Applying for a state school place in England follows a national timetable, with fixed closing dates and offer days. Missing a deadline can seriously narrow your choices, so here are the key dates for September 2027 entry, how the process works, how places are allocated and what to do if you don't get the school you hoped for.
Who you apply to
For state schools — including academies, free schools, faith schools and most grammar schools — you apply through your home council, even if the schools you want are in a different council area. Applications usually open in early September, and you can apply online or on a paper form.
You list several schools in order of preference. Every council lets you name at least three, and some allow up to six. Two points are worth knowing:
- Listing only one school doesn't improve your chances of getting it. Schools don't see where you ranked them.
- Naming several schools protects you. If none of your choices can offer a place, the council will offer a place at a school with space, which may be one you didn't consider.
Independent schools, and sixth forms and colleges, work differently: you apply to them directly, on their own timetables.
How places are allocated
When a school has more applicants than places, it ranks children using its published oversubscription criteria. Looked-after and previously looked-after children must come first. After that, common criteria include:
- brothers or sisters already at the school
- distance from home to school, measured in a way the policy sets out
- living in a defined catchment area
- for faith schools, evidence of religious practice
- for grammar schools, the result of the selection test
Your council then offers your child a place at the highest-ranked school on your list that can offer one. Because of this, the best strategy is simply to rank schools in your genuine order of preference.
Every admissions policy is published on the school's or the council's website. Many councils also publish how far away the last child to be offered a place lived in previous years, which is a useful, if imperfect, guide to your chances.
The secondary school timeline
- Year 5: start visiting schools and reading their admissions policies. If you are considering a grammar or other selective school, check whether there is an entrance test: registration for the 11+ often closes in the summer term of Year 5, with tests taken early in Year 6.
- September and October of Year 6: attend open evenings and submit your application before the closing date.
- 1 March: offers are sent out (or the next working day).
- March: accept or decline your offer by your council's deadline, and decide whether to join waiting lists or appeal.
The primary school timeline
Children in England can start in Reception in the September after their fourth birthday, although they don't legally have to be in education until the start of the term after their fifth birthday.
- Autumn of the year before entry: visit schools; applications open.
- 15 January: closing date for applications.
- 16 April: offers are sent out (or the next working day).
If you're offered a Reception place, you can usually defer your child's start until later in the school year, up to the point they reach compulsory school age, or ask for them to attend part time until then. Parents of summer-born children (born between 1 April and 31 August) can also ask for their child to start Reception a year later, outside their normal year group; the admission authority makes the decision, so ask early.
Moving mid-year
If you are moving house, or need to change schools outside the main admissions round, you make an in-year application. Depending on your area, you apply either directly to the school or through the council, and you'll be told whether a place is available. If your preferred schools are full, you can join their waiting lists while your child attends another school, and the council can tell you which local schools have places.
If you don't get the school you wanted
Disappointment on offer day is common, and you still have options.
- Accept the place you've been offered. Accepting doesn't affect your position on waiting lists or your right to appeal, and it makes sure your child has a school place.
- Join waiting lists for the schools you prefer. Waiting lists are ranked using the school's oversubscription criteria, not by how long you have been on the list, and places often come up over the spring and summer.
- Consider an appeal. Every parent has the right to appeal to an independent panel. For the main admissions round, you will have at least 20 school days from the date of your offer letter to lodge an appeal. Appeals for infant classes (Reception to Year 2) are more limited, because of the legal limit of 30 children per teacher in those classes.
Independent schools
Independent schools set their own admissions process. Common entry points are at 4+, 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+, and many schools assess children through tests, interviews or taster days. Registration for popular schools can close a year or more before entry, so if you are considering the independent sector, start your research early. Many schools offer means-tested bursaries as well as scholarships.
Sixth form and college
For sixth form or college you apply directly, usually during the autumn and winter of Year 11. Offers are normally conditional on GCSE results, with higher grades often required for A-Level subjects such as maths and the sciences — see our guide to GCSE grades.
How we can help
Choosing a school is one of the most important decisions you'll make for your child. Our school and nursery placement service helps families research and shortlist schools, prepare for visits and assessments, and navigate applications, waiting lists and appeals — with a dedicated consultant from first conversation to confirmed place.
For official guidance, see GOV.UK on applying for a secondary school place and applying for a primary school place, and always check your council's website for local dates.