Applying for a secondary school place

We recommend you use the time before the application process starts to do some research into your local schools. Visit the deciding a place to learn page for guidance on how to decide on which schools to include in your application.

Please note faith schools and some academies will ask you to send them supplementary information. They usually have their own forms for this, which you will find on their websites and should send directly to the schools. Please remember that you must still submit an online application to be considered for a place at that school.

The deadline for applications is 11.59pm on 31 October 2023.

• Last year there were over 500 late applicants. If you apply late, you are much less likely to be offered a place at one of your preferred schools.
• The late application policy, detailed in the admission arrangements, will apply to those applications made after the closing date.

The extended deadline for changes in address is 11.59pm on 31 December 2023.

If your address changes after the 31 October deadline, you have until 31 December to either amend your original application or submit a new one. You can do this online via the parent portal.

You’ll need to be living in the new property by 31 December and send us either a full copy of a signed tenancy agreement or a copy of your purchase completion letter.

If you applied by the deadline, you will receive your school offer on National Offer Day, 1 March 2024.

On this day, we'll send you the name of the school that your child has been offered for September 2024.

You do not need to let us know if you plan to accept this offer. Instead, you should contact the school directly so that they can send you any details of transition or induction.

Your offer letter will tell you how you can refuse the offer. If you do not refuse the offer, our records will show that the offer has been accepted.

If your child has not been offered a place at one or more of your higher preferred schools, or any of the schools you applied for, this will be because the school(s) received more applications than there were places available and other children met the admission criteria more closely than your child. However, your child will have been added to the waiting list(s) for those schools. More information on these is below.

During this time we will be processing late applications and allocating any available places from waiting lists. You might also want to start thinking about your child's transition to their new school. More information on transitions

Waiting lists

We operate waiting lists for school places. If you have not been offered your first preference school, you will automatically be placed on the waiting list for your higher preference schools. For example If you applied for three schools and were offered your third preference you will automatically be added to the waiting list for the first and second preferences.

Please note that a child’s position on a waiting list can move up and down, as late applicants are added to waiting lists and any vacancies are reoffered. Given this, we are unfortunately not able to provide any information on waiting list positions while we work on these. Please be assured that if we can allocate your child a place at a school listed as a higher preference on your application than the school currently offered, we will contact you.

Appeals are heard by independent appeal panels.

Lodging an appeal

You can appeal for any higher preference school for which you have been refused a place. The deadline to submit an on time appeal is 11 April or alternatively please visit Appeal the outcome of a school placement

Even if you plan to appeal, we advise you to accept the offer you have been made, so that your child has a secured place for September 2024. Doing so will not affect any appeal you make, or your place on any waiting lists.

• More information on appeals