Parents and carers of children who have just started in Year 6 are being asked to apply for a secondary school place for September 2026.
Applications open on 1 September 2025 and, to receive a school offer on National Offer Day (2 March 2026), applications must be submitted by the deadline of 31 October 2025.
This year, 6,978 Warwickshire children applied for a secondary place by the deadline, with 82.3% being offered a place at their first-choice school and a further 13.5% offered another of their top three choices.
However, every year a small number of families are disappointed because their child is offered a school which doesn’t reflect their preferences. This usually happens when only one school is listed on the application, or when the priority (catchment) school has not been included. Parents and carers are therefore strongly encouraged to use all possible six preferences on the form, and to include their priority school as one of those choices. Furthermore, late applications – those that miss the 31 October deadline – are unlikely to get offered a place at a preferred school, as these are only considered after National Offer Day, by which time most schools will be full.
Parents and carers have plenty of useful resources on Warwickshire County Council’s website to help them decide on which schools to include on their application form. This includes a priority area map, details of all the local schools and a short video guide on how to make realistic choices of schools: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/secondaryplace.
Families are also being encouraged to take some time to research their school options before applying, to make sure their choices are realistic. Cllr Wayne Briggs, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for Education, explains: “Making the move to secondary school is a big step, so look at the admissions criteria for each school you are interested in, think about how your child might travel to and from school each day and most importantly, go and visit the schools in your area if you can, have a good look round and talk to the staff and teachers. We have fantastic schools in Warwickshire, and we want to make sure every child has a place at a school that is right for them”.
Parents and carers wanting more information on how to apply to secondary school should visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/secondaryplace.