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For children starting school in September 2027

School admissions deadlines

The closing dates and national offer days below are set by the School Admissions Code and are the same in every English local authority. When applications open varies a little by council - GOV.UK says so itself - and everything else - how many schools you can name, how waiting lists are run, when appeals are heard - is set by your own council too.

Dates checked against GOV.UK’s national admissions timetable.

  1. Secondary applications open

    Apply through your home local authority, wherever the schools are - not through the schools themselves. Some councils open a little earlier or later than this.

  2. Primary applications open

    For Reception, and for junior places where infant and junior schools are separate. Some councils open a little earlier or later than this.

  3. Secondary deadline

    For children starting Year 7. Applications after this are treated as late and considered only once on-time ones have been allocated.

  4. Primary deadline

    For children starting Reception the following September. As with secondary, late applications are only considered once on-time ones have been allocated.

  5. Secondary offer day

    Offers go out. You normally have two weeks to accept, and accepting does not stop you appealing or joining a waiting list.

  6. Primary offer day

    Offers go out. Admission authorities must keep waiting lists open for at least the first term of the school year, and places do come up over the summer.

Where to apply

Applications go through the council where you live, whichever authority the schools themselves sit in. GOV.UK will point you at the right one.

Apply on GOV.UK

Common questions

What happens if I miss the deadline?
Your application is treated as late. Late applications are only considered after every on-time one has been allocated, which in a popular area usually means the places have gone. Apply anyway - you join the waiting list, and places do come up.
How many schools can I put down?
Most local authorities let you name three to six, and some allow more. There is no disadvantage to naming a school you are unlikely to get: preferences are considered independently, so listing an ambitious first choice cannot cost you your realistic third.
Should I put my catchment school down as a backup?
Usually yes. If you name no school you would actually be offered, the authority allocates you whatever is left, which may be much further away. Naming your nearest school somewhere on the list does not reduce your chance at the others.
Do I apply to the school or the council?
To the council where you live, even for schools in a neighbouring authority. The exceptions are most private schools, and some grammar and faith schools that need a separate form or test registration, usually earlier in the year.
Can I appeal if I do not get the school I wanted?
Yes, and you can accept the place you were offered while you appeal - accepting does not weaken an appeal or remove you from a waiting list. Appeals for on-time applications are normally heard within 40 school days of the offer date.
Can I apply to a school in a different local authority?
Yes. You always apply through the council where you live, even if every school you list is in a neighbouring authority - the council you live in coordinates the application and passes your preferences on.
What happens if I move house after I have applied?
Tell your council as soon as your new address is confirmed. Most will use whichever address is on file by a cut-off before offer day, which varies locally, so a late change of address can mean a late change of luck - update it as soon as you can rather than waiting.
How do school waiting lists work?
If you are not offered a place, ask the school or council to add your child to its waiting list - you can do this even if you have already accepted an offer elsewhere. Admission authorities must keep a list open for at least the first term of the school year, and a formal offer follows if a place comes up.
Does living close to a school guarantee a place?
No. Distance is one of several criteria a school can use once it has more applicants than places, not a right to admission, and most schools have no fixed catchment boundary at all - the effective cut-off moves with how many people apply that year.
Can I apply to a grammar school?
Yes, but it runs on two separate tracks. You register for the entrance test directly with the school or test group, usually in spring of Year 5 - and you still make the ordinary council application by 31 October, listing the grammar school alongside any others.
Do faith schools have different admission requirements?
Often, yes. Many ask for a supplementary information form as well as the council application, usually covering things like religious practice, sent directly to the school rather than the council. Check the individual school's own website for its form and deadline.

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