case to an Independent Admissions Appeals Panel.

Nationally in 2013 it is estimated up to 125,000 families will go through the appeals process; on previous experience, only about one in five will be successful.

At my school, all those offered a place have to have passed our entrance tests.

Unfortunately, passing the entrance tests alone does not guarantee that a student will be offered a place at the school – we usually have around 200 students eligible for 150 places.

Some of those who passed the tests but were not offered a place will choose to appeal the decision.

Some parents whose sons did not pass our tests, but did apply to attend our school, will also appeal – perhaps because there were mitigating circumstances for their sons not performing well on the entrance test day. The appeal hearings are due to be held shortly.

As a headteacher and parent, I have the utmost respect for other parents who are striving to do what they believe to be the best for their children.

Consequently, we try to make the appeals process as non-adversarial as possible – we even offer support to those who are appealing against our decision by ensuring they understand fully the appeals process.

The quasi-judicial appeals process is extremely daunting for many parents – so much so that there has been an increase in the proportion of parents seeking costly (and in my view unnecessary) legal advice.

Our reasons for not offering a place at our school are always based on objective evidence – we have no prior knowledge of the child, their family or their school record to date.

(Indeed, the School Admissions Code 2012 clearly states that schools must not take account of reports from previous schools or that of any other children in the family).

We have to make some difficult decisions based upon the results in our entrance tests – and we may not choose applicants from privileged backgrounds whose parents have been able to pay for coaching over those from less privileged backgrounds, who had little preparation for the tests, but may have greater academic potential.

The independent appeal panel usually has three people on it. They are completely independent of the school. Neither I nor the parents are able to spend any time alone with the panel.

Firstly, the panel hears the school’s case for not offering a place, and then the parents’ case.

The panel will ask questions of both the school and the parents.

The hearing normally lasts no more than about 30 minutes. The panel then reviews all of the evidence before making their decision, which is binding.

The decision is normally communicated within 48 hours. If the appeal is successful, a place at the school is offered. If unsuccessful, most parents will put their child’s name on our waiting list and look at other schools. Parents can appeal the decision, but only if there was a serious flaw in the appeals process that contravenes the law.

As a school we are simply trying to ensure that we obtain the best “fit” between what our school can offer and the ability and aptitudes of the students. We see the appeals hearings as an important part of the admissions process.

Local headteachers are working more closely to ensure that the educational provision for all continues to improve and that our young people benefit from a school environment and curriculum that best serves their aspirations.