1. Choosing schools
Contact your local council to find:
- schools in your area
- admission criteria for the schools you’re interested in
You can also contact your local council to apply for places in schools in other areas.
Find out about a school
You can find out more by:
- visiting the school - most schools have open days
- reading the school’s most recent Ofsted reports
- checking school league tables, which include exam results
- talking to other parents about what they think of the school
What schools must publish on their website
Schools’ websites must include:
- the amount of money they get from taking underprivileged children (the ‘pupil premium’), what they do with it and the effect it’s had
- details of the curriculum
- admission criteria
- behaviour policy
- special educational needs policy
- disability policy
- links to Ofsted reports
- links to performance data
- the school’s latest key stage 2 and 4 attainment and progress measures
You can also get advice about choosing schools from your local council. All councils have teams to help parents get their children into schools.
2. Admission criteria
All schools have admission criteria to decide which children get places. The school or local council usually set these.
Admission criteria are different for each school. For example, schools may give priority to children:
- who have a brother or sister at the school already
- who live close to the school
- from a particular religion (for faith schools)
- who do well in an entrance exam (for selective schools, eg grammar schools or stage schools)
- who went to a particular primary school (a ‘feeder school’)
- in care or being looked after (all schools must have this as a top priority)
- who are eligible for the pupil premium
Your local council can give you a booklet about schools’ criteria and how to apply.
Children with special educational needs (SEN)
If your child has SEN their statement or education, health and care plan will recommend a school for them. If you apply there, the school must give your child a place.
Complain about unfair criteria
Contact the Schools Adjudicator if you think a school has unlawful admission criteria.
You must do this by 15 May, before places are allocated.
3. Applying
You must apply for a place at a school, even if it’s linked to your child’s current nursery or primary school.
The way you apply depends on whether you’re applying for:
a primary school place
a secondary school place
You should apply in the same way if you have just moved to England or are applying from abroad.
Contact the council if you’re applying for a school place after the start of the school year (eg changing schools).
Private schools have their own admissions procedures. Apply directly if you want to send your child to a private school.
Delaying when your child starts primary school
You can ask for your child to be held back a school year if the following both apply:
they were born in the summer (1 April to 31 August)
you don’t think they’re ready to start in the September after they turn 4
They could start school in the September after their fifth birthday.
Contact the school’s admission authority to make a request. This is usually the school or local council.
When applications open
Applications open on different days in each local council area - usually at the start of the autumn term of the year before your child is due to start school.
Find out from your local council when applications open for primary orsecondary schools.
Deadlines to apply
You must apply for a primary school place by 15 January.
You must apply for a secondary school place by 31 October.
How to apply
When you fill in the form (online or on paper) you’ll be asked to list the schools you’re applying for in order of preference.
You must apply for at least 3 schools.
To get a copy of the application form on paper, contact your local council.
When you’ll find out
Councils will send confirmations for:
primary schools on 16 April
secondary schools on 1 March
If either date falls on a weekend, confirmations are sent the next working day.
See your local council’s website for more information or to find out your results if you applied online.
4. Appealing a school's decision
If your child hasn’t got a place, contact your local council for schools with places.
You’ll be sent a letter with the decision about your child’s school. You can appeal against the decision. The letter will tell you how.
You must appeal against each rejection separately.
Appeals for infant classes
In reception, year 1 and year 2, the class size is limited to 30. Your application can be turned down if all the classes already have 30 children.
You can still appeal if your child would have been offered a place. Your appeal could be successful if:
the admission arrangements haven’t been properly followed
the admission criteria aren’t legal according to the school admissions appeal code
the decision to refuse your child a place wasn’t reasonable
Help preparing your appeal
Coram Children’s Legal Centre may be able to help you prepare your appeal.
When the hearing will be
The ‘admission authority’ for the school (usually the school itself or the council) must give you at least 10 school days’ notice of the hearing.
Appeals must be heard within 40 school days of the deadline for making an appeal.
What happens at the appeal hearing
There’s a panel of 3 people at the appeal hearing. The panel must be independent.
The admission authority will explain why they turned down your application.
You’ll be able to give your own reasons why your child should be admitted.
The appeals panel must decide if the school’s admission criteria were properly followed and are legal according to the school admissions appeals code.
If the criteria are legal and were properly followed, the panel must decide if they were followed fairly and thoroughly.
If the criteria weren’t properly followed or are illegal, your appeal must be upheld.
If your appeal has not already been upheld, the panel will decide if your reasons for your child to be admitted outweigh the school’s reasons for not admitting another child.
The panel will send you and the admission authority their decision within 5 school days.
A panel’s decision can only be overturned by a court. If there’s a change in your circumstances which could affect the decision, you may be able to appeal again.
Complain about the appeals process
You can complain about the way the appeal was carried out, but you can’t complain about the decision itself.
Maintained schools
Complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.
Fill in the online complaint form.
Other schools
Complain to the Education Funding Agency about an appeal made to:
free schools
academies
university technical colleges
studio schools
Fill in the online complaint form – sign up for an account if you want to save your form.
Contact the Education Funding Agency if you need a paper form instead.
You should get a decision on your complaint within 9 weeks (45 working days). You’ll be told if it’ll take longer.
You’ll get a letter explaining the reasons for the decision.
If the Education Funding Agency decides something went wrong with the appeals panel, it may either:
ask the school to hold a new appeal hearing with a different panel
recommend the school reviews its appeals process
If a maintained school becomes an academy
If you complain about an admission appeal hearing held by a maintained school that then converts to academy status, this complaint will be investigated by the Local Government Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman will pass any actions to the Education Funding Agency.
