Parents of children aged three and
four will be thinking about submitting their applications to
secure their child’s place at primary school for the next
academic year.
The deadline is fast approaching and
applying on time will boost your chances of securing a place at
your top choice school.
Here, we explain everything you need
to know about primary
schooladmissions, including how and when to
apply.
How do I apply for a place at
primary school?
Applications should be made online
through your local authority website wherever
possible.
If you want to submit a paper
application instead, you can request one from your local council,
or download and print the application form for your local council
website.
You must then fill it in and hand it
into your local council by the application deadline date.
You will be allowed to express
and interest for at least three schools you wish for your
child to attend. In some areas, you may be allowed to choose up
to six preferences.
When is the primary school
admissions deadline?
The deadline for applying for primary
school is 15 January 2024 for admission in
September 2024.
What if I miss the
deadline?
Late applications received after the
deadline may not be considered until after all other applications
received on time.
This could result in your child not
securing a place at your preferred
school.
When will I find out if my
child has a place?
Parents will find out which primary
school has offered their child a place for September 2024
on Tuesday 16 April.
The decision will be sent by the local
council by either letter or email.
Some councils allow parents to view
their results through the admissions portal or system.
Exactly what time the offers will be
released varies from area to area.
How are primary school places
decided?
All schools have admission criteria to
decide which children get places, set by the school or local
council.
While all state-funded schools must
give top priority to admitting children who are in care or have
been in care, admission criteria is different for each
school. They may choose to give priority to
children:
-
who live close to the
school
-
who have a brother or sister at the
school already
-
who are from a particular religion (for faith
schools)
-
who are eligible for the pupil
premium
-
whose parent has worked at the
school for two years or more.
Your local council can give
you information about a school’s criteria. You should also be
able to view these on your local council
website.
What if my child doesn’t get a
place at
her our preferred school?
If you’re not offered your
first-choice school, you can appeal the decision. Your decision letter will tell you how you can do
this.
However, even if you're appealing a
decision, we recommend accepting the offer your child did receive
so that they have a school place if the appeal is unsuccessful.
Accepting another offer won’t affect your appeal or limit other
options available to you.
Parents or carers who want to appeal a
decision should first contact the school’s admission authority,
which is responsible for organising the appeal
panel.
Parents and carers can find their
school’s admission authority by visiting their local council
website.
The appeal panel is independent and
will look at the case presented by both the admission authority
and the parent before coming to a
decision.
The decision of the appeal panel is
binding – if the appeal is upheld, the admission authority must
offer the child a place at the
school.
Admission authorities and appeal
panels must comply with the statutory School Admission Appeals
Code, which is available here. Guidance for
parents on the admission appeals process can also be
found here.
