by political editor Paul Francis

Parents are squandering money on costly legal help for school appeals, according to the head of a new "no frills" phone-based advice service in Kent.

Neil Robson has set up Kent School Appeals, a low-cost alternative aimed at helping parents through the appeals process without resorting to solicitors.

Mr Robson, who has sat as an appeal panel member in Kent, believes many parents could succeed with their appeals for primary or secondary school places with some basic help and need not spend hundreds of pounds on legal advice.

He said members of appeal panels often groaned when parents appeared at panel hearings accompanied by solicitors and piles of documents.

"We’ve discovered as appeal members that there are many parents who have no idea how the system works and do not succeed when actually they deserve to. It seemed unfair to us that parents were being forced to go down that legal route, which can be counter-productive. Often the best solution is to talk to someone - we are trying to get to people who perhaps have never considered this type of service."

The launch of Kent School Appeals, which will primarily offer advice on the telephone to clients, comes against growing anecdotal evidence suggesting competition for places at heavily over-subscribed state secondary schools is intensifying.

Demand for places at Kent’s grammar schools is said to grown during the recession as more parents have been unable to maintain fees for private schools.

Charities have criticised the trend for parents to resort to lawyers, saying that it skews the system in favour of those who can pay for advice, which might run into thousands of pounds.

A spokesman for KCC said there was already plenty of help for parents and the authority, in common with other councils, employed so-called choice advisors to help them through the process.

This year there were 586 appeals lodged for schools, including grammar schools, and a further 1,859 for foundation and voluntary aided secondary schools.